Corporation flats on Ardencraig Road, Castlemilk, pictured in 1958.
The early optimism of Castlemilk's new tenants faded over the following 20 years. The housing was poorly maintained and was soon in need of upgrading. The decline of traditional industries in the Glasgow area led to a large rise in unemployment and all the social problems that come in its wake. People began to move away and Castlemilk's population of 37,000 fell by almost half between 1971 and 1991.
Since the early 1980s a regeneration strategy has focused on the provision of improved housing and the development of local sports, leisure and arts facilities. New amenities include a swimming pool, sports centre, shopping arcade and community centres. Social problems such as those that can be found on housing estates across Scotland remain, but the Castlemilk of the early 21st century is a much brighter, more prosperous and more optimistic place than the grim sprawling scheme of the 1970s.
Reference: Post-war housing no.2, A/31/F/53
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
council houses, flats, Glasgow Corporation, housing estates, housing schemes, poverty, swimming pools, unemployment, urban regeneration
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