Annie’s Loo: Flushing Out the Past & Retrofitting for the Future

An old photo of a group of people standing on a Glasgow street

Wednesday 29th November 2023 | 7-8pm | Fairfield Heritage, Govan, G51 4XS

Join Raymond Young, who literally wrote the book on Annie’s Loo, and Carmen Lean from Loco Home Retrofit to hear more about the history of Annie’s Loo and how we can make tenement retrofit accessible.

Raymond will kick things off by discussing Annie’s Loo, which might not have been the first tenement retrofit, but the way it was carried out effectively kick started a programme throughout inner city Glasgow and beyond. He’ll discuss the context, the process, and the outcome. And maybe the future?

We’ll then hear from Carmen Lean of Loco Home Retrofit who will talk about Glasgow’s checkered history of retrofit and how we can learn from successes, failures and everything in between. How can we make quality retrofit more affordable and led by the people who live in tenements? Carmen will look at Loco Home’s evolving community-based approach, will share lessons learned from grappling with Glasgow’s old, cold and gas guzzling homes, and why we look to ‘Annie’s Loo’ for inspiration of retrofit done right.

Raymond Young was one of the founder members of ASSIST, the community architecture practice in Govan that pioneered both tenement rehabilitation and community-based housing associations, the story of which he tells in his book ‘Annie’s Loo’. He has a long term interest in community regeneration and sustainability and worked with the Housing Corporation and Scottish Homes. Previous roles included first chair of Architecture and Design Scotland, non-executive member of Historic Scotland, convenor of the Rural Housing Service, a member of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, and chair of the Church of Scotland’s General Trustees. 

Carmen Lean is the Community Development Officer for Loco Home Retrofit CIC which is a community-led home retrofit co-operative, based in Glasgow. Set up in 2021, Loco Home has a growing membership of around 200 retrofitters in Glasgow. Before joining Loco Home earlier this year, Carmen worked in climate action and campaigned against the demolition of Glasgow’s highrises. She studied architecture at Glasgow School of Art.

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Explore the City Chambers with our new digital tour!

The City Chambers is one of the most prestigious buildings in Glasgow. It’s a place where famous visitors are welcomed, and where big events such as civic receptions and award ceremonies are held. However, many Glaswegians have never been inside, or are unaware that free public tours take place every day. Our new online learning resource, ‘Our City Chambers’, aimed mainly at primary school aged children, enables them to explore the building in a way that is accessible, engaging and fun, even if they aren’t able to visit in person. Explore the resource here

It features animations of key rooms within the building, including the Banqueting Hall and Council Chambers. It also shows areas that are not always accessible to the public, such as the Councillors’ Corridor, the Lord Provost’s Office and the Portrait Gallery. It covers the architecture, design and social history of the Chambers, identifying the materials and the traditional skills and techniques employed in its construction and decoration. It also demonstrates how the building is still a functioning workplace for the council, and the role it plays in providing key public services to the people of Glasgow.

We worked closely with the design team at SUUM studio to create this resource. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to them and to the staff at the City Chambers for their support and insights during the project. Children at St Mungo’s Primary School participated in a series of workshops in the development stages of the project, including a visit to the Chambers. Their perspectives on the building and the city of Glasgow were inspiring and joyful, and were instrumental in shaping the final resource.

A free printed resource to accompany the website has also been produced. It is available to pick up from the City Chambers and from GCHT’s office at 54 Bell Street in the Merchant City. A downloadable PDF will also be added here in due course.

We’d love to see some pictures of you visiting the Chambers – you can show them to us on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages – use the hashtag #ourcitychambers

***SOLD OUT*** Workshop: Weaving Festive Willow Stars

2 star decorations made of willow

Wednesday 6th December 2023 | 6:30-8:30pm | GCHT, 54 Bell Street, G1 1LQ

Join Max Johnson from Seileach Basketry for weaving and mince pies at this cosy festive event! Max is a longtime forager, foodie and crafter, who lovingly weaves baskets & decorations using materials foraged in a range of landscapes, from idyllic rural riversides to derelict post-industrial sites.

People have been weaving with willow for at least 10,000 years. In this workshop we’ll use this ancient practice to weave festive star decorations. Making them is incredibly relaxing and meditative; a chance to engage with nature and express yourself creatively.

This session is suitable for beginners, no weaving experience necessary. All equipment and materials provided.

£30 per person

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

**Sold Out** CPD: Showcasing Stone Carving

An ornately carved stone cross that sits on the top of Miller Hall, a Category A listed church in Dennistoun.

