Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

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Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:38 pm

502 Sauchie.PNG
Hello! I'm trying to find out about the Charing Cross Halls, 490 Sauchiehall St and wondered if anyone has ever heard of them?

They stood somewhere between the Electric Theatre building (later the Locarno, now a casino) and Garnet St (formerly Thistle St) - so probably around where the one-storey block of modern shops is. Many right-on events were held there in the early 20thC including socialist meetings and, in April 1910, a suffragette “grand bazaar” organised by the WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) whose offices were almost next door at no 502.

Canmore, Virtual Mitchell, GlasgowStory and this forum say nothing about these Halls, and I’ve found many accounts of the bazaar (for example) assume "Charing Cross Halls" means the St Andrews Halls, round the back of the Mitchell.

If anyone knows anything about these Halls, or has an image of this portion of Sauchiehall Street c 1910 that might show them, I’d be really pleased to hear more! :o
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby Guacho » Sun Sep 02, 2018 4:09 pm

The site of these is now the Garage nightclub. In the 1940 PO directory they had changed name to Gainsborough Halls.
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:41 am

Good approach to track via the PODs. That was my next step so I appreciate you looking this up! In the British Newspaper Archive, the last mention I could find of the Charing X Halls is c 1930, and the first mention of Gainsborough Halls, 1932. So I guess I might look at the history of the Garage, to see whether the halls have any structural link with the older nightclubs on that site or whether they were entirely demolished. Thanks again, knowing about the name change is very helpful.
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:16 am

1938 gainsborough.jpg
The first time the Gainsborough replaces the Charing X Halls entry in the PODs is the 1933/4 one where it's just listed as The Gainsborough. By 1935 it is the "Gainsborough Halls and Restaurant". The 1938 POD advert, which I found in Robert Pool's Flickr collection, reveals it had suites named after other painters.

What is now the Garage car park was the yard of Gray & Co's monumental sculptors. Gray & Co were listed for years at number 460, a large corner site with Garnet St, until 1938/9. The Beresford then takes on number 460, and Gray & Co are listed at #474 (a new number denoting a reduced portion of their original site, I assume). There's a couple of lovely clear pics of Gray's yard on Virtual Mitchell c 1930/2:

Grays.jpg

Grays 2.jpg


As there are still four other numbers listed inbetween Grays' yard at #474 and the Halls at # 490, I'd place the Halls as standing near the middle of the block where the one-storey building with the sunburst motifs at each end stands, rather than at the very end (the Garage) as this block's site appears to span nos 498 to 476 in the POds. Of course it remains to be seen what actually stood there c 1910 - I've not yet dated the "sunburst" block.

modern.jpg
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Mon Sep 03, 2018 3:39 pm

The earliest mention of Charing Cross Halls in the British Newspaper Archive is October 1897 when the Glasgow Society of Musicians holds a smoking concert there.

The Halls are then listed for the first time in the 1898/99 POD within the block numbered 460-536 which runs between Thistle St and Albany Chambers.

Sauchie 1897-1900.jpg


The year before, the same block spans numbers 476-498 only, assuming I'm interpreting the directory correctly. Albany Chambers is yet to be completed, and the end of the block is listed as the intersection with St George Road and Albany Place.

(I am aware that Albany Place was a row of villas, some of which were incorporated into buildings hard on Sauchiehall St eg the former Annan Building, and the Garage.)
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Mon Sep 03, 2018 5:58 pm

Gomme, Walker and Pevsner don't mention the one-storey row, and skip over it as unworthy of comment. This pic of the Locarno next door shows a sliver of the building in 1930. Those sun/wheel reliefs were originally plate glass windows and there was also more ornamentation. The effect seems slightly less "Deco" and makes me hopeful this row might be a little bit older than its stripped-back appearance today suggests. I just need to find an architectural guide that mentions it!

(I keep referring to it as one-storey just to distinguish it, but of course it has an attic storey with dormer windows.)

Locarno 1930s.jpg
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:35 pm

Charing X fire crop 1927.png

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

On 30 April 1927, a fire broke out in Lyon's printers and the roofs of the Locarno and the Charing Cross Halls were damaged. This made me wonder if this was perhaps a lead, that the "Deco" building had been built to replace a fire-damaged Halls.

I then saw the photo below on Glasgowhistory.com, dating from between 1901 and 1906 (I still need to verify this). It clearly shows the single-storey block already built next to the warehouse that is later the Locarno, so it appear that Charing Cross Halls were not a different, earlier structure on that site, but were part of this low block that still exists today.

