By
Barbara Neilson of Glasgow City Archives
Pollokshaws Burgh Hall. Pic courtesy of Glasgow City Archives
GLASGOW as we know it today owes much of its character and reputation to the previously independent burghs which surrounded it.
Calton in the east. Crosshill, Govanhill and Pollokshields in the south. Maryhill in the north-west. Anderston and Hillhead in the west. Each was absorbed into the growing city. Perhaps two of the most significant annexations were those of the twin shipbuilding dynamos of the Clyde: Govan and Partick, which both joined Glasgow in 1912.
All of these areas were once self-governing. Each burgh had clear boundaries and a town council with elected officials. The burghs’ responsibilities included policing, public health, registration, licensing and building applications. Some had their own heraldic crests and mottos. Each had public buildings in which to transact business and manage life in the burgh. The most notable of these buildings was the burgh hall.