Monday 9th October | 10am – 12 noon | On site at Conservation Masonry, 942-944 South Street, Whiteinch, Glasgow, G14 0AR

This event provides an opportunity to see the craft of stone carving in action, as you’ll see the carving of a new Arts & Crafts influenced stone cross for the apex of the roof at Miller Hall.  A Category A-listed historic church in Dennistoun, designed by celebrated architect James Miller, the building was previously known as St Andrew’s East Church and was converted into flats in the early 2000s.

The historic cross is beginning to disintegrate and can’t be left in place due to the risk of pieces of stone falling. It is too important a feature to take away, so the decision was taken to create a replica cut from a new piece of stone.

We will explain the background to the current conservation project, supported by Glasgow City Heritage Trust, and will see the historic stone cross which has been carefully removed from the church. Attendees will learn the various stages of carving involved, from processing a sandstone block, setting out, initial shaping and hand chiselling the stone down to the finished article, including cutting all the exquisite relief detail.

PPE can be provided if necessary, however it would be helpful if attendees could bring their own hard hats, safety eyewear and hi-viz vests/jackets if they can.

All GCHT CPD sessions are recognised by the IHBC, and attendees can obtain a CPD certificate upon completion.

Spaces are limited to 8 people, booking essential.

£10 per person / £5 for students

 

All sessions are recognised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) as being capable of contributing to the obligatory CPD requirements of Full Members (see www.ihbc.org.uk)

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity and your support is crucial to ensure that our charitable work promoting the understanding, appreciation and conservation of Glasgow’s historic buildings for the benefit of the city’s communities and its visitors continues now, and in the future.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our loyalty scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

In-Person Event: Taking Care of Your Tenement

Photograph of a street view of Glasgow tenements

Saturday 30th September | 11:30am – 1:00pm | Queens Park Govanhill Parish Church, 170 Queen’s Drive, Glasgow G42 8QZ

Worried about a leaky roof? Concerned about damp in your flat? Not sure how to talk to your neighbours about joint repairs? 

Join GCHT and Under One Roof for a free and informative event aimed at owner-occupiers, landlords or anyone who wants to learn more about maintaining and managing their historic tenement flats. 

Topics covered will include tenement maintenance and management, communal repairs and what to consider when undertaking works. We will also discuss energy efficiency and retrofit, and changes to government regulations affecting owner-occupiers and landlords. There will also be a chance to hear about GCHT’s historic environment grants programme and whether you might be eligible for grant funding. 

We’ll finish with a Q&A session where you can ask us your top tenement questions! 

Free, booking required

Light refreshments provided

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

**Sold Out** Moments of Beauty in Glasgow: A Walking Tour (Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival)

A tweet by Niall Murphy. It features a photograph of a red sandstone tenement with shops on the bottom. The writing says: #MomentsOfBeauty in #Glasgow: Good to see architect David Barclay's huge Guild Hall - one of the city's jolly red giants - emerge smart and refreshed from its scaffold. I love the weighty muscular mass and rippling depth of the masonry and how it's sculpted to be deeply shadowed.'

Sunday 17th September | 11am – 1pm | Meet at 54 Bell Street, G1 1LQ

If you enjoy Moments of Beauty in Glasgow on Twitter, join Niall Murphy, conservation architect and Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, for a walking tour exploring the highlights, both big and small, as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2023.

Starting from Bell Street, the walk will head into Glasgow Cross via the High Street then on into the Merchant City via Albion Street. The tour will take in Wilson Street, Glassford Street, Ingram Street, Virginia Street, Miller Street, and Royal Exchange Square before finishing at the Lighthouse. Highlights include the lost realm of the Tobacco Lords, the high jinks of the Hellfire club, the devastation caused by the collapse of the City of Glasgow Bank, the works of the Glasgow City Improvement Trust, Glasgow’s interwar ‘Avenue of the Americas’ and the County Buildings, Robert Adam’s Trades House, a Post-modern courtyard, Sir JJ Burnet’s baroque banking hall, a precocious facade, the site of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Ingram Street tea rooms, the link between Paris’s Arc du Triomphe and the Equestrian Statue of the Duke of Wellington, Glasgow’s links to slavery, and, the symbology of the Lighthouse.

Free but booking is essential: Please note booking is managed by Doors Open Days and will be available from 1st September, details to follow. 

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

The Knight Map: An Artist’s Process (Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival)

Watercolour pallets sitting on top of a line drawing of Glasgow city centre

Thursday 14th September | 7:30 – 8:30pm | The ARC, University of Glasgow, G11 6EW

Join artist Will Knight to hear about the process for creating this incredible new map of Glasgow, as part of the Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2023.

