Parkhead projects highlight heritage and history of the area

Published: 19 August 2016

Two projects in Parkhead, an exhibition and the restoration of a notable local building, celebrate the history and heritage of the area. 

The first of these, Weave Parkhead, will be on display at the Imageo Gallery, 1422 Gallowgate, between 20 - 25 August.  Weave Parkhead is a collaboration between schools, community groups, weavers and archaeologists to create a series of four woven panels celebrating the history and heritage of Parkhead. 

Led by Northlight Heritage, Weave Parkhead is being delivered as part of the Parkhead Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI), which is funded by Glasgow City Council, Historic Environment Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The exhibition is the culmination of a year of workshops and events in and around Parkhead exploring the weaving history of the area.  The woven panels showcase different weaving techniques and materials and will be on display at Imageo Gallery, and there will be a free drop-in launch event with refreshments from 1 - 4pm on Saturday 20 August.

The second Parkhead project is the £4.1million restoration of the former Parkhead Public School at Westmuir Street, near Parkhead Cross.  This former public school located on Westmuir Street in Parkhead, has been vacant since 1990 and is now being brought back into use through the Parkhead Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI), in partnership with Glasgow Building Preservation Trust and Parkhead Housing Association. 

The Category B listed building was constructed in two phases in 1878 and 1887 and is currently recorded on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.  The project is being funded by Glasgow City Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government: Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

The contractor, CBC Ltd, have now started on site and works are expected to take around one year to complete.  The project will conserve and refurbish the former school buildings and will include a new glazed extension creating a local enterprise centre with flexible community space and range of office suites.  Parkhead Housing Association will take ownership of the building once the restoration is complete.

Councillor George Redmond, Executive Member for Jobs, Business and Investment at Glasgow City Council, said: "There has been a lot of regeneration work in the East End in recent years, and both this exhibition and the Westmuir Street School restoration will play a role in celebrating the heritage, history and future of Parkhead.  I am sure visitors to the exhibition will enjoy what is on display, and I look forward to the restoration of the former school building in Westmuir Street."

James Strang, Chief Executive of Parkhead Housing Association, said: "Parkhead Housing Association has been very keen to see this fine old building brought back into use. It's a local landmark and has a very important place in the history of Parkhead. We are delighted that we have played a key role in the project and we look forward to a very long and productive life for this piece of Parkhead history. My thanks go to the project team for getting us to this stage."

For further information on these projects, please visit:

• http://weaveparkhead.weebly.com/   
• http://gbpt.org/events/westmuir-street/
• https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=18299