Glasgow 'scheme' commemorated with stained glass tribute
Whose scheme is it anyway? is the name of the Easterhouse Stained Glass Window, one of 10 which will form a trail around the city as part of its 850th anniversary celebrations.
The group members with the new window (Image: GordonTerris/Newsquest)
Led by Platform in partnership with Glasgow Life Libraries, the latest window has been created by members of the Easterhouse Living Archive group and artists Keira McLean and Joey Simons.
Members of the group working on the window (Image: Platform)
A mutual passion for working class history, archives and sharing stories led to the formation of the Easterhouse Living Archive group, who have spent the last six months talking, writing, researching, drawing, moulding, cutting and shaping – with the support of Keira and the team at RDW Glass Studios in Dennistoun - to create a lasting tribute to the community.
(Image: GordonTerris/Newsquest)
The new window includes archival material, original artwork and thought provoking personal experience, bringing together fascinating elements from the history of Easterhouse and the north east of Glasgow, asking the question: 'Whose scheme is it anyway?'
A publication, edited by Joey Simons, accompanies the window, drawing together original writing and discoveries made by the group in the course of the project.
It is available to browse alongside the window which will form part of a permanent display within the Easterhouse library.
Keira said: 'The Easterhouse Living Archive project has brought together people of all ages and backgrounds to learn the craft of stained glass and celebrate the working class heritage of Glasgow North East.
(Image: GordonTerris/Newsquest)
'Some of the imagery and stories on display in the window were discovered in the archives and offered a starting point for conversations, leading to the sharing of personal memories and experiences - highlighting fascinating elements of the history of Easterhouse and Glasgow North East.'
She added: 'These histories of resistance and survival feel more relevant than ever. We are here and we want to live …
'As Glasgow celebrates its 850th anniversary, we hope the window places the people back at the centre of the city's story.'
In the introduction to the publication, Keira and Joey point out that Glasgow was once the 'stained glass capital of Europe, housing the best studios and artists.'
They add: 'It was everywhere: homes, municipal buildings, hospitals, shops, libraries. Much has been lost or destroyed.
'Its production was often the result of colonial wealth and its subject matter rarely depicted ordinary lives or working-class histories.
'The Easterhouse stained-glass window will now stand as an ever-changing testament to an ever-changing community.'
In the publication, Brenda Gilmour recalls the Sugarolly Mountains – piles of debris (of questionable safety) left over from nearby factory works, which local children turned into an adventure playground.
'I went up the Sugarolly mountains, by the Cranhill flats near the canal,' she says. 'I did it a couple of times, climbing up and sliding down, even though I was fearty. I went home completely black and got a row.'
Fiona Doyle recalls that in the 60s and 70s, a number of vans visited Easterhouse.
'There were grocery vans, fruit and veg fans, even a fish and chip van," she says. "There was a hairdresser van that was parked at the top of Bellrock Street … and on a Sunday night the Dalziel van came – it sold rolls and bags of broken biscuits.'
Lynn Freebairn, one of the participants of the project, said: 'Although I was new to the community and didn't know too much about the history of Easterhouse, I was made to feel extremely welcome and it was a lovely way to be introduced to the area and its history.
'I was able to create three pieces of glass that will be displayed in the window, and I feel privileged to have been invited to be part of it.'
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