Find out about the inspiration for the project as well as the techniques Will used in order to create the final work – tracing and updating Thomas Sulman’s 1864 Bird’s Eye View of Glasgow. Each working drawing is a step towards the final artwork, but the construction of each layer was thought out and planned with a rigorous process for creating each one.

Will studied Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, and this training has informed his approach to understanding the dynamic relationship between people and place. He has spent the last ten years observing, recording and interpreting Glasgow’s built environment – from the celebrated work of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson to the ubiquitous tiled tenement close; from some of the city’s cherished eateries to the scratch bakery and local newsagent.  Every subject is explored through measurement and drawn by hand, elevating everyday buildings so that they are revealed afresh.

 

Free but booking is essential: Please note booking is managed by Doors Open Days and will be available from 1st September, details to follow. 

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

The Glasgow City Improvement Trust and the Transformation of the Victorian City (Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival)

Thursday 14th September | 6 – 7pm | Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, G11 6EW

Join GCHT Director Niall Murphy to find out about the achievements of the Glasgow City Improvement Trust, as part of the Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2023.
.
Over the course of the 19th Century, Glasgow suffered explosive city growth, with its population increasing from 77,000 in 1801 to 762,000 by 1901. This created problems of overcrowding, poor sanitation and population health issues, with the city’s housing conditions regarded as amongst the worst in Europe.
.
To combat this, in 1866 Lord Provost Blackie led a delegation including Glasgow’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr William Tennant Gairdner, and the City Architect, John Carrick to Europe to see what lessons could be learned. Having visited Amsterdam and Brussels it was Baron Haussmann’s Paris where they were most impressed by the urban innovations being introduced for Napoleon III.
.
Upon his return to Glasgow, Carrick drew up the City Improvement Act of 1866 with a programme of slum clearance to clear out and introduce light and air to the medieval heart of the city, making Glasgow a pioneer for municipal improvements.

Free but booking is essential: Please note booking is managed by Doors Open Days and will be available from 1st September, details to follow.  

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

“Many a chill and lonely vigil”: George McCulloch’s View of Glasgow in 1853 (Online Talk)

A black and white line drawing of Glasgow. McCulloch's 'View'

Wednesday 28th June | 7pm – 8pm | Online, via Zoom

Eleven years before Thomas Sulman’s famous bird’s-eye view of Glasgow appeared in the Illustrated London News, a young local artist named George McCulloch produced his own. It gives a vivid glimpse of the industrial city that had sprung up over the past two generations, smeared with smoke and crowded with activity. David Pritchard will describe what he’s been able to find out about the creation of McCulloch’s View, take you on a tour of some of his favourite details and the human stories they hint at, and think a little about the View in relation to other images of Glasgow, from Thomas Sulman to Will Knight.

*

David Pritchard is an adoptive Glaswegian, an occasional mathematician, an enthusiastic but uninformed wanderer of the city’s interesting corners, and a map nerd who spends far too much time in the nineteenth century.

Free, booking essential, donations welcome. 

Please note: Payment is taken via PayPal but you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay online. 

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

CPD: Site Visit of Miller Hall

Colour image of Miller Hall

Wednesday 17 May | 12-2pm | On site at Miller Hall, Alexandra Parade, G31 3LN

Miller Hall is an A-listed former church, designed by James Miller in a striking mix of Arts & Crafts and Gothic styles. Previously known as St Andrew’s East Church, the building was converted to flats in the early 2000s.

As the building’s roof is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment, this CPD offers an opportunity to climb the scaffolding and get an up-close look at the works. The on-site tour will be led by the contractor, and will focus on the works being done to repair the roof and high-level masonry, including re-slating, leadwork, and updating the rainwater goods to better cope with climate change.

As this is a working site, spaces are limited to 7 people.

PPE will be provided but please wear safe & comfortable shoes. Climbing of ladders on the scaffolding will be required.

All GCHT CPD sessions are recognised by the IHBC, and attendees can obtain a CPD certificate upon completion.

£10 per person / £5 for students

 

All sessions are recognised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) as being capable of contributing to the obligatory CPD requirements of Full Members (see www.ihbc.org.uk)

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity and your support is crucial to ensure that our charitable work promoting the understanding, appreciation and conservation of Glasgow’s historic buildings for the benefit of the city’s communities and its visitors continues now, and in the future.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our loyalty scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.