Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society

Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society We have been promoting the study of family history in the West of Scotland, with a focus on Glasgow, since 1977

This stained glass window belongs to a late Victorian house in Glasgow's West End. It is in one of two semi-detached pr...
16/08/2026

This stained glass window belongs to a late Victorian house in Glasgow's West End. It is in one of two semi-detached properties, and the house next door has a similar window but iwith a different woman. In the other property, one house lost its central panel to the Clyde Blitz and the other to a former owner who felt the window made her hall too dark.

Stephen Adam senior was a prolific stained glass artist in the area, and it is likely that these are hia works. The new owner of the house which lost its central panel is now trying to find an image of the original so that he can have the window restored.

The second photo shows the window of a bathroom in the featured house, depicting passion flowers and passion fruit. It is identical to a former window in the kitchens of the Hotel du Vin (the side overlooking Hyndland Road), where Stephen Adam's works can also be seen.

The third photo shows the window of the house next door to the featured house. All the details are identical apart from the woman in the centre and her doves. At first I thought there was a common theme of the Four Seasons but no longer believe this to be the case, their outfits are too similar. Does anyone have any ideas as to who these women are?

Images: Diana Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk

Another sneak peep at progress on George Square. The hoardings are still up but the statues are coming back, which is g...
13/08/2026

Another sneak peep at progress on George Square. The hoardings are still up but the statues are coming back, which is good to see.

Image: Diana Burns

13/08/2026

Women’s Lives in the Shipbuilding Community of Port Glasgow Speaker: Hugh Hagan
Date: Monday 17th August 2026 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Venue: Zoom Presentation

Subtitle: “It’s ma job tae work and it’s yours tae make it go roon”

Conventional accounts of the shipbuilding town of Port Glasgow might concentrate on men’s experiences: on the shipyards, great technical achievements, employment conditions, trade unionism, the workers and their culture.

This paper will explore instead the community from the perspective of its women. The talk will use oral testimonies to shed light on the role of shipyard wives in managing family budgets, sustaining networks of family members and neighbours to help make ends meet on a daily basis and ensure their community survived the routine challenges of life in this shipbuilding community. Drawing on original interviews, it will reflect on the role of oral history in introducing voices neglected by the formal record.

The speaker, Hugh Hagan, is a native of Port Glasgow. He recently retired from the National Records of Scotland, where he was head of the team tasked with implementing the Public Records (Scotland) Act. However, he had an illustrious career as a shipbuilder before finding his true vocation in information management. His working life began in Port Glasgow’s shipyards, initially in James Lamont’s and then in Scott Lithgow’s Kingston Yard, where he worked as a shipwright. He was made redundant in 1984 as part of the Government programme to disinvest in shipbuilding and other traditional industries across Scotland.

His PhD at the University of Edinburgh focused on the lives of women in the shipbuilding communities of the West of Scotland between the Wars. He is a board member of the Scottish Oral History Group and a trustee of the Scottish Working People’s History Trust.

No. 216 Bath Street was originally part of a grand classical terrace designed by architect Robert Black and erected 1839...
09/08/2026

No. 216 Bath Street was originally part of a grand classical terrace designed by architect Robert Black and erected 1839-1862. Tenants included R P McGillivray, exclusive ladies' tailor and dress maker, Oscar Paterson, stained glass artist and decorator, and the architectural partnership of Weddell & Inglis. The photo shows No. 218 Bath Street – No 216 is now a gap site. After around 150 years of stability, something unexplained – ancient mineworkings or natural subsidence - happened to undermine the building.. On 22nd May 2002, a fireman appeared at the office door of the property's tenant and told him he had half an hour to vacate the premises. The property was subsequently demolished on the grounds of 'dangerous decay' and the gap site remains empty.

Image: Diana Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk

02/08/2026

We’re seeking more contributions!

The SLHF are looking for contributions for a special Churches issue of our journal!

We are seeking contributions on any aspect- specific churches, their congregations, or their contents are all being sought.

Articles up to 5,000 words, shorter notes, or photographs are all welcome.

Articles must be fully referenced, and will be subject to editing, but there is no peer review process. A great opportunity for students to get published without the agony of peer review!

For those interested, please contact one of our Trustees, Jan Polley, at [email protected]

02/08/2026

Join us on Sat 22nd August for a guided walk examining the often unseen buildings of Tradeston built from the 1860s to 1930s... https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unseen-historical-buildings-of-tradeston-tickets-1992855536556

Discover their original uses and consider their possible futures in a changing landscape.

The walk is approximately 3.5km, starting at the Shields Road Subway station and ending at the Bridge Street Subway station, so you can get the subway back (or to elsewhere) if you need to.

If you are interested in downloadable pdf files, please take a look here:
02/08/2026

If you are interested in downloadable pdf files, please take a look here:

After the end of the Thirty Years War, the newly emerging and prosperous Dutch middle classes began to curate their home...
01/08/2026

After the end of the Thirty Years War, the newly emerging and prosperous Dutch middle classes began to curate their homes with fashionable decorations and décor. They developed a penchant for the ceramic floor and wall tiles manufactured in Delft. These were often blue and white, based on the Chinese porcelain brought to Europe by the Dutch East India Company. Dutch tile makers brought their techniques to Britain and during the nineteenth century major cities, including Glasgow, became centres of production.

New occupants of my street clearly don't see the aesthetic appeal of Delft tiles, so I have done a bit of skip diving to retrieve these pieces.

Image: Diana Burns

gwsfhs – where yesteryear comes round again

Visit us at www.gwsfhs.org.uk

Gorbals Burying Grounds Set£5.00This discounted two-publication set includes ‘Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground – Rose...
31/07/2026

Gorbals Burying Grounds Set
£5.00

This discounted two-publication set includes ‘Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground – Rose Garden Monumental Inscriptions‘, containing transcriptions of more than 90 surviving gravestones dating from 1723 to 1917, historical background on the Gorbals, a surname index, full-name index, photographs of selected memorials, and an 1861 Ordnance Survey town plan, as well as ‘Lair Holders of Certain Burial Grounds of Glasgow‘, which contains a record of the lairholders of the old and new Gorbals Burial Grounds. Priced at £5, it offers a savings of more than 20%.

Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground - Rose Garden Monumental Inscriptions - Image 2Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground -...
31/07/2026

Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground - Rose Garden Monumental Inscriptions - Image 2
Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground - Rose Garden Monumental InscriptionsGlasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground - Rose Garden Monumental Inscriptions - Image 2
Glasgow, Gorbals Old Burying Ground – Rose Garden Monumental Inscriptions
£2.00

Based on transcriptions of more than 90 surviving gravestones dating from 1723 to 1917, Gorbals Old Burying Ground – Rose Garden, Glasgow Monument Inscriptions provides a valuable record of one of Glasgow’s historic burial grounds. This searchable PDF combines detailed monument inscriptions with historical background on the Gorbals, a surname index, full-name index, photographs of selected memorials, and an 1861 Ordnance Survey town plan. Compiled from field surveys and archival research, this digital edition documents a burial ground that served the Gorbals for over two centuries.

20 pages
ISBN: 978-1-915941-62-6

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