WILLIAM PATERSON, Chief Officer.

                                            A.B.M’DONALD, Architect.                                                             DANIEL WILKIE, Measurer.

JOHN LINDSAY, Clerk.

The Contractors for the erection of the buildings were—Messrs. P. & W. Anderson, builders; Mr. H. M’Taggart, wright; Messrs J. Smith & Sons, slaters; Mr. J. L. Arnot, plumber; Messrs. Stalker & Day, gasfitters; Mr. J. Graydon, plasterer; Messrs. Stevenson Brothers, painters; Messrs. Jas. Combe & Son, heating.
The Photographs are by Messrs. Fulllarton & Edgar.

The NEW CENTRAL. FIRE STATION, now completed, promises to be in every way as suitable as the old one it replaces was unsuitable for the purposes of the City Fire Brigade. A more central site might have been desirable but would have been both difficult and expensive to obtain.
The shape of the site is unsymmetrical, as the Plan reproduced on pages 9 and 10 shows. It extends to about three-fourths of an acre an cost £22,750.
The Station has two frontages, that in Ingram Street—four storeys in height being the principal. On the ground floor to the right of the entrance are the Watch Room, and the Engine House with accommodation for four machines. The Offices are to the left, and comprise the Chief Officer’s Room, Officers’ and Clerks’ Rooms, &c. Immediately to the rear of the Engine House and opening into it, are stalls for eight horses, and behind this is the Fodder House, spare Stables, Machine and Harness Rooms. On the first floor, over the Engine House, are two Duty Rooms, provided with sliding poles. A passage across the roof of the Stable communicates with the Recreation Rooms. The remainder of this floor and the floors above are occupied by the Officers’ Houses.
The Engine House walls are lined inside with a beautiful selection of Grecian marble and polished granite, and the floor is laid with oak blocks.
The High Street Building is five storeys in height. The four upper floors are occupied by the Firemen and their families, the ground floor being occupied as Shops.
At the south side of the Courtyard is a block of buildings containing on the ground floor Rooms for spare Machines, Workshops for boot-making, hose repairing, engineering work, joinering, coach painting, and plumbing; and on the three floors above are the houses for the Firemen and their families. Behind this building is situated the Children’s Playground. Facing this block on the other side of the Courtyard, a range of one-storey Offices is built, comprising, Washhouses, Laundry, Drying Room, Smithy, Oil Store, Electric Shop, &c; in the south-west corner of the Courtyard is the Hose-drying Tower, rising to a height of 90 feet, having on the top a test room for all fire alarm telegraph and telephone lines; adjoining is the Gymnasium, 55 feet long and 25 feet broad; and underneath is a Store for wood and iron.
In every fireman’s house is a bath, supplied with hot water from a steam boiler, which also supplies the water for heating and for domestic use throughout the station.
The buildings throughout are lit by electricity.
All pipes, drains, and electric-light lines, also the telegraph, telephone, fire alarm, and house bell connections, are contained in a subway which connects all the buildings
The elevation to Ingram Street is of handsome design, well broken up with oriels, gables. pilasters, and carving, but not overladen with ornament—polished granite being carried to the first cornice. Above this Locharbriggs red sandstone is used. The elevation to High Street is built of the same materials as that to Ingram Street, but is less ornate in character.
The station being built on the barracks principle, access to the firemen’s houses can be had only from the Ingram Street entrance, and thus every person entering or leaving the station is under observation from the watchroom.
The cost of the buildings will be about £40,000.
The Plans were prepared and the work carried out under the superintendence of Mr. A. B. M’Donald, M. Inst. C. E., City Engineer.

