Red Ash Pitch in its glory days.

When MFI still stood at Auldhouse Retail Park.

Before the demolition of Pollokshaws Arcade.

Burness flats towering in the background.

Pic credit: A sign of humour

The four corners, and either side of the Hielanman's Umbrella.

Glasgow is a sandstone city. It was built almost entirely out of stone mined from quarries across Scotland.

Throughout the 18th and 19th century, blonde sandstone was quarried in and around Glasgow, with the majority of the local sandstone used coming from Bishopbriggs and Giffnock quarries pre-1890.

After the railway network had been established in Glasgow and across Scotland in 1890 it suddenly became a lot easier (and cheaper) to bring in sandstone from outside the city.

The red sandstone you can see around Glasgow was quarried from Dumfries and Ayrshire and was used in construction of new buildings around the city from the beginning of the 20th century.

The newer sandstone gets its more traditional colour from its higher iron content, as it was formed during a different time period in further regions of Scotland.
Red sandstone’s higher iron content makes it more resistant to the pollution and weather in Glasgow than its predecessor. Whereas the blonde sandstone requires more frequent maintenance. Work carried out from blonde sandstone mined in the north of England and colour matched to the Glasgow stone.
This unique two-tone design is striking to see up close - with some tenement streets in Glasgow transitioning from blonde to red, as buildings were finished or completed after the stone switch.

1962: Glasgow's last tram

Above the former Rottenrow Maternity Hospital site, now transformed into Rottenrow Gardens.

For generations of Glaswegians this hilltop site was linked to the very beginning of life itself, with countless people across the city born within the walls of the old Rottenrow hospital before its demolition in the early 2000s.

Today the gardens offer a quiet green space overlooking the city, but the preserved archway still stands as a reminder of the hospital that once dominated the site and the millions of memories tied to it.

Pic credit: Dafty with a drone

I see Castlemilk from this one.

My mum used to work in Haddows and she still has a stash of these bags in the cupboard. I’m sitting on a fortune at 20p a bag here.

I used to know all the wines and beers.

I loved using the pricing gun to decorate anything in sight.

I loved drawing on the awful paper to wrap the bottles in.

When I was off sick from school, I used to have to go to work with my mum. I’d sit up the top of the ladders in the back where they kept the wine.

I once pressed the panic button “by mistake”. I never done that again.

I got my hand stuck in the wee box you used to put the notes in.

I was that small i could fit my hand through the metal grates where you got served, and open the door myself.

A mystery shopper could be spotted a mile away and then all the other shops would phone each other to warn them.

People using stolen credit cards could also be spotted a mile away. 200 club and a bottle of vodka was a dead give away. The shop assistant would phone up a number and give a secret code. They would then confiscate the card and earn £50 in the process.

Grand Slam Titles

Andy Murray won 3 Grand Slam singles titles:

1. US Open — 2012
2. Wimbledon — 2013
3. Wimbledon — 2016

His 2013 Wimbledon win was especially historic because he became the first British man to win Wimbledon singles in 77 years.

Olympic Success

Murray is one of the greatest Olympic tennis players ever:

• 🥇 Olympic Gold Medal — London 2012 (Singles)
• 🥇 Olympic Gold Medal — Rio 2016 (Singles)

He is the only player in history to win two Olympic singles gold medals.

World No. 1

• Reached World No. 1 in the ATP rankings in November 2016.
• Finished 2016 as the year-end World No. 1 after an incredible season.

ATP Tour Titles

• Won 46 ATP singles titles during his career.
• Included victories at:
  • ATP Finals (2016)
  • Multiple Masters 1000 tournaments

Davis Cup

• Helped Great Britain win the Davis Cup in 2015.
• Played a huge role, winning most of Britain’s matches during the tournament run.

Major Finals

Reached 11 Grand Slam finals, including:

• Australian Open finals (5 times)
• Wimbledon finals
• US Open finals
• French Open final

Historic Achievements

• First British man since Fred Perry (1936) to win a Grand Slam singles title.
• One of the “Big Four” era players alongside:
  • Roger Federer
  • Rafael Nadal
  • Novak Djokovic

Other Notable Achievements

• Knighted in 2017 → officially Sir Andy Murray
• Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2004
• 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. His first senior SPOTY win came after a historic year in which he defeated Novak Djokovic to become the first British male to win the Wimbledon singles title in 77 years.
• 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Murray was crowned SPOTY for the second time after acting as the talisman for Great Britain's first Davis Cup victory in 79 years. He won all 11 of his cup matches throughout that historic campaign
• 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Murray won the award for an unprecedented third time after a stellar season that included his second Wimbledon title, winning Olympic Gold at the Rio Games, and finishing the year as the World No. 1 tennis player. He received over double the votes of the runner-up, Alistair Brownlee.
• Known for:
  • Exceptional defensive skills
  • Mental toughness
  • Advocacy for women’s tennis and equality in sport

Great road to go down on a bike back in the day.

Credit: Astonishing Glasgow