Schipka Pass

It's a strange name for this cul-de-sac. Sadly there is not much of it left now, and I believe what is there is scheduled for demolition soon.

It used to be a small lane full of strange shop units. Their main slogan (which can still be seen) was "Rubbish Bought - Antiques Sold." Some were less polite and said "Crap Bought - Antiques Sold".

The main shop was owned by a Mr Dick Barton a fanatical Partick Thistle football fan. Well known in football circles and a bit of a legend in Glasgow. Rumour has it he had an amateur football team called the 'Lesbian Lions'.

To say the area was colourful is an understatement, and although I confess to never having been in any of the shops I found it amusing to read the amazing signs and slogans. Most, but certainly not all, were football related.



A number of years ago it was in the news when there was a bad fire.

The picture tells the sad story of what remains (and probably not for long) but it still gives a bit of a flavour of what it was like in its heyday.