Pollockshaws West Railway Station:
This small railway station in the south of the city is a long slender early red brick building with ashlar details at the windows, doorways and quoins. Above a pair of chimneys rise from the pitched slate covered roof (no doubt originally specified slate, the current slates are not original). The building's long east elevation faces onto Pollockshaws Road from an elevated position halfway up the slope which rises to the railway platform. Two storeys high the station entrance provides a tunnel which lies from east to west under the railway track above, with a stair in the main building taking the traveller up to the platform which is sited at first floor level. The west end of the pedestrian tunnel has as second stair which takes the traveller into a small single storey station building on the opposite platform. This smaller of the two buildings is contemporary to the first with the same ashlar details, pitched slate covered roof and red brick construction. The stairs have cast iron railings which are probably original (unverified).
Originally known as Pollockshaws Station it is now known as Pollockshaws West Station. The building is of particular note as it is the oldest surviving station in Glasgow having opened on 27th September 1848 as part of the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway. The building is an example of an early brick building reflected in the variety of tone of the fired clay used and the lack or perfect uniformity in the brick which was to be seen in the bricks of later buildings as the brick manufacturing process became more advanced and mechanised. Its role today is very limited providing merely an entrance and shelter for travellers; the building's windows are all boarded up.
After laying vacant in a poor condition for over ten years the building was extensively repaired circa 2000, however it was not reoccupied and it is understood the interior was stripped out. Currently Glasgow Building Preservation Trust are scheduled in 2012 to return the building to use with a programme of works and new tenants South West Community Cycles due to establish a cycle outlet and facility within the converted. The building is category B listed.

(references: canmore.rcahms.gov.uk / buildingsatrisk.org.uk /gbpt.org)

UPDATE: June 2012, the building is entirely scaffolded; the scheduled GBPT programme of works to return the building to use is underway.

street address: 2092 Pollockshaws Road, Glasgow, G43 1AT
Latitude / Longitude: 55.823839,-4.301211 (sourced using Google Maps)

Site visit: 22 January 2012

view looking north up the small access road runs in front of the east front elevation parallel to Pollockshaws Road (22/01/2012)


view across Pollockshaws Road of the east elevation with the short south elevation also just visible. All the windows are boarded up (22/01/2012)


south-east corner with the blond sandstone quoins at the corner of the building (22/01/2012)


east elevation, the initially simple appearance of the levation in fcat is deceptive as the building has a variety of window sizes and belies the initial assumed symmetry infered by the chimneys and building form (22/01/2012)


the main entrance on the east elevation with a heavy capped sandstone shelter held aloft on two mighty corbels (22/01/2012)


the building is an example of an early brick building reflected in the variety of tone of the fired clay used and the lack or perfect uniformity in the brick which was to be seen in later brick buildings as the brick manufacturing process became more advanced and mechanised (22/01/2012)


first floor windows of the east elevation and one of the sandstone chimneys rising from the slate covered roof (22/01/2012)


whilst in generally good repair the downpipe on the east elevation has an area of damp and the associated plant growth which goes with such leakage which it appears is from the gutter/downpipe junction above (22/01/2012)


boarded up window (note the vent holes in the board) and the ashalr details surrounding the window


immediately inside the east main entrance a flight of stairs sweeps upwards to the first floor and platform access (22/01/2012)


view along the pedestrain tunnel which runs between the two station buildings under the track sited above (22/01/2012)


iron work details with thick repeated layers of paint obscuring the original geometry and finesse of the cast iron (22/01/2012)


cast iron balusters at the top of the staircase (22/01/2012)


the open doorway of the station building's first floor providing access to the larger east main station building (22/01/2012)


main station building from trackside; west/south elevations (22/01/2012)


first floor windows at platfrom level (22/01/2012)


the second of the two buildings providing access to the west platform (22/01/2012)


west platform building, looking northwards at the south elevation and along the east elavtion facing onto the track (22/01/2012)


view from the south of the two buildings (22/01/2012)




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view looking south-west across Pollockshaws Road towards the long slender brick station building. To the south a tower block rises above the roundabout where the c.1750 Round Toll house is sited (22/01/2012)