Sauchiehall Street - every Glaswegian will have fond memories of being dragged along the thoroughfare with their granny as a child, or of later messy nights out as an adolescent, the street holds a special place in our hearts.
The crown of Glasgow City Council’s ‘golden Z’ - the street has saw some major albeit steady decline in the last few decades - but what can we attribute this to? Just how far has Sauchiehall Street fallen? How great was it in the first place?
These are the questions we want to answer today in this article, from the inception of the street in 1810’s right up until the modern era - and even looking forward to the future of the street with current plans.
Here’s the 200-year-old history of Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street in 15 pictures.
9. Dino Ferrari’s
Dino Ferrari’s was one of Glasgow’s best-loved restaurants - existing for nearly half a century on Sauchiehall Street. The Scots-Italian restaurant spoke to the multi-cultured aspect of the thoroughfare. Before the likes of Sugo and Paesano, it was the place to go for pizza and pasta when it opened in 1966. | The Scotsman
10. Cars on the Kingston Bridge in the 70s
Glasgow’s Inner Ring Road and the construction of the Kingston Bridge crossing throughout the 60’s and early 70’s really shaped modern Glasgow, for better or worse. The crossing played its part in taking a significant amount of traffic off the city centre streets and paved the way for the pedestrianisation of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street. It continues to carry around 155,000 vehicles a day. Photo: Glasgow Motorway Archive
11. The people take Sauchiehall Street
It was the 80’s when Glasgow, and by extension Sauchiehall Street, took a sharp dive. The Thatcher era and de-industrialisation badly affected all aspects of live in Glasgow, including the social aspect. In this picture we see a demonstration in support of civil rights in Northern Ireland - action like this was becoming more and more common on Sauchiehall Street as Glaswegians voiced their distrust of the British Government and their treatment of the city, the UK, and the people living there. Photo: Gordon Rule
12. Sauchiehall Street
Christmas shoppers in Sauchiehall Street, in the 2010’s, but it’s nothing compared to how packed the streets used to be at Christmas - not to mention the lack of glitzy decorations of the 20th century Christmases on the street. As shopping centres were constructed both within Glasgow and outwith the city in places like East Kilbride and Livingston, not to mention the massive increase in online shopping - Sauchiehall Street drew less and less retailers. Photo: ALLAN MILLIGAN