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Latitude: 55.8729 / 55°52'22"N
Longitude: -4.2831 / 4°16'59"W
OS Eastings: 257248
OS Northings: 666766
OS Grid: NS572667
Mapcode National: GBR 0DG.VH
Mapcode Global: WH3P2.5NP5
Plus Code: 9C7QVPF8+4Q
Entry Name: 40 Gibson Street, Glasgow
Listing Name: 40-50 (Even Nos) Gibson Street and 84-86 (Even Nos) Otago Street
Listing Date: 20 May 1986
Category: B
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 373712
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB32191
Building Class: Cultural
ID on this website: 200373712
Location: Glasgow
County: Glasgow
Town: Glasgow
Electoral Ward: Hillhead
Traditional County: Lanarkshire
Tagged with: Building
The south elevation fronting Gibson Street comprises three adjacent blocks. The central block is nine-bay with three separate entrances. It contains one entrance at the centre surmounted by blocked windows at first and second floor. The eastern block is three bays with a nine-bay return elevation to 84-86 Otago Street. The western block is around 5 bays and adjoins a separate listing at 65 and 69 Bank Street (LB32178, Category B).
The doorpieces are architraved and corniced and contains deeply recessed doors with pilastered reveals and fanlights. All windows are architraved, corniced at ground and first floors (only corniced at ground in the western block). The windows are mostly large white timber sash and case with 12-pane glazing. Moulded string courses demarcate each floor of the western block.
The tenements have a plain main cornice, axial and wall head stacks with plain cans and slate roofs.
Images of a flat at No. 50 Gibson Street show simple ceiling cornices and that doors and door surrounds in this flat have been altered (2023).
Historical background
This tenement forms part of the southern range of a nearly quadrangular block of terraced tenements. They are located west of the River Kelvin, in the southeast area of Hillhead in the west end of Glasgow. This area of Hillhead remained largely rural until the early 19th century and started to be laid out for residential development from the 1840s.
The block of tenements is depicted on the 1st Edition, 25 Inches Ordnance Survey Map (surveyed 1857-58, published 1860), and was previously named Bloomfield Place. This map shows that the tenement is part of the earliest development of this area of the west end of Glasgow with the surrounding areas shown as largely undeveloped countryside.
As shown on the 2nd Edition 25 Inches Ordnance Survey Map (Revised 1894, published 1896) the surrounding area developed rapidly in the late 19th century with the creation of the university site on Gilmour Hill to the south and the construction of large numbers of tenements to house Glasgow's growing population.
The footprint of the tenements is unaltered since its construction in the mid-19th century.
Architectural interest
The footprint of the tenement is unchanged since its construction in the mid-19th century and the external principal elevations are substantially unaltered, retaining their restrained classical detailing. Distinctive features of this simple classical style include the symmetrically arranged openings, the large six over six sash and case windows the architraved doors and windows with cornices and the moulded string courses.
Some 19th century interior features and interior structural fabric is understood to have been lost in the late 20th century during works to the foundations of the buildings. Internal alterations are however relatively common within tenements and this is not has not affected the interest of the site and the character of its principal street elevations. The building remains a major surviving example of a mid-19th century classical style tenement block.
Historic interest
Tenements are a very common type of housing seen throughout Scotland, particularly in the cities. There are many surviving examples from the later 18th and early 19th century, which were built as part of urban expansion. Earlier surviving examples which are largely unaltered and retain their historic character are less common.
Dating from the 1850s, the tenement at 40-50 (even nos) Gibson Street and 84-86 (even nos) Otago Street is a relatively early example of its building type, representing the expansion of Glasgow in the mid-19th century. The block forms part of an early group of historic tenement buildings located in Glasgow's west end which make a strong contribution to the historic character of the area.
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
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