Tradeston
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Tradeston () is a small
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in the Scottish 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 ...
adjacent to the city centre on the south bank of the
River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...
. The name (a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of "Trades Town") reflected its role as a primarily dockland area with a large number of warehouses and wharves along the riverside were vessels would be unloaded. It merges to the south and west with Kingston, and the two districts are often considered one and the same. By the middle of the 20th Century, most of this had disappeared, although remnants of the area's thriving trading industry had survived in its high concentration of
wholesaler Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
businesses, some of which are still in operation into the 21st Century. Today, Tradeston has become increasingly gentrified, with the city centre's financial district now expanding over to the south bank, heralding the arrival of new office and residential developments.


Geography

Tradeston borders with Laurieston and the
Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, and former burgh, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and e ...
to its immediate east, Pollokshields to the south and Kingston to the west, therefore its notional boundaries are the River Clyde to the north, the Glasgow to Paisley railway line to the south, Eglinton Street and Bridge Street to the east and West Street to the west. The M74 Extension traverses the area. The Tradeston Bridge, opened on 14 May 2009, links Tradeston and neighbouring Kingston with Broomielaw and the city's International Financial Services District for pedestrians and cyclists.


Economy and Architecture

Tradeston's historical role as a centre for warehousing and trade is symbolised by its grandest and most famous building – 95 Morrison Street – which was constructed as Co-Operative House; the headquarters of CWS Scotland – a role which it maintained well into the late 20th Century. It was designed by architects Bruce and Hay and built between 1893–1897 as the head office of the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society. A famous urban myth persists that it was one of the rejected designs for
Glasgow City Chambers The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the ...
which was constructed on
George Square George Square () is the principal Town square, civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, Glasgow, Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, Glasgow, St Andrew's ...
so similar are the two buildings' basic appearance. The building has since been converted for residential use. Tradeston's role as a hub for trade continued well into the late 20th century, as a large number of
wholesaler Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
(Cash and Carry) businesses continued to be located in the area, although some of these have gradually closed down or have opened as retailers to the general public as a higher residential population has now moved into the area. Many former industrial buildings in the area were demolished as part of the M74 Extension which opened in June 2011. Barclays Bank opened a new headquarters at the Tradeston waterfront on the River Clyde's south bank in 2021, expected to lead to thousands of new jobs and kickstart the regeneration of Tradeston as a whole. Known as Buchanan Wharf and managed by Stallan-Brand architects, the project consisted of replacing low rise industrial units with new office buildings and renovating two previously derelict listed 1870s warehouses, the BECO Building and Kingston House, for public use.


Transport

Tradeston is served by the Glasgow Subway system at West Street and Bridge Street stations. West Street station is the proposed location of a major new rail-subway interchange as part of the Crossrail Glasgow proposal. The area is traversed by several elevated railway lines, most of which converge to cross the Clyde on the
Caledonian Railway Bridge The Caledonian Railway Bridge is a bridge crossing the River Clyde at Broomielaw in Scotland. It is adjacent to Glasgow Central Station. First bridge The first bridge was built between 1876 and 1878 for the Caledonian Railway Company and opene ...
leading into Glasgow Central Station. The area was the scene of a tragedy in 1994 when a double-decker bus carrying a group of
Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...
from the city's Drumchapel district crashed into one of the low rail bridges crossing West Street immediately adjacent to the subway station (the driver was unfamiliar with the route and was being led by a guide leader in a car); two 10-year-old girls, an 11-year-old girl and two adult supervisors were killed in the incident and 15 other children injured, six of them seriously. Similars incident occurred at another nearby low bridge on Cook Street in 2009 (on that occasion the bus was empty and returning to the depot), 2010 (again the bus was empty) and 2023 (ten people required hospital treatment).Man charged after bus crashed into Scots bridge leaving child and nine others in hospital
Steven Rae, ''Daily Record'', 24 May 2023


Industry

Tradeston was the site of another tragedy in 1872 when the Tradeston Flour Mills exploded killing 18 people who worked at the mills and people who worked or lived in surrounding buildings, and starting a fire that threatened
Bridge Street railway station Bridge Street railway station, now disused, was the original Glasgow terminus of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway; jointly owned by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (GP&G), which later merged with the Caledonian Railway, and the ...
and ships docked on the River Clyde.


References

{{Areas of Glasgow Gorbals Business parks of Scotland Areas of Glasgow Industrial parks in the United Kingdom Industry in Scotland Economy of Glasgow