The cause which led to an organisation for the extinction of fires in Glasgow was the great fire which occurred on 17th July, 1652, and by which nearly one-third of the City was destroyed. It might be supposed that active measures would at once have been taken for the prevention of the recurrence of such a disaster, but the Council of the day seems to have acted with more than proverbial Scotch caution. Four years after this fire we find ("Memorabilia of Glasgow," p. 139) that "Bailie Walkingschawe and Dekin Conveinar" were to "meit with James Colquhoune, and to grie with him anent the making of the ingyne for castying of watter on land that is in fyre, as they have in Edinburghe." In the following year (1657) the Council ordained "James Bornis to have ane warrand for the soume of twentie fyve pund stairling, debursit be him to James Colquhoune for the pryce of the ingyne laitlie maid be the said James Colquhoune"; and on 13th June of that year the Council resolved "that the ingyne laitlie maid be James Colquhoune, be saitlit neir himself, and the Mr. of Wark to mack ane hous of daillis thairto.’’ This is the first mention of a fire engine in Glasgow, and the "hous of daillis" or wooden shed was Glasgow’s first fire station.
At the beginning of the century Glasgow had no permanent fire brigade. The superintendent of the fire engines was a master slater, carrying on his business in town or country, and residing within the city wherever he might please; the firemen were ordinary tradesmen in the city. The fire drum to call out the firemen was beat off from the main guard house, Candleriggs, by the regimental drummer on duty. On midnight alarms he was escorted by two men of the military guard. It was usual for the guard to turn out to assist at fires by keeping the ground clear, and on occasions of large fires the guard was sometimes reinforced by two or three hundred men from the infantry barracks.
There were six manual engines in Glasgow of a pattern now obsolete which could not be used for the conveyance of the men; no provision was made for horses, and the men had, in almost all cases, to draw the engine to the scene of fire. The engines were located, one at the MeaI Market, one at the Potato Market, two at the Wynd Church, one at Hutcheson’s Hospital, one in Lang’s Callander Close, and were to all intents fixtures in their respective stations until an officer of Police, or one of the City magistrates, had given an order to have them taken out. The time lost in procuring the key of the station would in almost every case exceed the time taken to reach the scene of fire to-day. There was no regular staff, and in many cases it was more difficult to get the firemen than it was to obtain access to the engines.
Early in the Century the principal fire station was situated in Bell Street, behind the police office, and was in use up till the end of 1851, when the Central Station in College Street, now vacated, was erected.
In 1815 it was decided that the Superintendent of Fire Engines should devote his whole time to the duties of his office. Since that date the following have held the appointment:-

Cowcaddens Fire Station Site Opening

Wednesday 12^th January 1983 11-00 hours

Order of Proceedings

GUESTS ASSEMBLE

TEA/COFFEE

INTRODUCTION
Firemaster R. J. Knowlton C.B.E., Q.F.S.M., F.I.FireE., F.B.I.M.

CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Councillor J. Irvine, J.P., Chairman Police and Fire Committee

OUT ON SITE

Lifting of first soil
Councillor J. Irvine, J.P.
Chairman Police and Fire Committee

PRESENTATION TO COUNCILLOR J. IRVINE J.P.
Mr W. W. Shearer Melville, Dundas and Whitson, Contractor.

(TD1431/47/9. Official Programme.)

Cowcaddens Fire Station
‘A’ Division Headquarters

Official Opening Ceremony
Wednesday 3^rd April 1985

by

Councillor Gerald McGrath, DL, FBCO, DCLP, JP
Vice Chairman, Police and Fire Committee 

<PHOTO> Councillor James Irvine, JP, Chairman, Police and Fire Committee
<PHOTO> Councillor Gerald McGrath, DL, FBCO, DCLP, JP, Vice Chairman Police and Fire Committee
<PHOTO> Firemaster Clive B. Halliday, MIFireE, Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Order of Proceedings

Guests Assemble 

Platform Party Assemble 

Introductory Remarks
Councillor James Irvine JP
Chairman, Police and Fire Committee 

Opening Ceremony and Unveiling of Commemorative Plaque
Councillor Gerald McGrath DL, FBCO DCLP JP
Vice Chairman, Police and Fire Committee 

Dedication
Rev. Peter Houston
Strathclyde Fire Brigade Chaplain 

Presentation of Visitors’ Book
On behalf of The Chief Executive by Mr. P. M. Howitt BL
Depute Chief Executive, Strathclyde Regional Council 

Remarks
Firemaster Clive B. Halliday MIFireE
Strathclyde Fire Brigade 

Presentation to Strathclyde Fire Brigade
Mr. R. C. P. Whitson
Melville, Dundas & Whitson Limite 

