IN EVERY corner of Glasgow, there are storytellers who can recall the city’s rich past.

It could be your granny or your next-door-neighbour, your great-uncle or the man who has run the local shop for 40 years.

All of them have memories to share – so we want to hear about them.

Thanks for the Memories on tour is back.

Over the next few months, the Evening Times will be pitching up in local libraries to hear the stories of Glasgow’s communities.

Last year’s events took in the north, south, east and west of Glasgow and we discovered lovely stories and fascinating characters happy to share their memories.

We uncovered a special story, about a long forgotten photograph of a beautiful woman sitting on the steps at Bridgeton Cross, which we had used to publicise our event.

She turned out to be Jenny Hall, who sadly died several years ago, and her husband Billy came along to share her story.

“That picture was taken in 1967, when we both lived in Bridgeton,” he said. “She was waiting for me coming off the tram on my way home for work.”

Our next events took place in the Gorbals, Possilpark and Hillhead, and readers were full of fascinating stories.

One of the most touching came from May Wilson, who discovered an abandoned baby, wrapped up in a tartan shawl, in the close of the Gorbals tenement she lived in with her family. It was 1963, and the story hit the headlines – May (nee Henderson) has kept newspaper clippings in a folder of old documents and photos.

And in Possilpark Library, we met Sarah McCartney, who had spent every spare second tucked up in a corner of the place with a good book.

But when her family moved away, she lost touch with the area and never returned – until she came along to our Thanks for the Memories event, now 83 and a grandmother of eight.

Kicking off in the east end on Tuesday, March 13, we will be visiting Dennistoun Library between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

If you have lived in Dennistoun all your days and have particular memories of the place and its people, we would love to hear them.

Local historian Peter Mortimer has fond memories of this part of the city.

“One of the big names everyone will remember is the Dennistoun Palais,” he smiles. “It was immortalised in the song Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice - ‘does this bus go to the Dennistoun Palais, oh-ho I’m looking for a lumber!”

The orginal Palais opened in 1922 but it was destroyed by fire in 1936. When it was rebuilt and re-opened in 1938 it was the biggest dance hall in Glasgow, with a capacity of 1800.

Resident band Lauri Blandford and his Orchestra often stood aside for nationally-famous big bands such as the Joe Loss Orchestra.

It closed in 1962, and the building was converted into a supermarket.

Dennistoun was originally created as a residential area to rival the west end, Peter explains.

“It was filled with grand villas, many of which still survive,” he recalls. “They developed the western end first, but encountered a big problem. As the prevailing wind was from the west, all the obnoxious smells from city factories blew right over Dennistoun, so none of the wealthy folk wanted to live there.

“Creating a ‘Hyndland of the east’ wasn’t going to work, so instead they created a grid pattern and the tenements sprang up from there.”

Many of the original long avenues and drives, such as Meadowpark and Onslow Drive are still there, and readers may remember living or working there.

Peter adds: “It’s true that for a long time Glasgow’s east end had a poor reputation and was not considered an attractive place to live, but Dennistoun WAS always the most sought after bit.

“You aspired to a house in Dennistoun when you were starting out - once you had a room and kitchen in Dennistoun, you knew you were on your way.”

Now the east end is a dynamic, thriving part of the city and Duke Street is its main thoroughfare.

“Duke Street was always the main hub of Dennistoun,” says Peter.

“It was choc-a-block with shops - readers might recall R&J Templeton, Galbraith’s Stores, Greenlees and Coia’s - which of course, is still there, although not in its original location,” adds Peter.

“There were cinemas too - the Parade and the Scotia, and of course the Denny Palais. It was a thriving place.”

Peter’s love of local history began at primary school. The 61-year-old, who works in the construction industry, was born in the Gorbals and later moved to the east end.

“One of the biggest challenges for people interested in local history is – how do we access it?” he explains. “That’s why things like the Evening Times Thanks for the Memories events and the work of local history groups is so important in helping people to engage.”

Thanks for the Memories visits Dennistoun Library on Tuesday, March 13, from 10.30am until 12.30pm. If you can’t make it along but would like to share your memories, email ann.fotheringham@heraldandtimes.co.uk