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The wealth of the Victorian middle class was generally reflected in the large houses built in the West End and in some enclaves in the Southside such as Pollokshields. In addition, the large disposable income of the well-off led to the development of bustling shopping areas such as Buchanan Street where substantial warehouses (the forerunners of today`s department stores) were established. Consumerism isn`t a recent phenomenon in Glasgow! The best example of this type of shop still exists at 45 Buchanan Street (1883-5) but elsewhere in the city centre there are fine examples of exuberant Victorian architecture which represent the confidence and flamboyance of the city`s main retailers in the late nineteenth century.
Other public institutions such as hospitals were sometimes afforded the luxury of fine buildings; both the Royal Infirmary and the Western Infirmary still have vestiges of older buildings but these are now dwarfed by their more modern counterparts.
This article is based on the guidebook "The Glasgow Guide". |
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A.
Gardner & Son`s Warehouse in Jamaica Street was built as a very "high-tech"
structure in the 1850s. Its steel members supported both the internal and
external walls and this allowed the architect to give it huge windows, all
the better for showing off the shop`s wares. This is a good example of how the local architects used the city`s expertise in steelwork (as developed in the shipbuilding industry) to explore innovative building techniques. |
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