Tenements are ubiquitous in Glasgow - they are as integral as a part to the city as the people are - but how did they come to be, and why are they so important to Glaswegian culture?
The tenements of Glasgow were first brought in around the 1840s to house the massive workforce needed for heavy industry on the Clyde after the city used its profits from the merchant era of Transatlantic trade to position itself as the industrial heart of Britain.
The tenements were built rapidly, and in many cases cheaply, to house the massive workforce which would influx from across Britain. Depending on the era new Glaswegians would be crossing the cities boundaries in droves from events like the Highland clearances, the Irish famine, and other historical events that drove Brits from traditional rural dwellings into urban environments like Glasgow.
The population of Glasgow exploded, and the quality of tenement living varied greatly across the city over the centuries. Some tenements saw no upkeep or care, were built poorly, and by the time of the slum clearances in the 60s, were all falling to ruin. Conditions in said tenements could be horrendous, and sickness due to the poor living conditions was common due to overcrowding and poor sanitation. In some blocks like the Gorbals, 50 neighbours would be sharing the one outdoor toilet and back court tap. Tenements brought together incredibly tight-knit communities to the city, now the amount of people that used to live on your street all live in the one big sandstone building, and the streets in the city are lined with them.
Tenements rapidly expanded the city, and completely changed the face of it, burghs around the city like Partick and Govan would quickly become swallowed by Glasgow generation by generation.
As grim as growing up in a tenement could be, it did have its upsides - there was a real sense of community, you never felt alone, as a child there was a real sense of magic and belonging to it all.
Glasgow is known for being one of the friendliest cities in the world. I’d argue that this is in no small part due to the culture and community built within the cities tenements. The working class lived their lives in these incredibly overcrowded communities, and learned quickly the power a friendly face can have on someone’s day.
Life was hard in Glasgow tenements, people had to look out for each other - not to mention the consideration you had to have for other people when you shared a toilet between a dozen other families.
While most of Glasgow's tenement housing provision still stands, with a lot of the better preserved tenements being quite the sought after properties, growing up in a tenement in the 21st century just isn't the same as what it used to be.
Ever wondered why the tenements in Glasgow are two different colours? Check out explainer article by clicking here.
Take a look below as we explore life and conditions of Glasgow tenements throughout the 20th century in 28 pictures.
1. Tenement City
An open site which children in the Gorbals area of Glasgow use for playing. The Gorbals tenements were among the worst slums in Britain and there had been campaigns to have the area redeveloped for many years before work finally began in the late fifties. | Getty Images
2. Backlands of Calton
In the early twentieth century, the construction of additional property between tenements - known as the backlands - brought about incredible overcrowding in schemes that were already facing slum conditions. There were more than a thousand backland properties in Calton - and become such an issue that the Government had to step in to provide increased funding to allow the Glasgow corporation to clear the slums. Around 1365 backland homes were demolished in the 1930s, leading to an end to the cramped conditions in what essentially were Tenement forecourts. The housing was replaced with 330 homes in three story tenements built in open spaces - around 20 per cent of Calton residents refused to move, preferring their property in the backlands - with a further 10 per cent returning to the backlands after leaving, despite the offer of larger accommodation at a lower rent. | Contributed
3. High Street back street (Circa. 1904)
An old lane off the High Street - much of these old tenement buildings were demolished in the slum clearances by Glasgow Corporation back in the mid 20th century | Glasgow City Archive
4. Growing Glasgow
A man pulling a barra past tower blocks under construction in the Gorbals. The tenements which had formerly occupied the site were among the worst slums in Britain and there had been campaigns to redevelop the area for many years before work finally began in the late fifties. | Getty Images