Bridgeton Public
Halls |
photo courtesy of © Gordon Adams |
Brigton's Public Halls at the
junction of London Rd and Summer St.
The halls were built in 1928 and well used
but sadly the
former tenements and the Halls were
demolished in the 1970s..... for
're-development'
The City Improvement Trust
began clearing old overcrowded properties
and replaced them with modern tenements.
I have no idea why the Halls were
included for demolition in the
re-development.
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1933 aerial photograph
|
.
I
attended these halls on many occasions as
the school took us there to see plays and
the Bridgeton Burns Club schools poetry
& song competitions.
Bridgeton Burns
Club, founded in 1870 became the largest in
the world, with 1400 members, and it
sponsored competitions in local schools for
the recitation and singing of the bards
works.
I also remember going to the Caledonian
accordion band concerts, under the
leadership of Billy McPhee, in these halls
and at these concerts a wee lass called
Marie Lawrie used to belt out her
favourite songs, she went on to become the
famous Scots singer Lulu!
I loved these concerts and they were
always a sell-out.
Lulu on "This
is your Life in 1973"
The halls
were sadly demolished during redevelopment in
the seventies and the site is now
landscaped. See picture below........ |
London Road at the junction of
Summer Street, with Olympia Street in the
background.
The Bridgeton Public Hall buildings has been
long replaced by trees! I am afraid the
City Fathers got it wrong again...big time! And
those wonderful halls are no more......
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|
Bridgeton Cross looking east along Olympia
Street.
The
Bridgeton Public Hall building has been long
replaced by trees!
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Extract
from e-mail; Ron McPhee,
August 2002,
"Are they any photographs
around of Bridgeton Public Halls where I
frequented regularly to see The Jimmy Barnes
Rock & Roll Band this being around the
early sixties?"
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