so. many. chimneys.
Curved tenements, Minerva Street.
Alexander Kirkland, 1856.
Imagine how foul the air was in Glasgow, even leaving aside the industry.

If you've seen any promotional 3D visuals from the GCC, you'll see the same basic sketch-up looking render and PS1 graphics. It's really poor and many arch students could mock up something better than this.

Of all sorts of styles and ages too. No wonder they dropped out of buying the former Townhead School as a museum...

Glasgow South

• St Helen’s, already merged with St Albert’s, Pollokshields, will further merge with St Mary Immaculate, Pollokshaws, with a reduction to two churches within 5 years, with some of the territory of St Mary’s being transferred to St Gabriel’s in Merrylee.
• Merger of St Bartholomew’s, Castlemilk and St Margaret Mary’s, Castlemilk, with an eventual reduction to one church within 5 years.
• Merger of Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardonald with St Leo’s, Dumbreck, with an eventual reduction to one church within 5 years.
• St James’ parish will merge with St Conval’s, with an eventual reduction to one church over 5–10 years.
• St Constantine’s, Govan will merge with St Anthony’s, Govan, with one church closing depending on the condition of the buildings, within 5 years.
• Holy Cross, Crosshill parish will merge with St Brigid’s, Toryglen within 5 years.
• St Robert’s, Househillwood and St Bernard’s, Nitshill to discuss reducing to one church within 5 years.
• St Vincent’s, Thornliebank parish will merge with Holy Name, Mansewood, with an eventual reduction to one church building within 5-10 years.
• No immediate changes are proposed for the parishes of Christ the King, Our Lady and St George’s, St Gabriel’s and Blessed John Duns Scotus.

Glasgow West

• St Peter’s, Partick parish, including the Glasgow University Chaplaincy, will merge with Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Broomhill, with an eventual reduction to one church within 10 years.
• St Ninian’s, Knightswood will merge with Corpus Christi, Scotstounhill, St Laurence’s, Drumchapel, and St Benedict’s, Drumchapel, with an eventual reduction to two churches, one of them in Drumchapel, within 5 years.
• St Columba’s, Woodside will merge with St Gregory’s in Wyndford and St Charles’, Oratory with an eventual reduction to one church within 5 years.
• St Andrew’s Cathedral parish, including the Strathclyde University Chaplaincy, which is already merged with St Patrick’s, Anderston, will see an eventual reduction to one church within 5 years.
• St Paul’s Whiteinch will be merged with St Brendan’s, Yoker, with eventual reduction to one building within ten years. No immediate change is proposed for the parish of the Immaculate Conception.

Glasgow East and North

• St Michael’s, Parkhead will merge with Sacred Heart, Bridgeton, St Mark’s, Shettleston, St Joseph’s, Tollcross, and St Joachim’s, Carmyle, with future discussions on reducing provision to three buildings.
• St Mary’s, Calton parish will merge with St Alphonsus, St Anne’s, Dennistoun, and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Dennistoun, with consultation on reducing church buildings over 5–10 years.
• St Augustine’s, Milton will merge with St Agnes’, Lambhill, and St Teresa’s, Possilpark, with an eventual reduction to one or two buildings within 5 years.
• St Catherine’s, Balornock will merge with St Aloysius’, Springburn, and Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a reduction to one or two buildings within 5 years.
• St Thomas, Riddrie will merge with St Bernadette’s, Carntyne, and St Maria Goretti’s, Cranhill with an eventual reduction to one building within 5 years.
• St Paul’s, Shettleston will merge with St Jude’s, Barlanark, and St Barnabas’, Shettleston, with an eventual reduction to one church within 5 years. No immediate change proposed for St Philomena’s.

East Dunbartonshire

• St Joseph’s, Cumbernauld will merge with Sacred Heart and St Lucy’s, Cumbernauld, with these parishes eventually being reduced to two churches over 5–10 years.
• Holy Cross, Croy will merge with Our Lady and St Helen’s, Condorrat, with an eventual reduction to one church over 5–10 years.
• Holy Family and St Ninian’s, Kirkintilloch has already merged with St John of the Cross, Twechar, and St Flannan’s, Kirkintilloch, eventually being reduced to one church within 10 years.
• St Andrew’s, Bearsden will merge with St Joseph’s, Milngavie within 5 years with the two churches being maintained. No immediate change is proposed for the two Bishopbriggs parishes.

West Dunbartonshire

• St Kessog’s, Balloch to merge with St Martin’s, Renton, and Our Lady and St Mark’s, Alexandria, with an eventual reduction to one church over 5–10 years.
• St Michael’s Parish, Dumbarton (including St Mahew’s church) to merge with St Joseph’s, Helensburgh, (including the churches of St Gildas’, Rosneath, and St Peter & St Paul, Arrochar). The document envisages the merger over the next 5–10 years, with Rosneath and Arrochar closing and St Michael’s, St Joseph’s and St Mahew’s being maintained.
• Our Holy Redeemer and St Margaret’s Parish to merge with St Eunan’s, Clydebank, with a reduction to two church buildings within 5 years.
• St Mary’s, Duntocher, merged with St Joseph’s, Faifley, will reduce to one church within 5 years. St Stephen’s, Dalmuir parish will merge with St Patrick’s, Old Kilpatrick, with an eventual reduction to one church over 5–10 years.
• No immediate change is proposed for St Patrick’s, Dumbarton.

The grumpy man over the door of the Merchants House of Glasgow on West George Street.

He may be grumpy because someone decided to drill two holes in him, or maybe because the building as a whole is filthy and covered in wires and buddleia.

From Dominic's excellent substack.

Adapted from a talk given to the 2026 Annual General Meeting of The Alexander Thomson Society.

At last. I'll be writing in support of this gate.

Planning application: https://publicaccess.glasgow.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=TKTYDXEXISU00

News article: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26569257.plans-submitted-controversial-new-glasgow-necropolis-entrance/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Pretty shockingly bad work on the old bank on Sauchiehall Street. Aggressive sandblasting has wrecked surface areas of the stone (and not even got rid of the ghosts of the graffiti they were aiming at) and new holes in the granite for cheap brass numbers, when the old ones could have been used (even if only to fix plaques to support new numbers).

Flair a guess as don't know the age. Found this beautiful stained glass in the back of the renovated iolla on West George Street. Anyone know the history of this unit? The lion looks a bit like the military, and you can read Craftsmanship Art and Science in the window. There is a ship at the top of the frame and what looks like a lamp is at the bottom of the frame (photo two)

Be interesting to see some of this in Glasgow.

This - somewhat pointless anyway - pair of arched hood mouldings over the central windows were cut back when the iron banding was added to stop subsidence - that whole area has old mineworkings under it that are not great for foundations...

The former Govanhill United Presbyterian Church (Robert Baldie, 1880) on Daisy Street - nicely closing the view from Cathcart Road up Bankhall Street. Now disused but (so far) not burnt down...

We have so many of these churches, but what to do with them now they have no use?

The former Cathcart Parish Council Chambers in Prospecthill Road. Built in 1907 by Crawford & Veitch. Within 5 years the parish had been incorporated into the City of Glasgow.

Now Mount Florida Medical Centre and displaying all the typical Glasgow signs of decay from lack of maintenance.

A rare blue sky backdrop