The Scenes From Strathclyde

Good, Honest, Old-Fashioned Bakery

High Street/Kirk Wynd

Until the opening of the (long, long delayed) Maybole bypass, Maybole’s High Street was the main road south to the ports of Stranraer, then Cairnryan for the Northern Irish ferries. Perish the thought trying to run the gambit of crossing the street when a few trucks were ambling their way down the road!

NOT SPONSORED: Simpson’s Bakery does some amazing Scotch Pies, Onion Pies and Empire Biscuits. Would recommend.

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Town Hall

(Bottom Of) High Street

For the longest time, where this photo was taken was an abandoned indoor market then building site. Behind me stands the new Cutty Sark Centre and there’s a wee stage to the bottom right of the photo – this was a drive to get more events happening in the town centre. A few days before this photo was taken, the official launch was held for the space – hence the bunting.

Through thick and thin, the Town Hall stands proud.

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Ayr In Bloom

Burns Statue Square

The Burns Statue Square gardens (the titular statues’ leg is just visible in the top right of the photo) are pretty vibrant in summer. All I’ll say is, thankfully there’s no smell-o-vision. Let’s just say the Council use manure to fertilise the soil. The Square is a bustling thoroughfare for cars and local buses alike. Behind me stands the (at the time, operating) Odeon Cinema, a glorious art deco building, now with an uncertain future (much like the grander Ayr Station Hotel that’s a couple of minutes walk off to the right).

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The Cross, At the Cross

Main Street

A main thoroughfare at the heart of the town. The council hadn’t gotten around to planting any flowers here yet. The shops may change but the cross hasn’t changed much in as long as I can remember.

If you were to follow the road to the right, you’d reach the station and Prestwick Beach.

At one point, by my friend’s and I’s calculations, Prestwick had an equitable distribution of pubs to takeaways.

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Crossroads

Templehill/Ayr St/Portland St/W Portland St Junction

Another main thoroughfare and slightly busy crossroads in this seaside town. Another case of shop-fronts changing but the buildings themselves & the space has changed little in as long as I remember. There used to be a nice Italian behind me & up a little called Tog’s. Did great ice cream and had a proper retro aesthetic complete with old-school sweet counter. Closed a while back and became a pub. Now the pub’s closed too. Heading towards the harbour (again, street behind & to the left) there’s a sit-in chippy (classy). Down the ‘Give A Dog A Bone’ street sits the Walker Hall where, other than the occasional cover band plays, I graduated from my undergrad degree on a nice July day in 2017.

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The Rivergate

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During the New Town rebuild, a delightful old bridge was smashed up to build this (clad) concrete effegy. Back in the day when I lived near Irvine, this was the usual shopping spot. I fondly remember the Wimpy on the right hand side as you went up the escalator (an oddly specific thing to remember, I know). Wimpy (In Irvine) is long gone, with some of its space subsumed into a wetherspoons.

The towerblock you can spot in the background of the middle of the shot is, along with another couple of them along the riverside, being demolished (like 2 of the 3 riverside towers in Ayr were).

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Harbourside

Harbour Street

(Director’s Cut locale)

This is Old Irvine, and a remarkable contrast to the big old Rivergate that’s plonked right in the heart of the town over the river. It’s a nice quiet spot here, when it’s not midsummer and trainloads of folks are making their way down Harbour street (behind me). Ahead in the distance is the Scottish Maritime Museum, and out of frame on the left is the Ayrshire Folly that was the Big Idea. Apparently that’s supposed to have been getting turned into a hotel or something for like the past decade, nowt has come of it yet.

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Harbour

Mariners View/Montgomerie Pier

One of the ‘Three Towns’ that sit on the North Ayrshire coast, Ardrossan has been a major (now minor) port town for some time.

I’m standing on what was “Montgomerie Pier”, the former berth & Caledonian Railway station that saw boat departures to the Isle of Man and Belfast. These dried up (figuratively) leaving the CalMac ferries from Winton Pier (to the photo’s right). We’re looking across the Marina in a South Easterly direction. I didn’t plan to capture a gull mid-flight, that was genuinely a stroke of luck.

