Renfield Street

by Chris Jones on November 19, 2011

It was Archibald Campbell of Blythswood who gave Renfield Street its name. He used to own the land on which it stands and named the street after his estate of Renfield, near Renfrew. He was also responsible for the naming of Renfrew Street in Glasgow. Most of Renfield Street is sloped and because of this it has never really been popular with retail storefront businesses. Most pedestrians would be focused on their journey between the City Centre and the shops of Sauchiehall Street and would not tarry long as they walked up the hill and returned down it later. Renfield Street has, however, served as an important location for office-based businesses and for picture houses and theatres, the most famous being the Paramount, which later became the Odeon, and was open from open from December 31, 1934 to January 7, 2006 on the south-east corner with West Regent Street.

We are standing on the cobblestones of Union Street and looking across Gordon Street towards the southern end of Renfield Street. Glasgow Central Station, the Caledonian Railway’s principal Glasgow terminus, is off camera to the left. Judging from the crowds of smartly dressed men and women it is probably a Saturday and the occasion for some discriminating shopping. On the left is the city’s premier outfitter, R. W. Forsyth, whose purpose-built premises ( 1896-98, 1900-02 ) were designed in the Baroque style by the renowned Glasgow architect J. J. Burnet. Completed at a cost of £25,000, the store was equipped with central heating and electric lighting, sweeping staircases and electric lifts. Renfield Lane separates Forsyth’s from the adjacent building where Stuart Cranston opened a tearoom in September 1898 and shortly thereafter he acquired the entire property.

On the opposite corner from Forsyth’s, the Clydesdale Rubber Company is trading on the ground floor of the commercial building and there are several businesses on the upper levels, including the tailor, D. F. Ovenstone, and the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd. which began doing business in Great Britain in 1898. New lights have been fitted to the ornate lamp standards and the tram approaching the camera had its roof added circa 1910. This scene probably dates from 1912-1913 and the postcard was mailed in July 1914, the month before the Great War broke out. ( Postcard published by J. M. & Co., Caledonia Series. )

This view was taken a few years later and while the buildings in the foreground remain the same, the premises housing Stuart Cranston’s tearooms have been rebuilt to a design by James Miller and now include Cranston’s Cinema de Luxe which opened in May 1916. This new cinema complex also included a restaurant, several tearooms and a billiard room and was the most ambitious project yet attempted by Stuart Cranston, the more so considering that it was launched in the midst of the Great War. Apparently, the ground floor tearoom could seat over 850 patrons. The bright white appearance of the building is explained by the facing of white faience, a glazing rich in tin oxide which is applied to terra cotta for decorative and architectural purposes. ( Postcard by unknown publisher. )

Renfield Street. Glasgow

Austin Reed menswear store now occupies prominence at the northeast corner of Gordon Street and Renfield Street, having recently replaced the Clydesdale Rubber Company and the tenants above in this 1927 view. The store’s presence is proclaimed by the large concave marble facade, three stories tall, set into the corner of the building . Across the street, above the windows of Forsyth’s are descriptions of the products and services offered by the renowned outfitter and these include “Highland Costumiers” and Pulpit Robemakers” The robes were presumably for the clergy and not the pulpits. In the distance, further up Renfield Street on the northwest corner with St. Vincent Street, the Union Bank of Scotland Head Office building, designed by James Miller, is nearing completion. ( Postcard published by Valentine’s. )

The substantial structure of the Union Bank of Scotland building is now much clearer in this view and it shows how James Miller and his assistant Richard Gunn had been greatly influenced by the design of contemporary bank and insurance buildings in New York and Chicago. Indeed, the Union Bank design had been derived from that of York & Sawyer’s Guaranty Trust Building in New York. Much of James Miller’s work involved the design of imposing buildings with grand facades and these included the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Anchor Line Headquarters in St. Vincent Place, Cranston’s Cinema De Luxe, the Union Bank of Scotland building and the Institution of Civil Engineers ( London ). ( Postcard published by J. M. & Co., Ltd., in their Caledonia Series. )

