Recycled West Clyde Street

Image: © Pete Marrison Taken: 6 Aug 2004

This 2004 shot illustrates the impermanence of town centre businesses. In the foreground, picnickers are using a skate park area which in years gone by had been an open air swimming pool. This land is at present (January 2023) part of a building site, peppered with diggers and concrete slabs, within the new Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre complex. The commercial properties in the background have also evolved. From left to right: the former National Bank of Scotland listed building at number 24, has morphed into the Lloyds Bank, the National Commercial Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland and then a gym. It currently appears to be occupied, but does not display its business title. At 20–23 West Clyde Street, Woolworths opened in 1934, closed in January 2009 and is currently a Wilkies store. At 19 West Clyde Street, Tweedie, a specialist tweed and leather boutique has taken over from Café 19. Similarly, Lady M fashions has been superseded by Fantastic Nails at number 17. This is another listed building. Happit ladies clothing store suddenly closed its doors at 14-16 West Clyde Street at Christmas 2012 and is currently a DEBRA charity shop. The tower which appears to come out of the centre of Woolworth’s roof is in fact the top of the former St Columba’s Church at 81 Sinclair Street. It is now the Tower Digital Arts Centre with its adjacent church hall repurposed as the Scottish Submarine Centre on West King Street. The same shot, but nineteen years later is shown at Image,

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