The Gorbals

I spent today in Glasgow, first attending the opening of the Reid Building at Glasgow School of Art, then to the Gorbals to visit a potential project.

In the 1960s and '70s, the then Glasgow Corporation demolished the rows of tenements - "slum clearance" it was called. Despite the protests of many residents who had grown up there and valued the tight community spirit, the rows were replaced with the dream houses in the sky - the tower blocks.

They didn't remain in favour for long either, with the first being demolished in the 1990s. There were four blocks at Norfolk Court, dating I think from c.1973, and this is the last one remaining, though it too is scheduled for demolition by the end of this year. It will be the end of another chapter in Glasgow's housing history, to be replaced by the shiny "New Laurieston". I wonder how long it will last?