A HANDFUL of people and a lone tram revive memories of a long bygone age
in this picture from 1949 Bridgeton.
It appears to be an early morning picture, as the shops – and the pubs – are all shuttered and some of the men look to be in working clothes and boots, so are probably on their way to work.
The big building in the background was a source of employment for local people because it was the Templeton’s carpet factory.
The firm was beginning to profit from the years of the post-war boom, when people had more cash to spend on furnishing their homes.
Campbeltown born James Templeton had opened his first Glasgow factory in King Street (now Redan St) in 1839. But that was destroyed by fire and in 1857 he bought a cotton mill sited in William Street (later Templeton Street).
In 1889 a further carpet mill was built facing Glasgow Green, based on the Doge’s Palace, Venice. It is still a local landmark.
By 1959 the expanding company had spread throughout Bridgeton, with factories in Crownpoint Road, Kerr Street, Brookside Street, Tullis Street and Fordneuk Street.
Sadly, business was not as good by the 1970s and carpet production in Bridgeton ceased in 1979.
The various factories still standing are used for other purposes. The main Templeton complex at Glasgow Green is now the Templeton Business Centre.

Glasgow Times:

1988: It was a case of no ball games for John Forsyth, 6, when underground cavities in the back courts of Torrisdale Street, Crosshill, Glasgow, had to be infilled in May 1988 after the area was hit by subsidence