Vote of Thanks
Councillor William McGill
Police and Fire Committee

Tour of Station

Reception

Buffet Lunch 

Departures

The Old: Central Fire Station
The Central Fire Station was officially opened by Lord Provost Chisholm on 1st May, 1900 at a cost of approximately £62,750.
The station had two frontages, one in Ingram Street and the other in High Street. The four storey building in Ingram Street was the principal building comprising offices to the left of the pend entrance with the Watchroom and Appliance Room housing four fire appliances to the right.
At this time all appliances were horse drawn machines and immediately to the rear of the appliance room and opening into it were the stables for eight horses.
On the first floor immediately above the appliance room were two duty rooms with the remainder of the building being used as officers’ housing accommodation.
The appliance room walls were lined inside with a selection of Grecian marble and polished granite with the floor laid in oak blocks.
The High Street building was five storeys in height. the four upper floors being occupied by firemen and their families and the ground floor used as shops.
At the south side of the courtyard another four storey block contained, on the ground floor, rooms for spare appliances, workshops for bootmaking, hose repairing, engineering work, joinery work, coach painting and plumbing and on the three floors above, further accommodation for firemen and their families.
Every house was fitted with a bath and supplied with hot water from a steam boiler which also supplied the water for heating and domestic use throughout the premises.
In the south west corner of the courtyard was a 90 feet high hose drying tower with an adjoining gymnasium, 55 feet long and 25 feet broad with storage area underneath.
<PHOTO> Central Fire Station. 

The Old: North Fire Station
The North Fire Station was officially opened on 12th April, 1889 by Councillor Dickson, Convenor of the Watching and Lighting Committee at a cost of around £7,000.
“A large number assembled and they were shown over the premises by Firemaster Paterson who explained the equipment and the various appliances of the station.
To show the promptness with which the Brigade can respond to an alarm of fire, a turnout was made and to the astonishment of those present a steam fire engine was despatched from the station in the remarkably brief space of 28 seconds after the ringing of the bell”.
The main building was four storeys in height. The ground floor being utilised for watchroom and appliance rooms with the remaining floors for accommodation of firemen and their families. Behind the main building, divided by a courtyard, was a two storey building used as a stable, workshop and dwellings for the coachmen.
The most remarkable features in this situation were the improvements which had been introduced with a view to minimising time in turning out. Of these features the most important was an arrangement by which the stable doors and the appliance room doors could be opened simultaneously by a lever operated in the watchroom.
The horses having already been so well trained that immediately the doors were opened they rushed from the stables into the appliance room to take up their positions under the harness on each side of the steam engine. The harness was suspended from the roof by pulleys and was at once dropped upon the backs of the horses and by the closing of a few springs, the men were ready to proceed from the station.
“The entire building is arteried with electric contrivances for “alarming” the men the moment a fire is intimated and there is also a contrivance by which the gas in all the dwellings can be raised from the watchroom at the same time as the alarm is sounded”.
“Extract from Evening Despatch, 10th July, 1889.”
<PHOTO> North Fire Station. 

The New
Work started on the project in January, 1983 and was completed in June, 1984 at a cost of £1,269,567.
The new complex was designed to replace the Central Fire Station and ‘A’ Division Headquarters from Ingram Street and the North Fire Station from St. George’s Road.
The Cowcaddens Fire Station and ‘A’ Division Headquarters constitutes a further phase for Strathclyde Fire Brigade on this site of which the earlier phases, the workshop, BA. Training building, central stores, central boilerhouse, hose drying and training tower must make this development one of the most advanced Fire Brigade complexes in the country.
The building is essentially two storey of traditional loadbearing brick/block construction. The external appearance consists of dark brown outside facing brick, dark brown composite insulation panels and brown anodised aluminium windows.
The design concept is that of a linear corridor plan arrangement on two floors leading to a five bay appliance room and ancillary work rooms with egress for fire fighting appliances onto Port Dundas Road.
The ground floor comprises the operational station which is linked by the Fire Prevension Suite to the ‘A’ Division Headquarters offices. The first floor contains all dormitory, recreation and messing facilities, the latter two being shared by both the station and Divisional Headquarters personnel.
Easily maintained and durable materials have been used as finishes, particularly in the operational areas.
The building is heated from a central gas fired boilerhouse within the complex to which it is linked by an underground service duct. The heating system within the building is by low pressure hot water radiators.
The Station became operational at 10.00 hours on Sunday, 8th July 1984 and the first fire call was received at 11.47 hours on that date to a small fire in Garscube Road, Glasgow. The total number of calls received from 8th July, 1984 to 3rd December 1984 was 1,283.
<3 PHOTOS> Appliances in bays. 2 Fire Prevention Officers. Canteen.

Main Contractor
Melville, Dundas and Whitson Ltd.,
21 Blythswood Square,
Glasgow

Architects
Structural Engineers and Surveyors
Service Engineers
Strathclyde Regional Council,
Department of Architectural and Related Services
Strathclyde House,
Glasgow
Director: Mr. J.C. McDougall, RIBA, FRIAS, FFB. FBIM 

Strathclyde Regional Council
Published by Strathclyde Fire Brigade
Designed by the Public Relations Department
Printed by the Regional Printing Works
PR/19:0185 SFB/0285005

(Official Programme)

Cowcaddens - 'a very fine complex'

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