Talks
Pollokshields Heritage hosts a range of talks which explore local history and heritage as well as arts and culture. These run throughout the year.
Pollokshields Heritage hosts a range of talks, which explore history and heritage as well as arts and culture. They run from November to April and everyone is welcome.
They are held at the Georgeson Room of the Fotheringay Centre, 63 Fotheringay Road, G41 4NN (view map). Nearest train station is Maxwell Park.
Time: 7.30pm start. Doors from 7pm.
Tickets: £6.00 with refreshments, no booking necessary. Cash and card payments accepted.
Upcoming talks from November 2025 to April 2026
Tuesday 18th November 2025
Langside Halls – from Commerce to Community
Designed by John Gibson, Langside Halls began life in 1847 as the First National Bank of Scotland, at 57 Queen Street. It was dismantled in 1902, moved, rebuilt and repurposed by the City Engineer A.B. McDonald in its current location at the corner of Queen’s Park, as a public building to serve the local community.
The talk will discuss the history of the Langside Halls, its significance, current status and evolving proposals to establish and long term sustainable future for this impressive category A listed building.
About Chris Coleman-Smith
Chris is a registered architect and RIAS conservation accredited architect. Having graduated from Sheffield University and completed his master’s, he worked on a variety of historic and listed buildings, prior to moving to Glasgow in 2001. Chris was a Director at Hoskins Architects from 2008-2024. Before setting up his own practice, Chris led teams on significant listed building projects in sensitive sites including: the redevelopment of the Category A listed National Museum of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh and the redevelopment and Extension of the Aberdeen Art Gallery. Chris is passionate about the reuse and redevelopment of listed cultural, residential and commercial buildings, which requires sensitively balancing an understanding of building significance with current requirements and new uses. He has been working with Langside Halls Trust and Glasgow Building Preservation Trust on proposals for Langside Halls.
Tuesday 20th January 2026
Pollokshields and Glasgow from the Archive of Historic Environment Scotland
The talk will explore material from the local area and throughout Scotland. HES provides resources for your research, study and environment. The archive, which spans a vast range of buildings, archaeological monuments and industrial and maritime sites, is available via the online catalogue. Neil will look at how the archive can be used to tell the story of Scotland’s communities over time.
About Neil Fraser
Neil joined the heritage world with Scran in 2001. Scran became a service of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in 2008, which then joined with Historic Scotland to become Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in 2015. His is the current Public Services Manager and is committed to helping the public enjoy the fantastic archive resources that HES has to offer.
Tuesday 17th February 2026
Fragments of Glasgow – a snapshot of the Victorian city
An illustrated talk featuring buildings from Glasgow’s Victorian era, many of which have undergone adaptive re-use over the last 10-15 years. The examples celebrate the impressive conservation, creativity and investment undertaken to repurpose these architectural treasures and weave these historical fragments into the urban fabric of post-industrial 21st Century Glasgow.
About Rosalie Menon
Rosalie Menon, an architect and senior academic at the Mackintosh School of Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, has devoted over 25 years to the integration of architectural practice, teaching, and research. Her appreciation for the urban landscape of her home city of Glasgow is evident in her previous publication, 'Fragments of Glasgow', and once again in her latest work, 'Glasgow From Above'. While her professional focus remains on academic writing, she also pursues her passion for curating historical and architectural narratives, transforming them into stylish publications designed to engage a broad audience.
Tuesday 21st April 2026
Annual General Meeting, 7:30pm
This year's Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday 21st April 2026 at 7.30pm at the Fotheringay Centre, Fotheringay Road, G41 4NN. Registration and reception from 7pm. AGM attendance is free for members. Non-members are welcome to attend but are not eligible to vote on motions.
Scotland beneath the surface, 8pm
Free for PH members. £6 for non-members.
The talk is a subterranean odyssey exploring the natural and man-made heritage under our feet. It's an illustrated journey across (or perhaps under) Scotland, but there are many references to Glasgow and hopefully includes something of interest to everyone.
About Bruce Keith
Bruce Keith is a retired chartered surveyor and environmentalist, having started his professional career working on several Perthshire and Aberdeenshire estates and in Edinburgh with the Department of Agriculture. Bruce moved to Peterborough in 1996 as Chief Surveyor with English Nature, but kept his Scottish connections, retiring ten years ago as Head of Property at SSE (the Hydro Board). In his retirement, Bruce has researched and written three books combining his passion for Scottish history, geography and landscape with his interest in heritage conservation.
Our talks take place at The Fotheringay Centre, 63 Fotheringay Road, G41 4NN.
Tickets on the door.