Sauchiehall-Street-near-Charing-Cross-Glasgow before 1906.jpg


Chris Jones of Glasgowhistory,.com, giving some context on the date:
We are now very close to Charing Cross in this view taken early in the 20th Century, after the tramway had been electrified in 1901 and before the last tree on this part of Sauchiehall Street was removed in 1906. On the left are the Albany Chambers, designed by Sir J. J. Burnett and completed in 1896. The entrance is flanked by Gavin Crawford & Sons and Hugh Dunlop & Sons with the former having their end of season sale. The sober storefronts of the period do not detract from the fine architecture. Long dark dresses and wide-brimmed hats are much in evidence in this Edwardian scene. ( Rotary Photographic Series postcard )
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby Guacho » Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:50 pm

northmaven wrote:Gomme, Walker and Pevsner don't mention the one-storey row, and skip over it as unworthy of comment. This pic of the Locarno next door shows a sliver of the building in 1930. Those sun/wheel reliefs were originally plate glass windows and there was also more ornamentation. The effect seems slightly less "Deco" and makes me hopeful this row might be a little bit older than its stripped-back appearance today suggests. I just need to find an architectural guide that mentions it!

(I keep referring to it as one-storey just to distinguish it, but of course it has an attic storey with dormer windows.)

Locarno 1930s.jpg


Penelope is in the 1940 POD at 498. Gainsborough Halls were a few doors east.
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby Guacho » Tue Sep 04, 2018 2:24 pm

This thread might be of interest
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=359
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:28 am

Thanks J. Yes the Albany Place/Terrace villas are fascinating - I went on a walk with Ronnie a few years back where we explored these, entering via Albany Mansions. And the one "found" in the Third Eye's garden!

Still trying to get my head around how a 600-capacity hall, with two ballrooms and three salons (from an ad for the Gainsborough), can be located at an address in the centre of that one-storey building. Perhaps it extended behind or even incorporated one of the old Albany Place villas, as the Garage now does.
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:29 am

Delighted to see I've been upgraded to a "busy bunny".
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby Vinegar Tom » Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:45 pm

Your upgrade is well deserved. I am really enjoying the detective work on this thread!
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby northmaven » Thu Sep 06, 2018 12:19 pm

Hehe, thanks Vinegar Tom!

Just want to correct something I said above to Guacho:

As there are still four other numbers listed inbetween Grays' yard at #474 and the Halls at # 490, I'd place the Halls as standing near the middle of the block where the one-storey building with the sunburst motifs at each end stands, rather than at the very end (the Garage) as this block's site appears to span nos 498 to 476 in the POds. Of course it remains to be seen what actually stood there c 1910 - I've not yet dated the "sunburst" block.


I have never been inside the Garage, so was locating it at the end of the row because that's where the sign and carpark are. But I realise that its entrance is in the middle of the row where the car sculpture is, so I appreciate that we were talking about the same location, Guacho.

Wonder if I can I get inside without attend a tweenage metal gig? I'd like to see how Garage extends through the eaves or back, to try to understand the tardis-like Charing X/Gainsborough Halls with its 600 capacity, 2 ballrooms and 3 reception rooms. (Hidden Glasgow/Fancy a Walk undercover operation anybody?) Ideally, would be great to get in during the day to have a proper look when it's not full of heaving bodies, and we also don't have to pretend to be 17!

A quick Google search says that the Astoria/Electric Garden/Macushla/Shuffles/Mayfair all shared this address. (Ads via Robert Pool and Glasgowpubs.)

macushla-1972.jpg

Shuffles-490-Sauchiehall-Street-advert-1974.jpg

astoria.jpg
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby Guacho » Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:45 pm

Phone and ask? They have staff there during the day. I'd love to see what remains. (Sober :roll: )
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Re: Charing Cross Halls, Sauchiehall Street

Postby Guacho » Sat Sep 08, 2018 5:22 pm

Had a wee wander today and had a look

ImageSauchiehall St G2 by guachglw, on Flickr

G2 Old Albany Villas building

ImageSauchiehall St G2 by guachglw, on Flickr

ImageSauchiehall St G2 by guachglw, on Flickr

ImageSauchiehall St Garage by guachglw, on Flickr

ImageSauchiehall St Garage by guachglw, on Flickr

ImageSauchiehall St Garage by guachglw, on Flickr

ImageSauchiehall St Garage by guachglw, on Flickr

ImageSauchiehall St Garage by guachglw, on Flickr

Looks like there might have been buildings at the rear? The sunburst dormers seem to be part of the shops etc below. Might be worth a look at the old arial photos :)
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