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Main-Road-side

(Corner of) Burnfoot Road

(Director’s Cut locale)

Slightly further up the coast towards Largs, Fairlie used to have a pier and associated station for sailings around the Firth of Clyde.

I think I managed to nail some ‘leading lines’. I had planned on walking further towards the site of the old pier but this house with its wee palm tree in the garden caught my eye. Also gives the project a wee break from seaside photos in coastal towns. Folks probably pass this spot en route up to Largs without giving it a second thought.

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Art-Deco Nardinis

Off Gallowgate Street

This is now my 2nd (technicolour) Analogue capture of the famous Nardini’s building on a typically busy West Of Scotland summer’s day, this time complete with vintage cabriolet.

The cue for ice cream was crazy, so Michael and I went to the Nardini’s by the ferry terminal for some nice iced cream (not sponsored).

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Abbey Ruins

By Vaults Lane

Having noticed the ruins on the train up & down from ‘the shire’ to Glasgow, I knew I had to have this locale on my list for the project. What I didn’t realise was how close they were to the main street – literally a couple of streets across. A very nice, quiet spot, with only the birds breaking the silence.

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SPTE Sign Spotting

Stevenston Road

(Director’s Cut locale)

Strathclyde Council & SPTE may have become defunct in 1996 but remarkably this holdout continues to point drivers to the Park & Ride facilities at Kilwinning. I had noticed the sign when we were driving from the Abbey to the 3 towns back when Michael and I were undertaking the Ayrshire stages of the project and resolved to return – and here it is! I’m facing the sun but using the shade of the trees in the house’s garden so I didn’t blind myself. The sign is duplicated on the other side of the post but the wee Strathclyde branding is considerable sun-bleached for obvious reasons.

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Welcome To Kilmarnock / The Bus Station

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‘Killie’s Bus Station was the focus of negative attention as the local youths congregated there and harassed the buses and bus passengers waiting around.

The red car passing the frame as I took the shot was another fortuitous one – though the road that cuts across right to left is an extremely busy one so it was going to be a car or me shouting expletives as a truck or bus passed into frame.

You may be able to notice a little red frame that looks like it’s touching the roof of a bus berthed in the station (middle, right-hand-side) – turns out that’s a charging device for electric buses. Neat!

There used to be a few banners nearby advertising Kilmarnock’s “Dick Institute”. lol, lmao, etc.

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The Baird Institute

Off Lugar St.

The Baird Institute was built from money bequeathed to the town by John Baird. It’s a little tucked away in the town centre, and is a surprising, but nice, little gem that looks like a small castle, next to a slightly major road through the town.

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Something Something Post-Industrial Decline

Castle (Street/Road)

New Cumnock was surrounded by coal mines, but these days you couldn’t tell that as they’ve all largely returned to nature. Sure, there’s some editorial bias showing an abandoned building, but behind me, a couple of buildings were undergoing some facelifts (hence the barrier fence to the right of the shot behind the bus shelter). This spot is on the main A76 road which winds its way down to Dumfries.

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Pier (View to Promenade)

The first photo taken for this project, on Day 1 of this little adventure (Tuesday, May 30th 2023 to be precise).

A beautiful day to snap the main promenade in Helensburgh, from a pier that extends past the new leisure centre by the sea front.

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Colquhoun Square

A nice little (largely) pedestrianised square not far from the main promenade. During the prep for the photoshoot and audio recording, a little old lady walked over to a couple of senior gents by the bench that is just out of frame on the left saying “I wonder what those young men are doing with that equipment”. She missed her Main Character Moment.

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The Titan

Former John Brown’s Shipyard

My Higher Geography course at school looked at the social geography of Glasgow and the Shipbuilding industry on the banks of the Clyde. The Titan Crane was given a bit of it’s mention given it’s use as part of the old John Brown shipyard.

It now stands proud across a dock from the West College Scotland Clydebank campus.

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Drum Rubble

Hecla Square

If you jump on Google Maps’ Streetview (other mapping providers are available), the rubble to the left hand side was the former social work office. A slightly different view of ‘the Drum’, given that a mention of Drumchapel brings up imagery of a tired 1950s housing estate.

