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Summary

Description

A block of three-storey tenements, built around 1852. They are built in droved ashlar, partly painted at ground floor of the western block and have polished ashlar margins.

The south elevation fronting Gibson Street comprises three adjacent blocks. The central block is nine-bay with three separate entrances. It contains one entrance at the centre surmounted by blocked windows at first and second floor. The eastern block is three bays with a nine-bay return elevation to 84-86 Otago Street. The western block is around 5 bays and adjoins a separate listing at 65 and 69 Bank Street (LB32178, Category B).

The doorpieces are architraved and corniced and contains deeply recessed doors with pilastered reveals and fanlights. All windows are architraved, corniced at ground and first floors (only corniced at ground in the western block). The windows are mostly large white timber sash and case with 12-pane glazing. Moulded string courses demarcate each floor of the western block.

The tenements have a plain main cornice, axial and wall head stacks with plain cans and slate roofs.

Images of a flat at No. 50 Gibson Street show simple ceiling cornices and that doors and door surrounds in this flat have been altered (2023).

Historical background

This tenement forms part of the southern range of a nearly quadrangular block of terraced tenements. They are located west of the River Kelvin, in the southeast area of Hillhead in the west end of Glasgow. This area of Hillhead remained largely rural until the early 19^th century and started to be laid out for residential development from the 1840s.

The block of tenements is depicted on the 1^st Edition, 25 Inches Ordnance Survey Map (surveyed 1857-58, published 1860), and was previously named Bloomfield Place. This map shows that the tenement is part of the earliest development of this area of the west end of Glasgow with the surrounding areas shown as largely undeveloped countryside.

As shown on the 2^nd Edition 25 Inches Ordnance Survey Map (Revised 1894, published 1896) the surrounding area developed rapidly in the late 19^th century with the creation of the university site on Gilmour Hill to the south and the construction of large numbers of tenements to house Glasgow's growing population.

The footprint of the tenements is unaltered since its construction in the mid-19^th century.

Statement of Special Interest

Architectural interest

The footprint of the tenement is unchanged since its construction in the mid-19^th century and the external principal elevations are substantially unaltered, retaining their restrained classical detailing. Distinctive features of this simple classical style include the symmetrically arranged openings, the large six over six sash and case windows the architraved doors and windows with cornices and the moulded string courses.

Some 19^th century interior features and interior structural fabric is understood to have been lost in the late 20^th century during works to the foundations of the buildings. Internal alterations are however relatively common within tenements and this is not has not affected the interest of the site and the character of its principal street elevations. The building remains a major surviving example of a mid-19^th century classical style tenement block.

Historic interest

Tenements are a very common type of housing seen throughout Scotland, particularly in the cities. There are many surviving examples from the later 18^th and early 19^th century, which were built as part of urban expansion. Earlier surviving examples which are largely unaltered and retain their historic character are less common.

Dating from the 1850s, the tenement at 40-50 (even nos) Gibson Street and 84-86 (even nos) Otago Street is a relatively early example of its building type, representing the expansion of Glasgow in the mid-19^th century. The block forms part of an early group of historic tenement buildings located in Glasgow's west end which make a strong contribution to the historic character of the area.

References

Bibliography

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