u3a

East Renfrewshire

April 2026

William Dyer - in Front of the GoMA ( Gallery of Modern Art) and showing Glasgow's most famous road cone.

John Milne- St Vincent Street Church designed by Alexander (Greek) Thomson. Built in 1859 blending Greek, Egyptian and Indian motifs. Closed in 2021 owing to structural issues . It is a A Category A listed building. Sad that it is falling into disrepair.

Derek Hamilton - set in the Merchant city, Citation, the former Sheriff Court building is a striking B listed building and now a venue for exclusive events.

Vivienne Christison - The IBIS hotel . Noteworthy, as the worst example of modern architecture I saw. I could not find anything appealing about the building . Photo is cropped but nothing can really enhance the building.

Derek Hamilton - The Ramshorn (formerly St David Parish Church) located in the Merchant City is a listed A building. Designed by Thomas Rickman in the Gothic Revival style. It is now Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools both centres with the University of Strathclyde.

Stuart McColl- Close up of the Trongate clock tower and cherub statue as the side. Image cropped , sharpened and converted to B&W.

John Milne- The Reid Building which is an extension to the Glasgow School of Art . It is located on the corner of Renfrew and Scott Street. it has a distinctive translucent facade contrasting with the masonry of the historic Mackintosh Building. It combines old with new.

Janice Mackenzie -Blythswood Hotel from across Blythswood Gardens. No editing. Another A listed building built in the 1820's. It has an interesting history serving initially as homes for notable residents including James Smith (father of the infamous Victorian murder trial suspect Madeline Smith) , in 1895 it became the home of the Glasgow Society of Lady Artists (the first female residential arts club in Britain) until 1920 when it became the Royal Scottish Automobile Club until 2009 and it is now a luxury 5 star hotel.

Vicky Blainey- The Boardwalk in Brunswick Street run by Scottish community arts charity Impact Arts supporting a whole range of people including children, unemployed young people, homeless or those at risk of becoming homelessness and older people needing support. It is described as a vibrant , creative and accessible events venue in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City. It can host conferences, dance rehearsals, corporate events, performances or creative workshops. Boardwalk ( noun) provides a safe pathway over difficult terrain.

David Cooper- Stairs leading up from the Fruitmaker foyer. 'For the Love of Music' The City Halls and Old Fruitmarket is an acoustically renowned music hall in the stylish Merchant City. Beginning its life asGlasgow's wholesale fruit market it was renovated to create a very special venue with a number of its period features being retained such as the cast iron columns and balcony.

Derek Hamilton -Hutchesons Hall is an early 19th century building is another category A listed building originally constructed as a hospital for the elderly and a school for poor boys. It is now a coffee shop, restaurant and cocktail bar called the Saints of Ingram.

Stuart McColl-The Tollgate Tower corner of High Street and Argyle Street at Glasgow Cross. Image cropped, increased colour saturation and enhanced the blue sky. The Trongate is one the oldest streets in Glasgow named after the old public weigh beam or 'tron'. It is said to be one of the original eight streets in Glasgow. Public clocks often have blue faces with gold numbers said to be for the following reasons : royal decree, medieval symbolism and visibility.

Victorian neo Gothic on the corner of Albion and Argyle Street. The image includes the Tron tower. The neon signage has been removed, the image cropped, converted to B& W, sharpened with a bit of tweaking on contrast.

David Cooper - Merchant Square entrance 'where it never rains' according to the illustration.

Vicky Blainey - Merchant square now home to an eclectic range of bars and restaurants was rebuilt in 1886. It was once part of the old Fruitmarket in the Merchant City dating back to the 1750s.

Vicky Blainey- Brunswick House in the Merchant City . A Grade B listed building originally constructed in 1936 as a textile warehouse. It was then part of the Clydesdale Bank and now features modern mixed use office space including 'The Nook' which offers drop in mental health support. In the background, the mural is titled 'Make Time for What Matters' and was commissioned by the hotel The SociaL Hub which offers hotel rooms, student accommodation, co-working and meeting and events spaces.

Vivienne Christison -As mentioned in the same image above it was designed by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson . It is the only intact Church designed by Thomson in Glasgow. Image is cropped to focus on the church . Given it was a very dull day and a lot of the building is dark with organic growth and pollution, I tired lots of options to brighten it up - ended up with "auto sunbeam".

John Milne- The GFT (Glasgow Film Theatre) a much loved institution viewed from the rear. Opened in 1939 , a B listed ART Deco building. Not a pretty picture.

William Dyer- Again around the GOMA area. This image shows how the architects are trying to blend old and new. The new topping has windows that show a similarity to the older building and we had discussion at the group about how the new building materials and methods may help to preserve the older structures below.

William Dyer - another example of new and old blending into the skyline but I liked the digger in the corner showing that work is ongoing in the city. The building on the right is showing signs of repair work needed to maintain it and perhaps on day it will also get a new top hat in the same way as the building on the left to preserve it for the future.

Janice Mackenzie- The Spectrum Building on Blythswood Street. I like the way the light reflected off the facade. Image was cropped.

Jo Capek - A trio of images "Just about the first Glasgow building I visited and still my firm favourite". The images show the stunning overall exterior with the following two images showing just how detailed the brickwork is with it's corners and complex shapes. it is not surprising that Templeton on the Green in the East End is a firm favourite with many . It is made from Glasgow's signature red sandstone and is bold and beautiful . Built in 1892, the builder had tried twice to get planning permission for the proposed carpet factory but had been refused and so put forward a design by William Leiper, said to be based on the Doge's Palace, a stunningly beautiful building. James Templeton and Co became one of the leading carpet manufacturers in Britain. In 1984 it was converted into the Templeton Business Centre , then in 2005 a major regeneration turned Templeton on the Green into a mixed use 'lifestyle village' housing flats, office space and the WEST Brewery , bar and restaurant.