You can spot the water tower in the middle distance. A very 1950s concrete shopping arcade is off to the right hand side.

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Strathclyde Transport Makes the Going Easier

Yoker Depot Opening Soon™ Signage, Off Brownside Dr.

I couldn’t very well have a project that leant on the old Strathclyde Transport branding without tracking down a sign that was still extant that included the branding and ( slightly faded) ‘Strathclyde Red’ (actually orange) alongside the British Rail arrow.

I once noticed the sign as I passed it travelling on the train so knew I had to track it down at photograph it for the project. Sadly more trains passed when we were going to set up and had just pulled away in the car, that’d have been pretty neat.

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Firth View

Gourock Gardens

This wee garden is located in a square across the road from the train station and ferry port. There’s a nice view to the Firth over the road.

You get some real Riviera vibes here on a day like the one we visited Gourock on.

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Inner Greenock

Nelson St., By West College Campus

Greenock is typical for it’s former and not-so former shipyards, so this spot stands in contrast to that pre-conception. The view behind the photograph is the West College Greenock campus – this is a fairly busy road and the well-timed snap of the moving car helps to emphasise that. Managed to miss a couple of buses blocking the shot, too!

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relics of industrial past

Victoria Harbour

This is what you’d expect to see in Greenock – Docks! This one has the benefit of having the old cobbles and rail lines still visible, not having been turned into a Hungry Horse or call centre or hotel chain.

A major road runs behind us

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Canal Station, The original you might say

Stow Brae

I’m standing on what would have been one of the platforms on the original Paisley Canal station which closed in 1983.

This is a photographic journey and not a critique of the frankly bonkers decision to close a suburban railway line by Strathclyde Transport’s predecessor the Greater Glasgow PTE only to have the old railway land sold off to housing developers shortly afterwards.

The stub on which sits the new Canal station was conveniently left for several years until it reopened in the early 90s. In its afterlife the old station looks to have been a bar/restaurant but that has also fallen on hard times (it’s completely closed now).

The remainder of the old Canal line to Elderslie is a cycle path now.

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Old Mill

Seedhill Craigs Garden

Taken from the gardens that sit near the old mill and weir of the White Cart water, this is a nice quiet spot close to the town centre, though if you’re a hayfever suffer I wouldn’t recommend.

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Defiant Mock-Jacobian structure

St. Enoch Square

Buildings in St. Enoch Square come and go, but the wee ‘castle’ that used to be the HQ for the Subway company & entrance to St. Enoch Subway station stands forever.

A bit of bustle going on as it was around 9am on the 3rd (and final) day of the Scenes shoot. It’s recently been announced (as of June 2023) that the St. Enoch Centre is to be demolished and replaced. It seems the wee castle will outlast several buildings it’s junior.

I then went down the subway entrance to the right and really pushed the whole ‘linkup, linkup, linkup, linkup, linkup Trans-Clyde’ phrase to its limit

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Motorway City

Anderston Cross & Station

(Director’s Cut Locale)

An ingenious idea whoever it was had to drive a motorway right through Glasgow City Centre. I’m standing under the (in)famous Kingston Bridge approaches avoiding all the wee water drops from the bridge above.

A charming location.

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Buchanan Bus Station

Killermont Street

When setting up for this shot, I was beginning to thing ne’re a bus would appear. I’m sure there’s some irony in there somewhere. Nevertheless, here’s another bus station. ‘Scenes’ is about documenting the mundane after all.

For a trimester/semester in late 2010 I attended Caley Uni and would regularly pass this spot en route to the Uni, which is up and to the left of the bus station. I think the Greggs was a Costa at that time (other bakeries and coffee houses are available)

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GFT

Rose Street

(Director’s Cut Locale)

The iconic indie Cinema – I decided to shoot this one looking in the direction of Sauchiehall as I had taken a photo many, many moons ago looking ‘up the hill’ to the GFT from Sauchiehall, so fancied an alternative angle. That, and it was raining and tactically stood under a little tree to take this photo and record the audio.

