The old and the new in Gorbals, photographed in 2004. On the left is the surviving shell of Alexander "Greek" Thomson's Caledonia Road Church. The three-storey townhouses and flats are on Alexander Crescent, at the corner of Crown Street, and are part of the Crown Street Regeneration Project.
Alexander Crescent is named after Alexander Row, where workers at the nearby Govan Iron Works once lived. The new buildings are on the site of a previous, unsuccessful, attempt to regenerate the area, the flats of Hutchesontown "Area E". They were notorious for problems associated with damp, and were demolished in 1987.
Built in 1857 for a United Presbyterian congregation, the church closed in 1962 and was badly damaged by fire in 1965. Since then debate has raged over whether the listed building should be restored or demolished. In 2004 it remains isolated on an island amidst heavy traffic. It is hoped that the re-alignment of roads, the demolition of a disused railway viaduct and other improvements will allow the Church to become an accessible community focal point as well as an architectural landmark.
Reference: Illustrations vol 48, p 28
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Caledonia Road United Presbyterian Church, church towers, churches, Crown Street Regeneration Project, flats, Govan Iron Works, Hutchesontown Area E, tenements, townhouses, urban regeneration
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