Gorbals
From Free net encyclopedia
The Gorbals is a predominantly working-class area on the south bank of the river Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The area was traditionally home to large numbers of Catholic immigrants from Ireland, as well as at one stage housing the vast majority of Scotland's Jewish population (although both groups have subsequently abandoned the area). The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic, Gort a' Bhaile ("field of the farm").
History
The origins of the Gorbals area date back to the 14th century, when it was a village - sometimes known as Bridgend - which grew up around what was then the River Clyde’s most westerly crossing point - a bridge completed in 1345 by Bishop William Rae of Glasgow, aided by Lady Lochow. This bridge stood until the 19th century and was the only one on the Clyde below Bothwell till the erection of the Broomielaw Bridge in 1768.
Five years later, a leper hospital dedicated to St Ninian was founded by Lady Lochow at the Gorbals end of the bridge. Hospital Street stands on the site. After the Reformation, in 1579, the church feued the land to Sir George Elphinstone, a merchant who was Provost of Glasgow from 1600 to 1606. The barony and regality of the Gorbals was confirmed in 1606 by a charter of King James VI which vested the powers of regality over barony in Elphinstone and his descendants.
These powers descended to Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerstone, who in 1650 disponed the Gorbals to Glasgow's magistrates' for the benefit of the city, the Trades' House, and Hutchesons' Hospital. The magistrates from then on collected the rents and duties and divided them: one fourth to the city, one fourth to the Trades' House, and the remaining half to Hutchesons' Hospital. In 1790 the lands were divided into lots; the City acquired the old feus of Gorbals and Bridgend, and also the Kingston portion of the Barony of Gorbals; the Trades' House obtained a western section; and the remaining section lying to the east and south was allocated to Hutchesons' Hospital. The districts are now known as the Gorbals, Laurieston, Tradeston, Kingston and Hutchesontown.
Throughout the 1980's the Gorbals was often referred to as the most dangerous place in the UK, as street gangs and casual violence were rife. The common weapon of choice amongst teenagers were machetes.
The renowned Scottish socialist political figure John Maclean stood for election in the area in the 1918 general election.
The Gorbals has long had a reputation as a gritty, rough area, and attempts to clear the slum tenements (originally attempted by The City Improvement Trust in 1866) by Glasgow Corporation and replace them with new high-rise housing in the 1960s did little to improve this reputation. The poor design and low-quality construction of the concrete 20-storey flats led to innumerable social and health problems in the area. The most infamous of these schemes, the Queen Elizabeth Square flats designed by Sir Basil Spence, were demolished in 1993 to make way for a new generation of housing development. Tragically one local resident was struck on the chest by debris during their demolition and killed.
In 2004, Glasgow City Council announced plans to demolish yet more of the decaying high-rise blocks. This process of gentrification follows on from the earlier demolition attempts. Crime rates have plummeted as property values have soared. The well known Citizens' Theatre is based in the area. The local newspaper for The Gorbals is the "Local News for Southsiders".