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Townhead

Top of Castle Street

(Director’s Cut Locale)

I really put my relapsed fear of heights to the test with this one – standing on a wee concrete bridge that crosses this busy interchange with cars flying underneath really took suffering-for-my-art to a new level. Some of the few remaining high-rise blocks in Glasgow in the background.

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The Cathedral

Off Cathedral Square

It’s a pity that the spire is still clad (as it was when I did my Trans-Clyde Taster shoot), but it was at least a glouriously sunny morning for it.

I tried to listen in to some of that tour groups’ guide’s chat on the Cathedral, but there were some roadworks going on in the background. Nightmare.

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The Bridge To Nowhere

Charing Cross

During the City Council’s ‘Plough motorway through everything’ phase, they had planned to build an inner ring-road that would’ve passed over Charing Cross here and joined Sauchiehall Street to the left. They got so far as building the over-bridge for it before the ring-road plan fell through (thankfully).

It sat as a ‘bridge to nowhere’ for some time before the office block was built atop it.

I was standing in front of a Burger King by Driftwood when one of the BK staff started sweeping outside – you’ll hear that in the audio recording.

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The Laurieston In Technicolour

Eglinton St./Norfolk St.

Another locale I visited during my Trans-Clyde Taster tour, I revisited the 1960s & 70s ediface to capture it in colour, and as it seems, starting to get a wee bit of a spruce up for the summer.

(Slight edit in post to obscure Merc’s licence plate)

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The Burrell

Pollok Country Park

(Director’s Cut locale)

Whilst we had a bit of a whistlestop tour of Glasgow Parks or park-side buildings during the initial stages of the project, time meant that we couldn’t swing by Pollok park to record at the famous Burrell Collection, so here it is.

It was a typically Scottish summer day in that it was windy and grey, so there’s some nice tree rustling sounds in the recording!

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Langside Hall

Pollokshaws Road

(Director’s Cut locale)

Despite the park-like surroundings the Hall sits in, the main thoroughfare that is Pollokshaws Road stands right behind me. It was either the hall or the Corona pub I was going to take a picture of on this spot, the hall won out (only so many photos of pubs I can take before it becomes a pub photo gallery).

The fact this was a main thoroughfare meant I had to get a little creative in post with the ambient audio cause emergency service sirens have a bad habit of cutting into the general ambience of a spot.

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RBV

Victoria Road

(Director’s Cut locale)

I had swung by the southside and Victoria Road whilst stomping around Glasgow for the ‘Trans-Clyde Taster’ but neglected to take any photos of Victoria Road which was remise of me.

Cafe – Radio Buena Vida has been a bit of a haunt of mine lately since I started working as a volunteer radio producer here (since Sept 2024). Even though I’m contractually obliged to do so it’s well worth a wee visit – it’s been listed as Glasgow’s (& Scotland’s) coolest radio station and one of Glasgow’s top wee destinations for scran and a drink!

The gent leaning on the bollard was waiting for a lift, I caught him getting picked up in the ambient audio but car doors closing in close proximity are a nightmare for audio peaking.

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GREY GOVAN

Govan Cross/Govan Subway

(Director’s Cut Locale)

I’m standing on the other side of Govan Subway for this view. Having also visited this spot during my whirlwind “Trans-Clyde Taster” I wanted to take a different angle. Plus, the road junction would likely add some interest in the audio. You be the judge of that yourself, viewer.

The subway station was renovated a bit during the main works for the Subway upgrade a few years back, it’s looking less beige and brown than it had done in the decades after the major renovation in the 1970s.

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Old Toll

Admiral Street

Continuing my penchant for taking photos of pubs’ exteriors, this is a pub that’s on my list to visit that’s well-rated but haven’t gotten around to visiting (during opening hours).

I parked myself by the bins (classy, I know) so I wasn’t running the gambit of photographing & recording audio by (another) main road.

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“PQ”

Pacific Quay

The not-so-brand-new HQ of Auntie Beeb Scotland at Pacific Quay, generally referred to as PQ by those in the business/orbit of the Beeb. The riverside path is a popular spot for runners and cyclists.

