The 1970s was a defining decade for Glasgow, marking a period of dramatic change as many residents left the city’s inner-city slums for newly built housing estates on its outskirts.
Globally, it was a time of major events and cultural milestones — Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president in history to resign following the Watergate scandal, films like The Godfather, Star Wars, and Grease captivated audiences, Billy Connolly emerged as a national star, and the UK experienced political turbulence leading up to Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power in 1979.
In Glasgow, the live music scene thrived. Notable acts performed at Green’s Playhouse — renamed The Apollo in September 1973 — while Hampden Park once again hosted a European Cup Final, with Bayern Munich taking on Saint-Étienne in 1976.
Here are 70 photographs that capture the changing face of Glasgow and everyday life in the city throughout the seventies.
33. 1972 Scottish Cup final
Jimmy O'Rourke tries to dribble around Celtic's Billy McNeill in Hibs' defeat in the 1972 Scottish Cup final. Photo: SNS Group
34. Glasgow in the 1970s
Three girls knitting at the Be a Knit for Oxfam campaign in Buchanan Street Glasgow, August 1974. Photo: TSPL
35. UCS workers mass meeting 1971
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders shop steward Jimmy Reid addresses a mass meeting of UCS workers at Govan shipyard Glasgow in September 1971. Photo: Allan Milligan
36. Devolution referendum (1979)
SNP politician Margo MacDonald keeps her fingers crossed at a polling station in Glasgow during the referendum vote on Scottish devolution in March 1979. Photo: TSPL