This view of Renfield Street was probably taken in the early 1890’s by an associate of the renowned photographer George Washington Wilson. The tramlines had been laid in 1872 as part of Glasgow’s first horse-drawn tram route between St. George’s Cross and Eglinton Toll that passed through Renfield Street. The public transport vehicle in the foreground is a horse-drawn omnibus and might be one of those hauled by three horses in line abreast *. In spite of having suspension, the ride in these vehicles over the cobblestones would not have been as comfortable as that experienced in trams running on track and the latter would eventually completely displace the horse-drawn buses. On the left is the building where R. W. Forsyth started in business as a hosier, glover and shirt maker in 1872. He would move to newly-built premises on the corner with Gordon Street in 1898 and Stuart Cranston would open a tearoom in the vacated building in September of that year. This view shows the two distinct types of gas street lamp present on Glasgow’s principal streets at that time; tall slender lamp-posts well-spaced apart and fitted with hexagonal lanterns, and shorter lamps, more frequently situated and with four-sided lanterns.

* A restored 1890’s Glasgow Three-Abreast Horse-Drawn Omnibus is now on display at the Beamish Museum in County Durham. Originally built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, the saloon ended up as a garden shed in Hereford where it remained for many years before being rescued.

Here, we are looking up Renfield Street from the intersection with Gordon Street, circa 1911/12. The building on the right has businesses selling suitcases and gramophones, and there is prominent signage for the Vulcan Boiler and General Insurance Co. With so many boilers in use industrially and domestically at that time, boiler insurance was probably a good idea.

The motorcar coming towards the camera is a new, locally-built Argyll, and there is a Delauney-Belleville parked outside R.W. Forsyth’s new store on the left. It might seem unusual to have a French make in Glasgow at that time, but this prestige marque was imported into the country as a bare chassis and its bodywork was supplied by Shinnie Brothers of Aberdeen.

The clock on the building beyond has CRANSTON TEA on the dial in place of numbers and this was the location of one of Stuart Cranston’s tea rooms. Not long after this photograph was taken, this tearoom would undergo a massive renovation. ( Postcard published in Graham’s Real Photographic Series and postmarked Sep. 30, 1912.)

We are now approaching the intersection with St. Vincent Street in this early 20th Century scene taken soon after the electrification of the tramway system in 1901. There is a good view of the building on the left which would be replaced in 1927 by James Miller’s American-inspired Union Bank of Scotland building. Here, the corner location is occupied by B. Anderson, the upscale tobacconist and cigar merchant. Behind this building is a narrow lane and the next major intersection is with West George Street. ( Postcard published in Valentine’s Series. )

This picture was also taken also very soon after the electric trams were introduced and they would be resplendent in their new livery of cadmium orange side panels, ivory trim and plum/brown dashes. The new double-deck tramcars were all open top and so passengers would be exposed to the inclemency of the Glasgow weather. Roof additions commenced in earnest in 1904. Fortunately, it was a warm sunny day when this picture was taken, judging from the brightness and people’s attire. The building on the right, adorned with Corinthian pilasters and decorative balustrades, is occupied by the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company which had, in 1901, extended its insurance to cover all marine risks. In 1959, it was absorbed into the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd. ( Postcard by unknown publisher. )

This photograph of Renfield Street dates from around 1905 and Anderson, the cigar merchant, has now added a fine clock to its premises on the corner, advertising their custom P. & O. Tobacco Mixture presumably named after the shipping line that carried passengers and the Royal Mail to the Middle East, India and the Orient. The P. & O. name would certainly convey an air of elegance and sophistication as only the titled and very wealthy would travel first class on this, the most prestigious of voyages. ( Postcard published by W. N. Co. in the Record Photographic Series. )

Renfield Street Stereoview

It looks like the sun is almost directly overhead in this 1908 view of Renfield Street taken at the intersection with Bath Street. A procession of tramcars is heading up the hill and the one nearest the camera, bound for the University, will soon be turning left into Sauchiehall Street. On the Bath Street corner is a supplier of saddlery and harnesses for hunting, racing and the military. The man with the sandwich board in the foreground is advertising the services of Madame Gerard, palmist and clairvoyant at 365 Sauchiehall Street, with fees from 1 shilling. Across the street, a small group of people has gathered outside the Restaurant de Paris. ( Stereoview published by the Stereo-Travel Co. of Corona, New York City.)

