THE Forge, one of Scotland's largest shopping centres, opened its doors 25 years ago, in October 1988.

Today and tomorrow, Russell Leadbetter traces its history, from world beating steel manufacturer to modern-day shopping mall.

IN THE summer of 1914, the year the First World War broke out, King George V and Queen Mary paid a visit to Sir William Beardmore's armaments factory at Parkhead Forge.

A magnificent triumphal arch bearing the inscription 'Parkhead Workers Welcome You', greeted them at Parkhead Cross on Thursday, July 9.

Several thousand workers from the Forge lined the route to the factory. They stood on specially erected platforms and craned their necks for a view of the distinguished visitors.

On one grandstand there were no fewer than 4000 children, the sons and daughters of the employees.

The royal couple entered the armaments factory to loud cheers.

They were fascinated to see the different stages involved in the making of the tubes of 15-inch naval guns for use on His Majesty's naval warships - some of which were taking shape down the water at Beardmore's Dalmuir yard.

Among the ships was the super-dreadnought Benbow, which was nearing completion.

Now, at Parkhead, the couple watched from behind a glass screen as the factory's 5000-ton hydraulic press got to work.

It moulded a huge lump of metal into something resembling the barrel of a giant gun, the kind that could fire a near-2000lb missile at the enemy.

An overhead travelling crane then brought an eight-year-old girl named Annie Dunlop, the daughter of a timekeeper at the factory, to within feet of the royals. In her hands was a large bouquet of flowers for Queen Mary.

George and Mary were so intrigued by the factory that their schedule over-ran by 20 minutes.

This was an era when Glasgow truly did have the title of 'second city of the Empire'.

Beardmore's Forge typified the city's industrial might - but so, too, did the shipyards. Glasgow had no fewer than 39 shipyards in 1903, which between them churned out 370 vessels every year.

On the eve of the Great War, the yards were responsible for fully one third of British production - and a fifth of world production.

Beardmore's Forge was a place of wonder and incredible industry.

The Forge had been established in 1836 on a modest site close to Duke Street. Parkhead at that time was a village of coal miners and linen weavers.

The place grew and grew, until William Beardmore, a London-based marine engineer, took it over in 1861. A decade later, his brother Isaac joined him.

Beardmore died in 1877 and his son, William jnr, was brought by Isaac into the partnership.

He became sole partner in 1887, when still aged only 31, and he would head the firm for the next four decades.

The Forge became a hugely successful business empire.

In a 1994 article in our sister paper, The Herald, William Hunter wrote: "At Parkhead was hammered armour plating. From vast engineering sheds, locomotives rolled. Nuts and bolts were spat out. There was a gun factory.

"Alongside the steelworks were shaped marine boilers ... East End toil even stopped the traffic. Pug engines hauled work-in-progress across Duke Street."

After the war, Beardmore focused his energies on transport - on taxis, trains, boats and planes.

At his Inchinnan factory he built the R34 airship, which wrote its way into aviation history by making the first two-way transatlantic flight.

The Parkhead Forge was one of the key parts of his empire. And it, too, wrote its way into city folklore.

There was the time when a young Oriental prince, who was said to weigh a stone for every one of his 24 years, was taken through Glasgow in the grandest style.

He was taken from Dalmuir to Parkhead in a crystal coach on rails. But the Prince enjoyed Beardmore's hospitality so much that he was sound asleep by the time he reached the melting-shop at the Forge.

NOT even the deafening noise of the workshop could awaken him. He was taken back to Dalmuir, still asleep.

Davie Kirkwood, one of the celebrated Red Clydesiders, was an engineering shop steward in Parkhead Forge, and later became a Labour MP.

He and Beardmore had numerous clashes - though Davie would later say that Beardmore had bought him ''the best hat in Glasgow'' to mark their close working relationship in organising production during the First World War.

The Forge story continued for a few generations afterwards, but with declining success and staff numbers.

When it was taken over by a Sheffield company in 1975, it had only 1200 employees, and was losing £1 million a year.

The end was not far off. It was a sobering end to a once-great company - but many other once-great companies also came to a humbling end.

By 1988, though, a new force had arisen on the site of the Forge. Its main focus was not steel - but retail.

TOMORROW: The rise

of the new Forge