1930s Glasgow Street

Senior citizens love to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the Museum of Transport’s Kelvin Street.

 

It’s an enchanting recreation of a late 1930s cobbled Glasgow Street that also delights children of all ages.

 

Period shop fronts evoke the atmosphere of old Glasgow and show you what it was like ‘going for the messages’ before the age of supermarkets; when everything you needed was on the doorstep.

 

Take a look at the period toasters and vacuum cleaners at The Clyde Valley Electrical Co., and compare the pedal cars and yachts that children were lucky to receive in the 30s, with today’s plastic and electronic toys.

 

There’s a baker’s window stuffed with the scones and cakes so loved by sweet toothed Glaswegians, a Clydesdale Bank, a Post Office urging you to save sensibly and a Thomas Lipton grocery.

 

The period vehicles on the street include a handsome lorry built by Leyland at the Albion Works, Scotstoun, in the livery of John Jolly, coal merchant of Kirkwall.

 

One of the most popular reconstructions is the Glasgow Underground station.  Known affectionately as the ‘Subway’, Glasgow’s system is third oldest in the world after London and Budapest.

 

The charming period trains are in red, or brown and yellow livery with brass fittings and wood and leather seats.

 

When you come out of the Subway, take a seat in the art deco Regal Cinema and relax to watch the ‘pictures.’ You won’t need to buy a ticket at the desk though, because it’s free.