All that remains of the once castle-like Glasgow Hydraulic Power Works on High Street in Glasgow. Built in 1895, this was part of Glasgow's hydraulic power system. At its peak, in 1908-1909, it supplied 202,141 gallons of high perssure water through 30 miles of heavy duty 7-inch diameter pipes under the city's streets to power industrial machinery.
@thisismyglasgow@jbenjamint as far as I’m aware, most domestic construction from around 1850 onwards used brick for internal walls, but stone was more hard-wearing for the exterior. It also had a higher status.
Most Victorian construction uses stone for both the inner and outer skin of the outer walls; it’s the first time I’ve seen brick being used on the inner skin.
@thisismyglasgow
Absolutely fascinating!
I'm currently doing some research into the Galloway Hydro Scheme, and some of the most interesting facets is how early the first attempts were planned (1890s) and what was used instead. All of our towns and cities had their own power schemes like this, or steam power, or, of course, coal.
@Alternatecelt They did indeed. The hydraulic power systems were quite unique to the larger industrial cities like Glasgow, London and Manchester, and have pretty much been forgotten about, but they were certainly important in their day.
@thisismyglasgow
Aye. Ayr had a steam power station that was opened by Lord Kelvin. It was as much a culturally significant marker of progress as it was for industrial progress itself.
You can see the remains of one of these pipes in the bottom left of this photo, and you can still see the distinctive access points with the letters HP on them on streets as far away as Anderston. Hydraulic power was, at one time, a major source of industrial power, but it was soon replaced by electricity. The plant finally closed in 1964.
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