The demolition of Glasgow’s famous India Buildings is only the “tip of iceberg” says a local stonemason, who believes the lack of people being trained to repair old buildings is a “massive issue” for the city’s historic architecture.
Scott Reid is the founder of Stratum Masonry, an award-winning Glasgow stonemasonry firm with experience of working on many listed buildings, such as St Andrew’s Cathedral in the city centre.
He says that there has been a big fall in the number of recruits being trained in stonemasonry, and fears this will result in more buildings succumbing to disrepair and demolition.
“There’s a huge decline in the number of stonemasons coming through,” he said. “There’s more leaving the industry each year than joining.
“That’s going to lead to problems at some point down the line if there’s no one able to repair old buildings. It is a massive issue for the built environment in Glasgow.”
Scott says that the effects of this decline are already becoming visible.
“If there aren’t people who can repair and maintain old buildings, they will inevitably fall into disrepair,” he said. “It’s already happening. There’s so many monuments, castles, visitor centres across Scotland closed due to safety concerns.
“In terms of the long-term prospects, you’re already seeing buildings in Glasgow that are in a state of disrepair, or getting demolished.
“It’s a shame when you think of the history of these buildings, and the effort and craft it took to make them what they once were.”
Scott is concerned that more historic structures will suffer the same fate as the 19th-century India Buildings, which are now being demolished after the roof collapsed and stone fell onto Bridge Street below.
“The India Buildings, that’s purely down to neglect,” he said. “It hadn’t been maintained for years. The building was essentially left to rot.
“I don’t know if it’s part of a plan to let buildings get to the stage where they have to be demolished for safety concerns. But I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg to come, in terms of the full scale of the problem.”
When it comes to preserving Scotland’s historic architecture, Scott believes building owners should be made responsible.
“I believe anyone that owns a building should be maintaining it, and should be demonstrating that they are doing so through regular maintenance schedules,” he said.
“You get an MOT for your car every year to make sure it meets legal requirements. I don’t think a building should be any different.
“The owner of the building has a duty of care - especially so in the city centre.”
Scott says the city’s architecture has “definitely changed” in recent years, but that new designs “can’t compare” with older buildings.
“If you look at the city centre, you’ll see the amount of buildings that have gone up that are completely glass and metal,” he said. “There’s no masonry at all.
“Those buildings are very efficient. But I don’t think there’s much architecture behind them personally. I understand we’re trying to hit net zero, but there’s no comparison to the architecture of the older buildings.”
As well as preserving Scotland’s architectural heritage, part of Scott’s mission is to help recruit the next generation of stonemasons.
“I’ve been doing masonry for 16 years now, and I really enjoy it,” he said. “There’s a lot of job satisfaction.
“If you like working with your hands, working outdoors, seeing different types of architecture and working with buildings of historical importance, stonemasonry could be for you.
“It’s very fulfilling to walk past a building you worked on 10 or 15 years ago and know you played some part in that building’s history.
“We really want to inspire people, and let them know that stonemasonry is very much an active craft.”
More information on Stratum, and links to their social media channels, can be found at: https://stratummasonry.com/.
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