A tramcar heading for the International Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park is just turning into Sauchiehall Street from Renfield Street in this 1901 scene. The city where the Industrial Revolution began was hosting its second great International Exhibition and the recent electrification of the tramway system served to further showcase Glasgow’s achievements. The cars were resplendent in their new livery and each route was colour-coded. Car 664 in the foreground would have had chrome yellow panels above the windows, bearing route information, probably similar to that of the car in the background.

Renfield Street, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow 1

We are near the top of Renfield Street at the intersection with Renfrew Street, both streets having originally been named by Archibald Campbell of Blythswood. The large globe street light fittings are in the process of being changed so this photograph probably dates from 1911/12. On the right is the Pavilion Music Hall which opened on 29 February, 1904 and later became a theatre, which it remains to this day. Further down on the right hand side are the pinnacles of the Renfield Street United Free Church, situated just south of the junction with Sauchiehall Street. The crowds have noticeably thinned out above the Sauchiehall Street intersection and Renfield Street will soon merge with Cowcaddens. ( Postcard published by E. A. Schwerdtfeger & Co. London E. C. and printed in Berlin. )

Legends © Christopher J. Jones

Except where otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are from the author’s collection.

{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }

Jenny March 13, 2012 at 4:08 am

Hi Chris,

I was wondering whether you had an e-mail address that I could contact you on with regards to your images?

Jenny

Chris Jones March 17, 2012 at 8:15 pm

Thank you Jenny and I will contact you via email.

Chris

Richard Keijzer July 21, 2012 at 10:14 am

I have a photograph of my uncle William, that was taken at 64 Renfield Street in 1945. How can I get more info on that photo studio?

Sincerely,

Richard

David August 22, 2012 at 6:03 am

Hi there,

Do you have a private email address that I contact you on?

David

Mandy Kinnell August 27, 2013 at 2:28 am

Hello,

I hope someone can help. Since the early 1980’s I have had an old Gents silk top hat which has a crest inside stating it was made by Carswell, Renfield Street, Glasgow. I have seen other top hats from Carswell with a crest but mine is different. It has a lion rampant in the middle of the words “Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense” plus the gold embossed initials – H C H. Could anyone tell me how to determine whose hat this was and when it was made?

Thank you in advance.

Mandy

Stephen Taylor May 6, 2014 at 7:54 am

Bit of a long shot this, but are you looking for present images of Glasgow? If so, I might be able to help you out, particularly with the SECC/Hydro area. Have a look at my Cityscapes gallery, and see if there is anything you want.

Stephen

Chris Jones June 14, 2014 at 10:27 pm

Thank you Stephen for your offer. I have had a look at your website and your photographs are absolutely superb. I’ll be in touch.

Best wishes,

Chris

Fay Young February 3, 2015 at 10:19 am

Hi Chris,

I enjoy your website, a great source of historic images and information.

As research director of Walking Heads, I’m wondering if we might use some of your images in an educational audio tour we are producing for Scottish Opera, celebrating the opening of the new Theatre Royal extension. This tour is free to download to smartphones.

Would you be willing to share some images? I’m particularly interested in old photographs of Fraser’s, Forsyth’s and Burton’s. We would credit you and link to your website on the app and in promotional material on our website. If you need any more information please contact me.

With thanks,

Fay

Chris Jones February 4, 2015 at 8:16 pm

Thank you Fay and you are welcome to use whatever images you need for you project. Let me know if you require higher resolution.

Best wishes,

Chris

Elizabeth April 5, 2015 at 3:44 am

Hi Chris,

Thanks for this interesting read and for sharing the photos too. I have an outdoor photograph of the Scots Battalion that was taken by Cinema Studios, Union Street, Glasgow. Can you shed any light on the photographer? It would help to date the photograph I think.

Best wishes,

Elizabeth

Chris Jones April 11, 2015 at 10:38 pm

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for your comment and inquiry. I have checked with the 1927 Glasgow Directory and it lists Cinema Studio, Photographer, as one of the occupants of 5 Union Street which would be in the first building on the left as you look up Union Street from the intersection with Argyle Street. I have not been able to find the interval when Cinema Studio occupied premises at that location but at least we know they were there in 1927.

