Pollokshields, Glasgow - Garden Suburb

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Engraving of Pollokshields, 1829

This engraving dates from 1829 before Pollokshields had been developed. It was titled "View of Glasgow from the Farm of Shields", with a view looking towards the Cathedral in the distance. What is surprising is the number of multi-storey buildings and chimney stacks in the foreground, presumably in the Gorbals and surrounding districts.
It is difficult to guess where the vantage point for the image would have been situated.

Map of Shiels 1795

The map above was surveyed about 30 years before the engraving and shows the farmhouse at "Shiels" situated on the hilltop near the present day junction of Shields Road and Nithsdale Road. Shields Cottage is shown at "L.Shiels" (for Laigh Shields), near where you would now find the junction of St Andrews Drive and Shields Road.

The extensive garden suburb of Pollokshields was developed on land owned for centuries by the Maxwells of Pollok in the parish of Govan in the county of Renfrewshire.
Sir John Maxwell, the 8th baronet, built a bridge over the canal and railway lines at Shields Road, linking Kinning Park to the present day St Andrews Drive.
This description from 1841 of a train journey on the newly opened Glasgow and Ayrshire Railway describes the train passing under the bridge at Shields Road, then described as the road leading "from the Paisley road to Pollokshaws". The description of Shiels Cottage matches the house shown as "L.Shiels" in the earlier map.

Map of Shiels 1795

A detailed study of the development of the railway at this location can be found at the Pollokshields Stations section of this website.

In 1851 development of villas began along the road which ran parallel to the canal and the railway. The first phase of the development progressed over the next 25 years, leading to Pollokshields acheiving the status of an independent burgh for a short period from 1876 to 1891, after which it became part of the city of Glasgow.

Early map of Pollokshields

The map above shows Pollokshields consisting of a few rows of dwellings situated alongside the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal and the railway lines west of Shields Road. This earliest part of Pollokshields was redeveloped in the late 1960's and early 1970's when the old houses were replaced with blocks of flats.
The future site of the large houses in the planned garden suburb is shown on the map as "(Part of) Titwood", around a steading named "Haggbowse"
The area east of Shields Road was a separate burgh, East Pollokshields, which was developed with upmarket tenemental housing.
Having being created as a carefully planned suburb, Pollokshields had a total prohibition on trade. Neighbouring East Pollokshields was however allowed the shops, schools and other classes of buildings you would expect to find in a typical Victorian neighbourhood. There were no licensed premises permitted in either district.

The example, below, of an early semi-detached house in Pollokshields shows that the original houses were much more modest in size and in the extent of their garden grounds compared to those which would come later. This house was situated on the north side of Maxwell Drive on the present site of St Albert's School.

House at Pollokshields, 1926

1926 view of semi-detached house at Pollokshields, now demolished

Tt was insisted upon that the villas of Pollokshields were all built to different plans. No two villas were permitted to be exactly alike. The number of large villas was greatly expanded from the 1880's through to the completion of the planned suburb around 1910.
Public green space was provided by Maxwell Park which opened in 1890. The large gardens surrounding the houses were widely planted with broad-leaved trees such as beech, sycamore and lime. There were also trees planted on the kerbsides of the broad avenues to add to the overall greenery and give some spectacular autumn colour.

House at Pollokshields, 1926

Detached villa, built 1886, as part of later development in Avenues west of St Andrews Drive, Pollokshields

Haggs Castle in St Andrew's Drive was originally built as a defensive tower house in the 1580's. It was restored as a dwelling house during Victorian times when modern day Pollokshields was being developed. It had a number of different uses before returning to its present use as a private residence in 1998.

Haggs Castle 1933