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Pollokshields Free Church Box

Started by hb88banzai, Mar 28, 2014, 04:06 am

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hb88banzai

Mar 28, 2014, 04:06 am Last Edit: Mar 28, 2014, 07:03 am by hb88banzai
I was finally able to identify the location of the Box in this iconic early publicity photo (c1933) --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-(c1933).jpg

It was on Nithsdale Road at its junction with Shields Road, just across the junction from the very striking former Pollokshields Free Church --

Former_Pollokshields_Free_Church.jpg

This Box appears to be one of two we have photos of so far (both in D Division and both erected in 1933) that show a variant of the Trench-inspired types. At the front of the Box the windows and panels below are all shifted well below the level of the ones on the sides and back. D4 -  http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=4712.0 shows the same arrangement. This may well be an early variant from another builder, or even the first ones cast by a single builder before the molds were changed to their final form for the front panels.

The original Glasgow list has the Box on "Shields Road at junction of Nithsdale Road on island in centre of roadway", but this is inaccurate. In reality it was on the southwest side of Nithsdale Road about 10 yards southeast of Shields Road. Further, it wasn't on an island in the centre of the roadway, but rather on one of the two triangular common greens that are on either side of Nithsdale Road at this point. I'll change the database to reflect its actual location.

The buildings in the background are still there, but the closer one is largely obscured by trees these days. Here's a street view from about the same POV as the original photo --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-(c1933)-ApproxPOV_Streetview.JPG

A closer view of the two houses that are visible in the original photo from a little up Nithsdale Road --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-(c1933)-HousesStreetview.JPG

A closer look at the distinctive semi-tower seen on the corner of the closer house --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-(c1933)-CloserHouseStreetview.JPG

This feature is actually repeated on several corners of the structure, so here's a clear view of one of the others --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-(c1933)-CloserHouseStreetview-AltClearTowerView.JPG

An extract of the 1934-1935 OS map (Box marked "PCB" at centre of extract) --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-OS_MapExtract-(1934-1935).JPG

From the 1953-1954 OS map --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-OS_MapExtract-(1953-1954).JPG

An approximate streetview of the Box Site --

Pollokshields_Free_Church_Box-D25-ApproxSiteStreetview.JPG

URL:  https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Shields+Road,+Glasgow,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=55.83988,-4.277136&spn=0.000024,0.020256&sll=55.851499,-4.234886&sspn=0.003583,0.008894&oq=Shields+,+Glasgow,+United+Kingdom&hnear=Shields+Rd,+Glasgow,+United+Kingdom&t=m&layer=c&cbll=55.839885,-4.277127&panoid=xO48W2MFoyVD94CjVdIkGQ&cbp=12,208.6,,0,4.65&z=16

Note: In Robert W. Stewart's seminal 1994 paper "The Police Signal Box: A 100 Year History" this photo is used as Figure 1 and is captioned "A young lady using a Glasgow Police Box in 1931." This caption is clearly wrong as not only was this Box erected in 1933, but Percy Sillitoe wasn't even appointed Chief Constable until December 1931, with his audit of the Force that preceded and justified the establishment of the new expanded Box system being many months away.

petewilson

Well Done banzai......another one to cross off of the preverbal list!   ;D