The couple of folks you can see on the bottom left are cueing for a wee food/coffee trailer – as good as an excuse as any to get out of the office block to enjoy some sunshine during a break. (During a break, BBC Scotland management)

You can just about spot the Imax and Glasgow Science Centre in the reflection of the glass

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Dukes’s Sunny Exterior

Old Dumbarton Road

Another revisit, another pub exterior.

A (imo) neat in-camera Lens Flare in this shot – JJ Abrams would be proud. Stopped by here whilst there were some deliveries and parking manoeuvres on the go, along with the occasional dog-bark from the groomers to my left.

(Slight edit in post to obscure van’s licence plate)

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Ashton Lane

Most photographs of Ashton Lane are taken in the opposite direction, looking towards the Grosvenor, brel and the Innis & Gunn taproom – so I turned that on it’s head. (That and I wanted to shoot away from the sun and stand in the shade).

Shortly after taking this analogue photo and whilst I was prepping the digital Olympus, a van drove down the lane and parked just in front of where I stood, so Michael and I had to stand about for a few minutes before capturing the audio & digital photo.

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Main Character Moment

Kibble Palace, The Botanics

A glorious day for a trip to the botanics, though I can’t imagine how pleasant the heat would be in the Kibble Palace.

The blonde lady was not for moving the moment she saw the camera and audio equipment, much to the chagrin of the gent that was with her. She got her Main Character Moment, at least on analogue – I used the zoom lens on the digital Olympus to cut her out.

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The People’s Palace

By Glasgow Green

Jumping across the city to another one of its greenhouses, here’s the People’s Palace which stands in contrast to the 1960s tower blocks in the background (now a rare sight in Glasgow).

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Street Scene

High Street

(Director’s Cut locale)

I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I passed through Lanark, though odds on it was likely going to New Lanark on a school trip so that places it at least [REDACTED] years ago.

I spotted a German beer hall drinking songs LP in a charity shop on my visit, and despite how amusing that would be to own a record like that, I don’t own a Beer hall or a stein so the novelty is somewhat lost.

Despite what the photo tells you, the road was actually fairly busy, but you’ll be able to hear that below:

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Shopping Centre & Bus Station

From grass bank by the Civic Centre

A slightly different view of the (largely obscured by concrete edifices) Bus Station and main shopping mall.

East Kilbride gets a nickname of being the ‘Polo Mint’ purely because of the sheer number of roundabouts it has – and there’s one just out of view to the left.

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Former Bell College

Almada Street

The former Bell College and later UWS Hamilton Campus building cuts an eerie shape as it sits abandoned in the town, next to the Courthouse and UN building (actually the South Lanarkshire Council HQ)

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Windmillhill Street

View to Civic Centre

A bustling main road in Motherwell, near Fir Park, home of Motherwell FC

(Slight edit in post to blur some licence plates)

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Shades Of Industrial Past

Junction of Sunnyside & Gartsherrie Rd., Sunnyside Station

(Director’s Cut Locale)

A big old warehouse/factory building gives us a hint to this area’s industrial past. Out of frame behind the trees (and railway line) is the Summerlee Museum of Industrial Life. Quite a busy junction this, and I had one driver toot their horn as they passed whilst I recorded the audio. Unfortunately for them, I have the magic of editing-in-post to remove their main character moment.

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A different view of a carbuncle

The Centre, St. Mungo’s Rd.

The Fryery, appropriately next to a Church sits at the opposite end of the Shopping Centre from the ‘Jutty Out bit’ of said centre that there’s loads of photos of. St. Mungo’s Road serves as a feeder to the centre’s car park (the access ramp for which was right behind us).

A closed Roller Disco separated us from the main road that the centre is built over (Central Way).

This was the last photograph taken on the 3rd and final day of the little Scenes From Strathclyde adventure (2nd June 2023). I did a version of the ‘We did it Joe!’ meme on my Instagram story (See ‘Outtakes & Extras’) to celebrate completion of the (practical part) of the project.

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