St Andrew's Cross, also known as Eglinton Toll, is a road junction in the south side of the city of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland. First constructed during the early 1800s, the junction formerly held several buildings including a power station and cinema, but have been removed for a variety of reasons. Since 1946 when the junction underwent a realignment, the two roads no longer intersect.

Description

The junction includes two roads running roughly north-south which meet, but do not intersect for vehicular traffic since a realignment in 1946:When the trams still ruled on the streets of post-war Glasgow
The Herald, 30 December 2016 the west thoroughfare ( A77) is known as Eglinton Street from Laurieston ( the Gorbals) until it reaches the junction then becomes Pollokshaws Road to

Strathbungo Strathbungo is a mainly residential area of southern Glasgow, Scotland, bordered by the neighbourhoods of Crossmyloof to the south, Govanhill to the east and Pollokshields to the north and west. The settlement grew up as a small isolated vil ...

and beyond, while the east thoroughfare is Pollokshaws Road from Laurieston until the same point then is renamed Victoria Road entering

Govanhill Govanhill () is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated south of the River Clyde between Pollokshields, the Gorbals, Strathbungo, Crosshill, Polmadie and Queen's Park. Historically part of Renfrewshire, Govanhill had the status of a police ...

. Maxwell Road also meets the junction from the west (

Pollokshields Pollokshields (, Scots language, Scots: ''Powkshiels'') is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok Count ...

) but this is also blocked off for vehicles. Addresses on each side of the cross come under three different postcodes ( G5, G41 and G42), indicating its status as a locality which is not classed as falling fully within any single district of the city.

History

It was named after

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

due to the junction forming the shape of the

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

. The alternative name, Eglinton Toll, derives from the cross being the southern entry to the Port Eglinton industrial area (roughly between Pollokshields to the south and

Tradeston Tradeston () is a small district in the Scotland, Scottish city of Glasgow adjacent to the city centre on the south bank of the River Clyde. The name (a portmanteau of "Trades Town") reflected its role as a primarily dockland area with a lar ...

to the north). As its name suggests, it was intended to be a dock area serving as the Glasgow terminus of a waterway (the

Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal The Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal, later known as the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal, was a canal in the west of Scotland, running between Glasgow, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley and Johnstone which later became a railway. Despite ...

) established in the early 19th century by

Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton Colonel Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton, KT (5 November 1739 – 14 December 1819), styled Lord Montgomerie from 1769 to 1796, was a British politician, military officer and composer. Early life Montgomerie was born on 5 November 1739. ...

which was intended to run to the coast of

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

; the route was never fully completed and in the 1880s the canal was replaced by a railway (today the Paisley Canal line and the Inverclyde/Ayrshire lines). A

major fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion reaction when the fuel ...

occurred at Port Eglinton in 1972. In 2010, the area was bisected by the extended

M74 motorway The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English Anglo-Scottish border, border at Gretna, Scotland, Gretna. T ...

which is carried through on a viaduct supported by large pillars. Several local bus routes (previously also trams) use the roads meeting at the cross, and its proximity to the Larkfield bus depot off Victoria Road made it a popular point for drivers to relieve one another at shift ends, with the ''Star Bar'' public house and diner, noted for its bargain meal prices located at its northern apex receiving much of its patronage from them. This practice has become less common since the closure of the depot in 2014, with the new facility, which opened later the same year, located a few blocks further east at Cathcart Road. The cross also once had a power station, a gasworks, a tram depot (1890s), a cinema and a large dance hall, ''The Plaza Ballroom'', in its vicinity; the latter has since been demolished and replaced by modern apartments which incorporate some of the original red sandstone facade, while part of the power station, which was later adapted by the local council into a printing works, survives but as a derelict structure. There are several new residential developments nearby at Barrland Street and on the sites of the cinema, the gasworks and Larkfield bus depot.Plans for homes on former Larkfield bus depot site in Govanhill submitted
Evening Times, 13 January 2018 In addition to many buses,

Pollokshields East railway station Pollokshields East railway station is one of three railway stations serving Pollokshields in Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and lies on the Cathcart Circle Line. History The station opened concurrently with the Cathcar ...

is located a short distance to the south-east, adjacent to the

Tramway (arts centre) Tramway is a contemporary visual and performing arts venue located in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Based in a former tram depot in the Pollokshields area of the South Side, it consists of two performance spaces and two galleries, as well as o ...

(based within the tram depot buildings) the headquarters of

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 1 ...

, and the ''Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Sabha'', a major

Sikh temple A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and religions are welcomed in gurd ...

.Glasgow Gurdwara: £3.8m Sikh temple prepares to open its doors
BBC News, 26 April 2013

References

External links

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ort Eglintonat ''Derelict Glasgow'' rchived version, 2020 {{Transport in Glasgow Road junctions in Glasgow Areas of Glasgow Pollokshields Govanhill and Crosshill