West Drumoyne: Blue-Collarland

This chapter describes how West Drumoyne became Glasgow’s first scheme to house the “general needs” of ordinary manual workers as a result of John Wheatley’s imaginative 1924 Housing Act. But there was acute conflict over what kind of houses should be built in the scheme, with the ILP wanting cottage-style houses as in Mosspark, and the ruling Moderates insisting on only tenement-style housing. Because of their majority on the Corporation, the Moderates – a Tory-Liberal coalition - won the argument. This was an example of sheer class prejudice, but nevertheless, the scheme was a happy and popular working-class community.

Craigbank: Amateur Dramatics?

This chapter discusses the development of an experimental “Ordinary” scheme built under the provisions of the 1946 Housing Act. The experiment was a district central heating system, which predicated high rents. Tenants were largely self-selecting in that they had to have enough regular income to pay these high rents. But the houses were built in tenemental form with flat roofs, and there were numerous complaints about poor noise insulation and leaks. Although its external perception was “élite,” it was still a substantially skilled manual working-class scheme, but one with several active voluntary organisations, and very popular with its tenants.

Blackhill: Out of the Slums

This chapter traces the development of Blackhill, a scheme built under the provisions of the 1935 Housing Act which was aimed specifically at slum-clearance. Blackhill was built in an environmentally-challenged location, and its pioneer tenants were very poor slum-dwellers. Consequently the tenants were overwhelmingly unskilled manual workers on low-income – if they were working. It was characterised by a rumbustious culture of survival, which involved heavy drinking, thieving and gangs. This resulted in the scheme being stigmatised, but it also contained a vibrant community-spirit.

Mosspark: Homes Fit for Heroes?

This chapter describes the development of the élite Mosspark housing scheme in detail. It shows that rather than being for ordinary working-class people, its tenants were hand-picked white-collar and professional people, often Corporation employees. It mirrored the Protestant and Freemasonic Ethics which characterised the Glasgow bourgeoisie. There were NO unskilled manual workers at all in this scheme, and only a sprinkling of skilled manual workers. Only the best-paid, skilled workers could afford the high rents. In political terms Mosspark was solidly right-wing.

Alarums and Excursions

This chapter offers an overall theoretical explanation of why Glasgow’s council housing was so inadequate in spite of Herculean construction efforts. This was because offensive and Calvinistic Victorian class attitudes to working-class people were incorporated uncritically within 20th century housing management policy. This ensured that different kinds of tenants were perceived as more-or-less worthy of a decent council house. This in turn resulted in class attitudes being signified publically in the bricks, concrete and mortar of Glasgow’s council housing schemes. There were three layers of scheme and they were for First, Second and Third-Class citizens. Thus the city’s council housing policy had the unintended consequence of reproducing and amplifying social segregation within Glasgow.

South Pollok: ‘The Bundy’

This chapter describes the development of the very small South Pollok ‘Intermediate’ scheme, an anomaly in the Pollok area. The housing was largely in 3-storey tenemental form with flat roofs and balconies. It was used to house slum-dwellers from the Gorbals and Govan. This ensured that the scheme was rapidly stigmatised both locally and city-wide, although a local gang was responsible for its wider bad reputation. Yet for its tenants, it was a cheery, popular and hard-working community.

Hamiltonhill: A Pioneering Slum-Clearance Scheme

This chapter describes the construction, tenanting and management of an experimental scheme for slum-dwellers, utilising a largely unnoticed clause of the 1919 Housing Act. It shows how the scheme was built on residual land and contained small, if new, houses. There was acute conflict about the small size of these new council houses within the Corporation, with the socialist I.L.P. arguing that no more small houses, with consequent overcrowding, should be built for workers. Although the scheme was managed in an authoritarian manner, it was massively popular with its tenants who created a thriving, left-wing, community with it.

Introduction

This chapter discusses both the national and local housing situation in Glasgow at the end of the First World War. It argues that it was so bad that the state had to take the initiative in the provision of working-class housing “fit for heroes” as an insurance policy against revolution. But the consequent legislation – the 1919 Housing & Town Planning Act – was ill-designed, with over-generous subsidies. Nevertheless, within Glasgow, these schemes built under this Act were and are regarded as élite.