Thornwood – Initial Neighbourhood Research
Thornwood, Glasgow – Living in Agreement
Thornwood is an area built upon the Industrial Revolution of the River Clyde,specifically Tod & MacGregor’s Meadowside Shipyard. The neighbourhood is primarily residential, dominated by red and blonde sandstone tenements with some examples of 20th Century housing including Crathie Court, nicknamed the Spinster Flats. The area once featured may mills and factories, manufacturing anything from cotton to steel, but the majority of these buildings have now been demolished to make way for new housing; there are only a few remnants of Thornwood’s industrial beginnings left, including a number of churches, Partick Fire station and the neighbouring electrical substation. The busy Dumbarton Road runs through the neighbourhood to the south with the only remaining connection to the river through the underpass on Meadow Road, adjoining. Today, Thornwood is a busy neighbourhood connecting with Broomhill and Partick.
Initial research revealed that Thornwood is one of the areas with the highest percentage of single-person households in Glasgow, leading to issues of loneliness and isolation particularly affecting young people and the elderly. This was something I considered in both the housing project and the public building, considering diversification of the community’s demographic and providing convivial spaces where people are free to gather and feel more of a part of the community.
