Earliest memory of Glasgow? One side of Oak Place in Anderston was spare ground where a tenement had been demolished and kids played football on it in summer and went down it on sleds when it snowed in winter. One day, when I was about four, I saw a bare-chested man get tied in chains and locked in a big box. A cover was put around the box and within seconds he appeared from the back of the crowd. I spent days trying to figure out how he did it.
Which street did you live on? Oak Street. There was a swing park at the bottom end but it was closed most of the time. I used to climb over the railings.
Describe your house: It was a single-end, with a fireplace, a cavity bed, a sink, a cupboard and little else.
What school did you go to? I journeyed on a grey Monday morning in 1949 to begin my schooling at the age of five at Finnieston Primary School. I remember crying when my mother left me with a grey-haired old woman. I hated school on that first day and the feeling stayed with me for the next ten years.
Favourite local cinema: The Gaiety on Argyle Street near Anderston Cross. It had a children’s matinee on Saturday mornings where they showed a cowboy picture with Roy Rogers or Hopalong Cassidy or Batman in black and white.
Favourite local shop: There was a shop across the road from Anderston swimming baths at the corner of Cranston Street and Elliot Street. It sold penny caramels that were about ten times bigger than those sold from ice cream vans nowadays.
READ MORE: Who was Glasgow pub boss and wrestler who brought big boxing names to city?
Where did you go dancing? I learned to dance at school and the first dance hall I visited was the Locarno on Sauchiehall Street. I became a regular visitor at most of the Glasgow Ballrooms.
Best thing about growing up in Glasgow? I’ve always thought Glasgow’s greatest assets are its people.
Share your Glasgow memories by emailing ann.fotheringham@glasgowtimes.co.uk or fill in our online questionnaire at www.glasgowtimes.co.uk
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here