The Tenement House,
145 Buccleuch Street ,
1892.
George Bell

The Tenement House at 145 Buccleuch Street was built in 1892 and is typical of the better quality Glasgow tenements of this period.

This tenement flat became the property of the Toward family in 1911. Agnes Toward lived there all her life, during which she made no major changes regarding the decor or contents.

The property, furnishings and fittings now belong to the National Trust for Scotland.

In the kitchen the large sink is located under the window, complete with period mangle and washboard. Also in the kitchen is the original domestic range used for cooking. Note the laundry drying in the heat produced from the range and also the coal bunker under the dresser.

This view shows the cast iron bed and marble topped washstand in the bedroom.

In dwellings of this period, it was not uncommon for each room to have its own individual fireplace.

Originally, tenement toilets were outside in the communal courtyard. After new building regulations were introduced in 1892, poorer tenements had shared facilities on the stair landing. However, after 1900, the best of such tenements had internal bathrooms as does the Tenement House.

This scene shows the sitting room. At the rear we can see a bed recess with double bed. Also visible is a piano, which in the days before television, provided a common source of domestic entertainment. A large bay window afforded the best access to natural daylighting, an important feature in the days when artificial light was relatively expensive."