大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - The train station that destroyed a village 鈥� but let a city flourish

The train station that destroyed a village 鈥� but let a city flourish

Inside Central Station gives an insight into Scotland’s busiest train station, Glasgow Central.

Before the station was built, trains from England would arrive at Bridge Street Station on the opposite side of the River Clyde. By extending the tracks over the river to the main hub of the city, Glasgow Central contributed to the city’s Victorian era commercial success.

That is not to say, however, that some people weren’t adversely affected by the development.

The inhabitants of Grahamston – an interconnected series of streets between the city’s Union and Hope Street – were moved out and their buildings were demolished in order to make way for the new station.

Grahamston: Glasgow鈥檚 forgotten village

How Glasgow鈥檚 existing train line was extended across the river into the city centre.

The structure of Glasgow Central Station

Pillars originally built to hold up the tracks were found to be inadequate for the amount of traffic using the area. Engineers therefore designed a massive edifice of bridges and tracks to carry trains over the River Clyde and into the city centre.

The sheltered area underneath Glasgow Central Bridge is known locally as Hielanman’s Umbrella, a reference to the many Gaelic-speaking people from the Highlands who would arrive in Glasgow and use the area to shelter from the rain.

The Hielanman’s Umbrella now houses a number of local businesses and, at one time, was home to one of Europe’s leading nightclubs: The Arches.