A drawing by Thomas Fairbairn, c 1849, of timber-fronted houses at 77 Saltmarket. Houses of this design were cheap to build as they consisted of just one substantial masonry-built storey with a wooden clapperboard structure added above. The watercolour based on this drawing is also available to view on TheGlasgowStory.
Most of Saltmarket's timber buildings were destroyed in the great fires of 1625 and 1677, and were replaced by more substantial masonry buildings. The few that survived, such as this one, were draughty and uncomfortable dwellings, overcrowded and lacking in basic hygiene facilities and generally occupied by the very poor. They were swept away by the City Improvement Trust during the late 19th century.
Reference: Mitchell Library GC 914.14353 FAI
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
carts, casks, City Improvement Trust, fires, houses, slum clearance, slum housing, slums, streetscenes, timber houses, women, wooden clapperboard
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