Plate G1.no16: Caledonia Road Church (1856-57), Glasgow (Scotland) by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson

This building has been a lamentable ruin for decades. It could have been included in my ‘RUINS’ gallery* [or in my ‘GLASGOW’ gallery for that matter**]. Somehow though it seemed fitting to include, here – for it functions still, in urban terms if not in terms of its original programmatic intention. Its form was a crafted, bold response to the confluence of two streets. So it remains……
But more so, from an aesthetic and cultural perspective, I am offended if the term ‘ruin’ is subscribed to this magnificent edifice. I love my city – but its legacy towards its architectural heritage is appalling. Thankfully, this structure so inherently imbued continues to command authority, despite the devastation; and functions yet, if only to shame.