HERITAGE buffs are furious after it was revealed Scottish Power will be taking away “historic” cast iron electrical cabinets across the East End.

The Dennistoun Conservation Society has hit out at the move and called for Dennistounians to document the original boxes, many of which are emblazoned with the Glasgow coat of arms which has been in use since 1866.

The crest represents the life of the patron saint of Glasgow, St Mungo and are remembered by the following poem: “Here is the tree that never grew, Here is the bird that never flew, Here is the fish that never swam, Here is the bell that never rang.”

They said: “Scottish Power are replacing these old cast iron electrical junction boxes with the Glasgow coat of arms on with cheap, flimsy, nondescript, thin metal replacements.

“If you look around you’ll see a whole host of badly positioned, cheap replacement boxes. So we need to document the original ones as some have been ripped out already.”

Glasgow City Heritage Trust, who give out grants in order to protect and promote the city’s historic architecture, have also questioned the move.

Niall Murphy, the organisation’s deputy director revealed the cabinets were part of a city wide network of power stations. He said: “They are relics of the Glasgow Corporation.

“They had all these localised cabinets throughout the city and they were cast by the best ironmongers. They were seen as real symbols of civic pride and they still are, and people really identify with them.

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“There have been calls for the cabinets to be saved and reused as something else.

“They were an attempt to beautify the streetscape but now people just see the modern ones as clutter.

“You could put them to good use - when you look at the old police kiosks they’ve been used as cafes and things like that.”

Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney is among those backing calls for the historic cabinets to be refurbished or saved. He said: “I think it’s really disheartening that Scottish Power have ripped out the city’s heritage in this programme of replacements of these historic junction boxes. They could be repurposed. If they’re not suitable for electrical use then they could be maintained as ornamental features on the streets.

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“It really doesn’t require them to be destroyed in this way.”

A spokesman for Scottish Power said: “Our thanks to Paul Sweeney MSP for contacting us regarding the works currently being undertaken on our electrical junction cabinets in the Dennistoun area. The works are part of a modernisation and investment programme designed to ensure our network meets the necessary health, safety and sustainability standards of a modern electricity network in the UK.

"We understand the importance of local heritage and are happy to explore alternative options for undertaking these necessary works, and will be back in touch with Mr Sweeney once we’ve had a chance to consider this further.”