Best wishes,

Chris

Mike Deutsch December 4, 2016 at 3:59 am

Hi Chris.

My wife and I were in Tony Macaroni’s restaurant in Renfield St. at the junction with West George St. I have a vague recollection that in the 1960’s it was a posh outfitters, perhaps Moss Bros.
Do you have any photos to back up my theory?

Mike D.

Mike Deutsch December 4, 2016 at 4:17 am

Still on the previous request. Could it have been Carswell’s?

Mike D.

Chris Jones December 4, 2016 at 8:10 pm

Hi Mike,

No I don’t but we could try researching the address.

Chris

Anonymous March 14, 2019 at 10:08 am

Hi Chris,

I have been looking for old photographs of the top end of Renfield Street/Rutherford Lane. My mum was born in Rutherford Lane in 1925. An ice factory was in this lane.

Isabel

Chris Jones March 30, 2019 at 9:02 pm

Hello Isabel,

Thank you for your inquiry. Rutherford Lane was a very narrow lane near the top of Renfield Street on the left-hand side, just north of the intersection with Renfrew Street. The lane continued all the way through to Hope Street. I do not have a photo showing Rutherford Lane but there is one posted online at https://canmore.org.uk/site/205233/glasgow-8-rutherford-lane-ice-factory showing part of the ice factory there.

Best wishes,

Chris

james furniss April 7, 2019 at 1:51 am

Hi Chris,

Great website.

I’ve just purchased a pair of military leather officers boots and they have the name “Peter Dickson” and shop addresses of 66 Renfield Street and 451 Great Western Road, Glasgow” I’ve found a little information about the shop but wondered if you had anything more or any photographs of either branch?

Kind regards,

James

Francesca Woolmer April 8, 2019 at 3:11 am

Hello Chris,

Fascinating pictures of Renfrew Street. My nonno, Vincenzo Napolitano, lived at number 70 and had either a fish and chip shop or an ice cream cafe at no 66 in 1930. It was at the junction with Hope Street. Do you have any images or info that could help me? I am writing a diary about his life starting from Valvori, Italy!

Many thanks,

Francesca Woolmer

Chris Jones April 28, 2019 at 8:03 pm

Hi James,

Thank you for your kind comment and inquiry. Do you have an approximate date for when the boots would have been manufactured and offered for sale new? I have quite a few photographs of Renfield Street but not many of Great Western Road. I can determine the location of 66 Renfield Street and if I know an approximate date, I can check to see if I have a photograph of the shop’s location taken around the time when the boots would have been offered for sale.

With best wishes,

Chris

Chris Jones May 12, 2019 at 9:04 pm

Hello Francesca,

Thank you for sharing this information about your Italian Grandfather. I checked the Glasgow Post Office Annual Directories from 1930 through to 1942. Your nonno was not listed in the 1930/31 issue but he was in the 1931/32 though to the 1941/42 directories that I could access online; V. Napolitono, 68 Renfrew Street, at the junction with Hope Street. I’m including some links below. I did not check beyond 1942 because it proved more difficult to access this information online. Note that your nonno’s name is listed as Napolitono which is almost certainly a misprint, and should be Napolitano.

1931/32

https://archive.org/details/postofficeann193132glas/page/1132

1936/37

https://archive.org/details/postofficeann193637glas/page/1146

1940/41

https://archive.org/details/postofficeann194041glas/page/1236

Best wishes,

Chris

Brian July 7, 2023 at 3:17 pm

Hi Chris,

I have my father’s WW2 navy divider set of three in a box . The name on the box is Morrison Brothers 52 Renfield St. Glasgow. I’ll send a photo if you would like to see them.

Brian

Chris Jones July 8, 2023 at 4:57 pm

H Brian,

Thank you for sharing this information. I looked online at navy divider sets and they comprise very fine instruments used for geometry and navigation. I checked the Post Office Glasgow Directories for 1911 and 1927, and they both show a highlighted listing for Morison Brothers, spelled with just one r.

Here are the links: https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/86492696
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~glasgow/genealogy/1927names501.jpg

Best wishes,

Chris

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