Hutchesontown

Comprehensive Development Area

Following the Second World War, Hutchesontown was declared a Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) in 1957, in the aftermath of the Bruce Report. This called for the mass gentrification of the area which took the form of slum clearance and the replacement of overcrowded, insanitary tenement housing with new homes in high rise tower blocks. The area became almost unrecognisable from its previous appearance, with blocks of tenements swept away along with several Victorian and Edwardian-era churches and civic buildings which in later times would have been considered to be of architectural merit.

Hutchesontown was, in effect, used as a testing ground for similar schemes around the city. It was decided to divide the area into five "zones" which were given to different architects to implement a mixture of different schemes.

• Area A – on the northern side of the CDA was devoted to conventional maisonette style housing - today close to the Gorbals Health Centre and Gorbals Sports Centre.
• Area B – nowadays known as the Riverside estate, was assigned to architect Robert Matthew (RMJM). The four 18-storey blocks – built in 1964 to the distinctive "scissor section" configuration – on the banks of the River Clyde still stand, and are widely regarded as the most successful of the Gorbals high-rises and have received numerous refurbishments in their lifetime. The Strathclyde Grain distillery lies directly to the east. After the demolition of the two remaining Area D towers in 2025 (see below), these are now the only remaining high rise blocks in the Gorbals.
• Area C – was the responsibility of Basil Spence, and became the most infamous of the five schemes.
• Area D – This sector in the south of the CDA is close to the Oatlands neighbourhood, the Southern Necropolis cemetery and consisted of four 24-storey blocks on Old Rutherglen Road, Cumberland Street and Caledonia Road (the latter - part of the A730 - also being the main bus route through the area between Glasgow and Rutherglen) and an estate of smaller maisonettes and 8-storey "mini-multis". the remaining two blocks (known to locals as the "Cali flats") had been refurbished in the mid 1990s, but in 2020 it was confirmed that they too would be demolished in the near future due to issues with the cladding that was applied in the previous work and the prohibitive cost of remedying these faults. Stripping of the external fittings began in mid-2024, and after delays the flats were demolished on 29 June 2025.
• Area E – closest to Gorbals Cross and Laurieston, consisted of an estate of twelve seven-storey deck-access blocks and two 24-storey towers at Sandiefield Road, constructed in the late 60s and early 70s. and were presently declared unfit for habitation; they were finally demolished in 1987. The two towers were condemned in 2010 and were demolished at 14:00 on 21 July 2013.

Gallery

The Tidal Weir - geograph.org.uk - 1465502.jpg|River Clyde and Waddell Court towers ('Hutchie B'), 2009 Waddell Court and Ballater Street - geograph.org.uk - 1627132.jpg|Ballater Street, 2009 Modern Flats, Waddell Street, Glasgow (geograph 3750136).jpg|Waddell Street, 2013 Interesting flat design in Glasgow's Gorbals - geograph.org.uk - 1167975.jpg|Modern apartments on the site of Queen Elizabeth Square Former St Francis RC Church (geograph 3220561).jpg|19th-century St Francis Church, in 'Hutchie C' area but spared from the wrecking ball, now a community centre, 2012 High flats in Hutchesontown (geograph 3893897).jpg|'Hutchie D' tower blocks in 2005, shortly before the demolition of two on right (Old Rutherglen Road and Cumberland Street) Gorbals Economic & Training Centre, McNeil St, Glasgow (geograph 3749964).jpg|Gorbals Training Centre, McNeill Street (formerly Hutchesontown Library), 2013 Gorbals towerblocks (geograph 2537462).jpg|Sandiefield Road towers ('Hutchie E'), 2011 Tower Block UK photo glw4-32 (lighter).jpg|Low-rise Area "E" flats in 1987, shortly prior to demolition

References

References

1. [https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA00803&t=1 Hutchesontown Housing (Glasgow City Archives, Department of Architectural and Civic Design, 1961)], The Glasgow Story
2. [https://www.glasgowheritage.org.uk/lecture-bruce-plan-history-impact-fergus-sutherland-david-martin/ Lecture: Unbuilt Glasgow – The History & Impact of the Bruce Report], Fergus Sutherland & David Martin, Glasgow City Heritage Trust, 15 March 2017
3. [https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/humanities/research/historyresearch/researchprojects/housingandwellbeing/hutchesontown/ Hutchesontown: Housing, Everyday Life & Wellbeing over the long term], [[University of Glasgow]]
4. [http://www.scotcities.com/gorbals/hutchesontown.htm Hutchesontown Gorbals - Architecture and History] {{Webarchive. link. (7 April 2014 , Scotcities)
5. "Tower Block UK: Hutchesontown-Gorbals CDA Area B". [[University of Edinburgh]].
6. "Buildings in Glasgow: Hutchesontown-Gorbals". [[Emporis]].
7. "Tower Block UK: Hutchesontown-Gorbals CDA Area C". [[University of Edinburgh]].
8. (13 September 1993). "Woman dies in demolition blast". The Herald.
9. [https://www.abandonedspaces.com/public/hutchesontown-c.html Hutchesontown C: it went down with a bang and took a human life with it], Abandoned Spaces, 4 June 2018
10. and the 'Dixon's Blazes' [[industrial estate]]; it was redeveloped by the newly created [[Scottish Special Housing Association]][http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=402265 Hutchesontown / Gorbals Area D], [[Dictionary of Scottish Architects]]
11. "Tower Block UK: Hutchesontown-Gorbals CDA Area D". [[University of Edinburgh]].
12. [https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18898445.glasgow-flats-line-demolition-caledonia-road-shake-up/ 'I won't let them split us up': Friend's promise to Gorbals neighbour as demolition looms], Glasgow Times, 26 November 2020
13. [https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-high-rise-tenants-being-22242760 Glasgow high-rise tenants being moved from fire-risk flats set to get new homes], Glasgow Live, 22 November 2021
14. [https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgows-caledoniaroad-tower-blocks-demolished-30067397 Glasgow's Caledonia Road tower blocks to be demolished with explosives next summer], Glasgow Live, 5 October 2024
15. [https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/25266397.glasgow-caledonia-road-high-rise-flats-gorbals-demolished/ Glasgow Caledonia Road high rise flats in Gorbals demolished], Donald Erskine, Glasgow Times, 29 June 2025
16. "Tower Block UK: Hutchesontown-Gorbals CDA Area E". [[University of Edinburgh]].
17. (December 2021). "‘Housing Problems … are Political Dynamite’: Housing Disputes in Glasgow c. 1971 to the Present Day". Sociological Research Online.