Following on from our news story in early May on the events being held by the Glasgow City Heritage Trust centering on ‘The Tenement in Glasgow’, we were delighted that members of our Board and property factoring teams were able to attend and listen to the fascinating lectures offered.
John Joseph Burns, an architect in Glasgow, told the story of Glasgow’s tenements’ architectural typology. From their origins in Edinburgh, influenced by renaissance buildings, the majority were constructed in a relatively short period of development in the late 19th to early 20th century. John also discussed how today’s modern ‘tenements’ still reflect the original architectural typology of the original tenements.
Professor Douglas Robertson, of the University of Stirling, offered a frank lecture on the various factors that have contributed, and continue to contribute, to the demise of the tenement. He also discussed the movements and organisations focused on saving them and the various policies that followed. Professor Robertson urged that compulsion of owners to maintain their property with the appropriate policy in place to support this is the only way to ensure the longevity of the famous Glasgow Tenement.
The evening was well attended by a range of interested parties, mainly homeowners, and our people attending thoroughly enjoyed the lectures and are confident these lectures will support their day to day factoring of our customers’ tenement properties.
We are delighted to share some of our team’s comments on the evening:
“I was impressed with the number of people who attended and the wealth of involvement there is from people wishing to repair and maintain our tenement buildings. I had understood, but perhaps not fully, tenements being such a big part of the history of Glasgow. It was interesting that, despite all the involvement through the years, Professor Robertson still made the point that without the funds nothing can be achieved. In saying that, at least if people are interested there is a chance of doing something.”
“It was very interesting to learn about both the architectural and social history that has shaped the tenement landscape of Glasgow along with the factors that are likely to be influential to the maintenance of tenement properties further into the 21st century. There was a lot of food for thought in the presentations, and I have now bought a ticket for ‘The Future of the Tenement’ debate in June. I think there will be further interesting discussion there!”
“Being relatively new to the property industry, I found it extremely beneficial to learn and understand the detailed history of tenement properties and the different variations of cores and designs that have been created over the years by the various architects. I also found it interesting to hear the story from an architect’s point of view and as someone who is eager to progress and develop their career in Property Factoring, I am very much looking forward to “The Future of the Tenement” debate on 20th June.”
The maintenance of Scotland’s housing stock is high on the agenda of the Scottish Government, Local Authorities, Property Factors, RICS and many other important and involved stakeholders and we look forward to the further debate on “The future of the Tenement” at the upcoming Glasgow City Heritage Trust event on the 20th June. For further details and how to purchase tickets, please visit The Glasgow Heritage website
