Men and cranes at work on the construction of Central Station, 1870s.
The Caledonian Railway Co had wanted to build a station on the north bank of the Clyde since 1846 but had to wait until 1873 for an Act of Parliament granting permission. Glasgow Corporation had complained about the poor quality of buildings in other city centre stations but the Caledonian presented a bold plan for a stunning new one. Its plans were amended in 1875, when proposals to cross the River Clyde on a double-decked bridge at the Broomielaw (with the trains carried on a deck above road traffic) were abandoned. Instead, a single-deck viaduct was built to the west of the existing road bridge.
10 million bricks and 14,000 tons of cast iron were used in the construction of Central Station, which opened in August 1879. It was greatly extended and remodelled 1899-1905.
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
bridges, Caledonian Railway Co, construction, construction sites, derrick cranes, Glasgow Central Station, labourers, navvies, railway stations
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