Scottish entertainer Billy Connolly leaves Glasgow on a sponsored cycle ride to Inverness in August 1980. Billy sets off from a rain-soaked George SquareScottish entertainer Billy Connolly leaves Glasgow on a sponsored cycle ride to Inverness in August 1980. Billy sets off from a rain-soaked George Square
Scottish entertainer Billy Connolly leaves Glasgow on a sponsored cycle ride to Inverness in August 1980. Billy sets off from a rain-soaked George Square

17 photos showing life in Glasgow in 1980

The winds of change were blowing a hooley in Glasgow at the start of the 1980s.

The city’s industrial landscape was being rapidly altered. Defunct and disused docklands and shipyards littered the banks of the Clyde, while Clydebank’s world-famous Singer sewing factory, once a major employer in the Greater Glasgow region, also finally closed its doors following years of uncertainty.

In sport, frustrations boiled over towards the end of the 1980 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park. A riot broke out with dozens of supporters injured in violent scenes as mounted police struggled to quell the chaos. The shameful incident resulted in the permanent banning of alcohol at all Scottish football stadia.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The city had a world lightweight boxing champion in Bridgeton-born fighter Jim Watt, local fizzy drinks legends Irn-Bru were celebrating their 150th birthday, while Glaswegians also enjoyed a revamped underground system with fancy new trains.