Glasgow Blind Asylum

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Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby panthro » Wed Aug 10, 2011 11:55 pm

Long time lurker here but thought I would post about the Glasgow Blind Asylum on Castle Street (next to the Royal Infirmary). It's up for sale (well the part still standing) - you can see it at: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for ... 52238.html

I work at the GRI and this building has always fascinated me. If I only had a spare £400,000 kicking about. Could just roll out of bed into work (maybe there are some secret tunnels! /facetious). Maybe I could show some interest and get a look about as a potential buyer?!

It has planning permission for flats and a coffee shop. Very strange place for a coffee shop IMO.

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"The Blind Asylum in Castle Street, photographed in 1901. A clock was later installed in the circular space in the tower. Lower down, a niche in the tower holds a sculpture, Christ healing a blind boy, by Charles Grassby.

The Blind Asylum was founded in 1804, with the first building on Castle Street erected in 1828 by public subscription. A competition was held to design a replacement building in 1878. It was designed by William Landless in what is almost a pastiche of the Scots Baronial style and was completed in 1881 at a cost of £21,000. In 1934 it was purchased by the adjacent Glasgow Royal Infirmary, for conversion into an Out-patients' Department. The hexagonal tower and other parts of the old building stand derelict in 2004.

Blind people were traditionally among the poorest in society. A report of the Glasgow Asylum for the Blind in 1884 stated: "The Asylum devotes itself to two modes of assisting the blind: 1st: Educating the young in various branches, including first-rate musical tuition; 2nd: Teaching various trades and providing employment in the workshops." Board and lodging was provided, as well as education. Costs were covered by subscriptions, donations, bequests and the sale of articles such as brushes, baskets and bedding manufactured in the workshops."
From: http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSA05227
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby oddjobby » Thu Aug 11, 2011 12:32 am

I've always loved that building. I was concerned for a while there that it would end up falling down as it was so neglected. I'd love one of the flats in this beautiful 'west end' building ::): ::):
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby Celyn » Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:03 am

Ooh, I didn't even know it had been the Blind Asylum: I just assumed it was sort of part of the hospital. And I've always felt a bit sorry for it and thought that it looks as though it needs friends, and I hoped it wouldn't be knocked down and turned into something ugly (or suffer from an "accidental" fire). It's in the category of "if I won the lottery I might adopt it" sort of thing.

As for coffee shop, it would get some business from people having done hospital visiting and still feeling utterly lost and bemused and quite deranged by all the corridors and mazes in the Infirmary. :) Yep, I could definitely see a use for a coffee shop or pub just around there.

Well, I'm glad to know nobody is planning to knock it down. That's good.

panthro , I'm sure it must have secret tunnels. Secret tunnels are compulsory. If not, you could dig some tunnels of your very own. Amaze workmates with a magical ability to appear for work always unaffected by snow or hurricanes. :)
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby Dexter St. Clair » Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:24 am

oddjobby wrote:I've always loved that building. I was concerned for a while there that it would end up falling down as it was so neglected. I'd love one of the flats in this beautiful 'west end' building ::): ::):



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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby panthro » Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:46 am

Dexter St. Clair wrote:
oddjobby wrote:I've always loved that building. I was concerned for a while there that it would end up falling down as it was so neglected. I'd love one of the flats in this beautiful 'west end' building ::): ::):



Merchant City , my good man.


It does says "West End" in the description: "The property is situated in the popular West End and is within walking distance to Strathclyde University and has the added benefit of being next door to the Hospital". The agents are from Kilmarnock so might not know the intricacies of Glasgow or weren't taught to Never Eat Shredded Wheat as children. In any case doesn't Merchant City stop at High Street or has GCC moved that too? I always thought (and been told) that it was classed as Townhead.

Celyn: that's a good idea! There is a 'tunnel' that connects Surgical Block to the old casualty building (now called the Gatehouse building) which sits separately on Castle Street. It would be easy enough to do a wee extension to 'The Clocktower'. Well I'm a nurse not an engineer so I could be talking pish!

I always though the Asylum was older than the Royal but it would appear not. I know the current 'old' building that dominates Castle Street is early 20th but the original Royal was late 18th Century. I had just assumed the Asylum was there before the Royal.
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby Dexter St. Clair » Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:26 am

The flats at the old Springburn Fire Station were originally advertised as part of the Merchant City. I knew the estate agent and a shade of shame illuminated his face for ten seconds before he advised me that he did also the "north end of".
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby Bridie » Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:35 am

Am I right in thinking that when it closed in 1934 in Castle Street it moved to Possil or was there more than one place?
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby G1000 » Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:08 am

Used to walk past this building ony my way to GRI every day, always thought it looked pretty cool but expected it to be brought down due to the work that was going on in the hospital near the bulding. Glad it's going to be used as flats, pretty awesome if you have a spare 400k. Although i'd rather have a house for that money.
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby Celyn » Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:48 pm

Dexter St. Clair wrote:The flats at the old Springburn Fire Station were originally advertised as part of the Merchant City. I knew the estate agent and a shade of shame illuminated his face for ten seconds before he advised me that he did also the "north end of".


Haha. North Merchant City. Yep, really quite north. ::): Actually, I had thought that estate agents were immune to shame. Did you get a photo to capture this shame-faced estate agent for posterity?
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby The Egg Man » Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:36 pm

c£400,000 doesn't seem like a lot for the building. That sum wouldn't buy the same area of cleared ground in anything which might be thought of as the 'real' West End.

I can see the ground floor being a good location for a coffee shop. Long term hospital patients long to get out of the building and away from the associated smells. A coffee shop just about on the grounds could be just the place.
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby RDR » Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:03 am

I worked at GRI in the 70's and later in the late 90's early 2000's.

