Our regular I Grew Up in Glasgow column is a way for readers to share their memories of childhoods in the city.
Here, Govan museum fan James Callen recalls his early life on Brighton Street.
Earliest memory of Glasgow?
I remember a man coming round to light the street lamps, before electricity.
Which street did you live on?
I lived on Brighton Street in Govan, near the docks. My parents were from Ayrshire but moved to Glasgow in 1955. My father’s great-grandpa was a sailmaker at Govan docks and my grandpa worked in the steelworks at Glengarnock.
Describe your house:
It was a seven-bedroom house – no idea why my father bought it. My mother took in lodgers, mainly sailors. I remember it being handy for the subway. I remember my dad taking me for a trip in his very first car – a Standard 8. We went to the Queen’s Park Café, which had a jukebox. Tea for my dad and juice for me.
What school did you go to?
Ibrox Primary – I walked there with the girl next door.
Favourite local cinema?
I liked the pictures and I remember going to see The One O’Clock Gang, but I preferred museums – my dad used to say that reading books was good, but going to museums was better. I love Pollok House – I am now a member of the National Trust for Scotland.
Favourite local shop?
The shop across the road was a grocer which sold 5 Boys Chocolate (now Fry’s Chocolate). I remember big trips into the city, to see Santa at John Lewis, or on the tram to Partick.
Best thing about growing up in Glasgow?
I love the city’s museums. I remember going to the motor show at the Kelvin Hall, and the Transport Museum, before it moved to Riverside. I still go to Riverside to this day, but on the bus, and I still go to Rouken Glen Park, where my parents also took me as a child.
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Happiest childhood memory:
Going to see the last trams run in Glasgow in 1962. It was a great day, but sad too. I feel like some of the trams could have stayed. I used to call trams back-to-back buses, because of the way the seats were. I showed my nephew the tram at the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988.
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