I saw the demolition of Gorbal's Caledonia Road flats - I heard great stories

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a day ago

GLASGOW'S skyline was changed on a historic day today as two high-rises defined as "landmarks" were pulled down.
The towers at 305 and 341 Caledonia Road were built in 1971 and will be replaced by the owners, New Gorbals Housing Association (NGHA), with more than 100 new social rent homes.
I went along to watch the explosions just outside the large safety exclusion zone.
This was my first time seeing a controlled explosion in person, and the whole area was filled with a nervous anticipation.
I cycled through the city centre before making my way through Glasgow Green, almost crashing as I started noticing the two 23-storey flat blocks at certain viewpoints.
People were already lining the bridges, and some had brought picnic blankets to sit in the park and watch the flats being razed to the ground.
The blocks were razed to the ground today, June 29 (Image: Julie Howden)
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I arrived at the roundabout at the end of Caledonia Road before 11am, and a small hive of people had already gathered.
Some had been there since they were told to evacuate their homes at 7:30am that morning, and they rushed to leave, making sure to shut their windows to avoid dust.
There was a tension in the air as anticipation rose for the controlled explosion, and an emotional atmosphere as many locals shared stories about the high-rise flats.
Tales were being exchanged, including stories of people growing fruit on their verandas.
One local claimed that he used to leave for work and come home to find that his tomato plant had almost doubled in size due to the heat on the 23rd floor.
There were laughs as others shared some stories full of mischief that weren't fit for newspaper publishing.
But, many couldn't speak as they were overcome with emotion, and the phrase "end of an era" was repeated by everyone.
They also spoke of the "landmark" that the towers were, noting that the many views they had of them would always "remind them they were coming home" - especially when seen from the M74 motorway.
I saw the demolition of the Caledonia Road flats in Glasgow (Image: Newsquest)
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Just after 1 pm, a warning drone sounded from inside the sealed-off site.
Gasps were heard around the street as the hundreds of people who had gathered collectively held their breaths.
Then a loud pop started the demolition. First, the left, westerly, high-rise collapsed, shortly followed by the right one.
The ground was shaking, and everybody was watching in silence as a cloud of dust billowed into the air.
In the silence that lasted for a few seconds, but felt like minutes, the clear blue sky began to emerge from where the 226ft buildings used to be.
The crowd broke out in a cheer, which seemed out of place considering the emotional conversations that had been taking place just minutes earlier.
The crowds dispersed almost as quickly as the few short seconds it had taken for the high-rises to come down.
I stood and looked at the rubble that lay where those stories were now buried before starting my cycle back to the city centre.
The dust had blown up the Clyde, and I was coated in a layer of it as I made my way through Glasgow Green again.
I couldn't help but stop to look at the space where the blocks had once been, while thinking of veranda-grown tomatoes and the sense of loss felt by the Gorbals community.