The building does belong to the Health Board and is a shell inside. The recent work done on it was to make it wind and watertight but after years of neglect, even for 400K, I'd want a very intense structural survey.
On many occasions the Health Board had plans for it, including the aforementioned coffee shop, but they always stumbled in the face of the massive investment required.

How and why it came into the health board hands, I don't know, but for years it was the GRI's maintenance department role to keep the clock at the right time, which it never was, as believe it or not they used to get regular letters complaining if it wasn't.
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby The Egg Man » Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:59 am

RDR wrote: ...............

How and why it came into the health board hands, I don't know, but for years it was the GRI's maintenance department role to keep the clock at the right time, which it never was, as believe it or not they used to get regular letters complaining if it wasn't.



From the OP "In 1934 it was purchased by the adjacent Glasgow Royal Infirmary, for conversion into an Out-patients' Department. "
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby Ally W » Fri Aug 12, 2011 3:41 pm

I've always admired this building whilst waiting at the lights to turn into Castle St from the motorway, but by no stretch of the imagination could it's location be described as the west end. As for the clock, it's right twice a day.
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby RDR » Fri Aug 12, 2011 4:56 pm

The Egg Man wrote:
RDR wrote: ...............

How and why it came into the health board hands, I don't know, but for years it was the GRI's maintenance department role to keep the clock at the right time, which it never was, as believe it or not they used to get regular letters complaining if it wasn't.



From the OP "In 1934 it was purchased by the adjacent Glasgow Royal Infirmary, for conversion into an Out-patients' Department. "


Sorry I missed that.
Anyway, the clocktower, as all who worked at GRI, knew it, was in some complicated way tied in with the development of the multistory carpark that was built beside it. That in itself is some complicated PFI deal, which is why GRI, is the only hospital site in Glasgow they can still charge parking for, as neither the Health Board or Cab Sec have any say over it.
I think the work to make the clocktower wind and watertight was originally part of that deal.
GCC planning also made it more complicated by demanding the car park had in someway to match in with the clocktower at that end.
Originally they were going to put a helipad on top of the multistory but the extra cost vetoed that idea and patients who need air transfer to GRI still have to be landed at the heliport beside the SECC and then brought by land ambulance.
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Re: Glasgow Blind Asylum

Postby panthro » Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:50 pm

The Egg Man wrote:c£400,000 doesn't seem like a lot for the building. That sum wouldn't buy the same area of cleared ground in anything which might be thought of as the 'real' West End. I can see the ground floor being a good location for a coffee shop. Long term hospital patients long to get out of the building and away from the associated smells. A coffee shop just about on the grounds could be just the place.


I agree, but clearly it is just a shell and would need at least that again to bring it up to standard in my non-expert opinion.

Would it be economically viable though? Is there much foot traffic around there? I know there is a bus stop further down so might just be. Of course, the Vineyard gets plenty of custom and might not approve! Well it did when I worked shifts and we would run over for some scran on the nighshift when we were pure hank. And also there is the cafe in St Mungos too which a few of my former long-term patients went to to get out of the hospital for an hour with their family. Of course you might be right and could be successful.

RDR wrote:
Sorry I missed that.
Anyway, the clocktower, as all who worked at GRI, knew it, was in some complicated way tied in with the development of the multistory carpark that was built beside it. That in itself is some complicated PFI deal, which is why GRI, is the only hospital site in Glasgow they can still charge parking for, as neither the Health Board or Cab Sec have any say over it.


Last time I heard,it would cost over £20million to buy out Impregilo's contract and have the Health Board take control. Big Nicola wasn't keen and so you're right only one in Glasgow and only one of three in Scotland that you have to pay to park. Currently £1.40 an hour. F**cking ridiculous.

RDR wrote:I think the work to make the clocktower wind and watertight was originally part of that deal.
GCC planning also made it more complicated by demanding the car park had in someway to match in with the clocktower at that end.


Really? It was a long time in between the finishing of the car park and the building work on the Clocktower. I thought that it was because the new Canniesburn outpatients building as built (2009/10) that they had to make it safe. With the Acute Services Review (old Stobhill closing) being accelerated to completion before the new financial year in April, the space requirements weren't fully worked out (and changes are still happening due to numpty managers e.g. upgrading St Mungo building as offices then ripping it out a few months later to turn it back into a ward). You can see in the pictures from the Right Move site that there are some plasterboard on the walls and some stacks too. Were they going to use this? Did they realise that it would need much more investment than they could afford/willing to pay?


Found out it is a B-listed buliding: http://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/BAR/d ... 9&NumImg=5

Interestingly, that link says it is in private ownership of John Henry.

"27 September 2001: The Evening Times reports that over £150,000 has been spent on making the block structurally sound over the last 3 years. Rotten wooden floors have been removed, with the stone façade propped from the inside. Plans to incorporate the structure into a proposed car park have been dropped after works were estimated at £200,000. The owners are now to declare it surplus to requirements and offer it to the market at around £25,000

2002: Local planners report that the interior is of little interest and a façade retention scheme would be considered.

14 November 2003: The Evening Times reports that the block is now owned by the North Glasgow NHS Trust. Its future is now under negotiation, with disposal scheduled for March 2004.

11 December 2004: The Glasgow Evening Times reports that the tower has been sold to develop John Henry who plans to convert it into 8 flats, a bar and restaurant."


So I wonder if what I said up there is a lot of crap about the Acute Services Review. Or has NHSGGC bought it back since that link was updated?
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