Collection of never-before-seen images of old Maryhill to be displayed at Burgh Halls

A Maryhill man’s archive of photos and cinefilm footage taken by his father in the 1970s is the subject of a new exhibition.

A local man born and bred, the late George Ward used his trusty cameras to document and immortalise the buildings and characters integral to Maryhill and Glasgow, many of which have since disappeared.

‘The George Ward Collection’ captures a Maryhill suspended in time, invoking nostalgia for a long-lost city landscape, along Maryhill Road and beyond.

The exhibition includes old 35mm film photographs of streets and canal landscapes, as well as a selection of footage filmed using 8mm and Super 8 cine cameras. Also on display are a lamp post and other pieces of street furniture that George salvaged from depots and skips, in the hope that "’maybe someday someone will be interested.’’

George’s son and daughters fondly remember their dad’s passion which took them all over Glasgow. His son Richard – who came up with the idea of the exhibition last year - recalls: ‘’When we were children, our dad would take us to museums and on long walks along the Kelvin and all around Maryhill. He would tell us stories of his childhood, which left us all with an interest in local history.

"He’d often organise film nights for all our friends and family, projecting his footage onto a portable screen in our home.’’

The Ward family is grateful to Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust for making this exhibition possible: ‘’This is not only a memory to our father but also to all characters of Maryhill past that appear on camera.’’

The exhibition opens on Saturday February 3 and runs until May 11 2024, at Maryhill Burgh Halls, 10-24 Gairbraid Avenue G20 8YE. Entry is free.

Opening hours are 10am-5pm on weekdays – with late opening to 7.30pm on Thursdays - and 10am-4pm on Saturdays. Closed Sundays.