ITS foundation stone was laid as Glasgow's great and good sang the 100th Psalm - and singing still takes place in Govanhill Baths.

It's just that the music is more different than its founders could have imagined.

On July 3, 1914, Sir Daniel Macaulay Stevenson, the then-Lord Provost of Glasgow, opened the swimming pool in Calder Street.

Baillie Sloan, who was convener of the Baths Committee presented the Lord Provost with a silver trowel to mark the occasion.

Two local councillors placed a casket containing documents - what we would now call a time capsule - into the cavity of a stone that was put in position in the building.

During this ceremony, the 100th Psalm was sung and afterwards a lunch was held in the City Chambers.

In a speech, Mr Sloan said the Baths Committee would work with the Health Committee and the School Board - much as the modern-day Govanhill Community Baths Trust does.

The building - housing a washhouse and three pools - along with the ground cost £13,000.

In addition to the three swimming pools there was a steamie - a wash house - at the back of the building. (This was converted to a launderette in 1971.)

Before the Second World War most Glasgow tenements lacked indoor bathing facilities so people would visit the hot baths in the upper storey of the building.

There were three swimming pools with the main pool having a seating gallery for spectators attending events and galas.

Local people remember seeing brides dress for their wedding day, their gowns hanging in the steam of the washrooms to let out any creases.

When Clydebank was bombed during the Second World War, it is rumoured the pool was used as a makeshift mortuary.

The closure of Govanhill Baths was announced in the Evening Times on January 6, 2001. Rumours had been circulating for more than a year that the council had plans to shut the building.

But these were strenuously denied until then leader Charlie Gordon admitted the decision in our paper, saying £750,000 was needed to keep it open and it would shut on March 23.

Mr Gordon and his council, however, had under-estimated the depth of feeling local people had for their baths.

Kingston Swimming Club had some 230 members at the time of the announcement and they began a campaign to try to save the pool.

Save Our Pool - Southside Against Closure (SAC) Community Action Group was formed with weekly meetings taking place to try to find a solution.

Finally a 30,000-strong petition was presented to Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government while a march organised against the closure attracted 1000 supporters.

Mr Gordon refused to meet with SAC and announced in a letter to pool users that the facility would shut.

On March 21 the protesters moved in.

After going for a final swim in the pool they chained themselves to the changing cubicles and told staff to leave.

The occupation continued until August 7 when police carried out a dawn raid.

Andrew Johnson, now chairman of the Govanhill Baths board, was there on the day.

HE said: "Both my wife and I wanted to go down to the protest when we heard what the police were planning.

"We had three small children at the time so we tossed a coin to see who would go down there and who would stay at home.

"Cath won the coin toss and headed down before returning to swap with me at around 9am.

"The police had gone in through a side window at 5.15am and taken the protesters out.

"There were around 250 police outside the building and they pushed at the crowds to sort of 'kettle' them out of Calder Street towards Victoria Road.

"They made way for workmen's vans to come in and these workmen started drilling metal plates over the windows of the building.

"There was a great gasp of "No!" as they hammered into the building.

"You would have almost thought someone was being crucified. Well, it was a crucifixion of sorts."

GPs used to give vouchers for free swims to their patients as a treatment, and Andrew said for weeks people were coming down with these vouchers, not realising the pool had shut.

When the Govanhill Community Baths Trust, formed in 2005, were allowed into the building they found piles of these notes in a cupboard.

Andrew added: "That was quite moving. It showed just how useful the baths were to the local community.

"From the day they closed we never gave up hope that they would reopen and we are still working for that now.

"And we will keep working."