The history of Pinkston Power Station in Port Dundas in old nostalgic pictures from Glasgow's past

Pinkston Power Station’s cooling tower dominated Glasgow’s skyline after it was built in the early fifties making it the largest cooling tower in Europe.

The site was built between 1900 and 1901 to generate power for the electrification of Glasgow’s tram system which had began in 1894. Equipped with Belliss and Morcom generator sets, Glasgow Corporation had decided to electrify the network by 1901 for the opening of the International Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park.

The power station at Pinkston was originally constructed of red brick and the cooling tower was added between 1952-54. It was considered critical to the functioning of Glasgow as a city - camouflage paint was applied to the power station during World War II in order to avoid its destruction in bombing raids.

After passing to the South of Scotland Electricity Board in 1958, it was decommissioned in the 1960s, with the cooling tower being demolished in April 1978.

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Here are some old retro pictures of Pinkston Power Station which was once Europe’s largest cooling tower.