There's nothing green 'bout Glasgow fruiterers
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3 OF THE SCOTS, William ion will be remembered for ast two achievements — he lined independence for Scotafter Henry II of England , and he helped establish igow's numerous fruit mar weekly fruit, vegetable and .er market has been held in igow since 1175.
)day's Glasgow fruit market the Blochairn district of ;gow. Opened in April 1969, market sits on the site of the 3lochairn steelworks.
Until 1969 it occupied a site seen Bell Street, Albion
Street, Candleriggs and Ingram Street, Glasgow. Traders fromother towns had been attracted to the busy developing market and had opened up premises adjacent to it — thereby reaping the goodwill of the Corporation Market and thus creating an alternative fringe operation.
The whole area became known as "The Market" and many traders within the Corporation Market even acquired premises in the surrounding streets to enable them to attract the trade that, because of traffic congestion, by-passed the main market.
The whole area became extremely congested and inadequate for the needs of the trade. The roadways, designed for horsedrawn vehicles, were un able to deal with the ever-growing volume of motorised vehicles.
A system of one-way streets in the market area was established and the flow of traffic regulated by the police. Inside the market Glasgow Corporation employees controlled the movement of vehicles to the various stands (or as they call them in Glasgow, "stances").
But the previous fruit and vegetable market in Glasgow was neither adequate nor efficient. Facilities were old and functionally obsolete and situated in an area no longer convenient to serve the traditional areas of distribution.
Changing traffic patterns and streets were inadequate to
handle the growing numbe large vehicles and container' transport. This resulted in co and frustrating traffic conditi4 according to a City of Glasc. Corporation document.
Vehicular congestion cau by the increasing number large container trailers, Ion vans and cars using a syster streets not designed to carry load or number of vehicles w primary defect in the Can riggs Market.
But Glasgow market was unique in facing problems o. old and inefficient market. the major markets in the Un Kingdom and abroad were fa with similar conditions.
The wholesale fruit, vegetE and flower market, once si cient to meet the requiremE of the traders of the small bui had become inadequte for great increase in the sale of ticultural produce correspo ing with industrial expans especially the import of prod from all parts of the world, direct shipments to the Cl and by road transport and from the ports of Leith, Li, pool, Hull, London, and so on
By 1965 members of Glasc Corporation, after visits to r markets in Europe, USA i Canada, plumped for a new 2! acre wholesale Fruit Markel the old Blochairn Steelworks which the Corporation had quired.
Apart from a recent fire i addition of the fish market lich now accommodates ut five acres of the 29.5-acre ), the "new" Glasgow Fruit rket is much the same as it ; when it opened 14 years ie fruit, vegetable and flower ]nces occupy about ,000sqft. But in addition to 80 or so stances there are nerous warehouses (includ
banana ripening wareises), about 44,000sqft of ice accommodation and king facilities for hundreds of icles. There are even banks I shops on the site which is ught to be second only in size London's massive Covent .clen fruit/vegetable market. 1anager of Glasgow's numer. markets is Gordon Berry D, among other things, is resisible for the smooth running :he Corporation's retail mar
vehicle auction, fish mar, meat market (which is ught to have the largest ablir in Europe), plus the fruit *et.
iordon Berry is a large, 'Ikea) m a n who hails from idersfield. How did a YorkshiIan end up managing Glasv's numerous markets?
I came (a) for the money and to pick the wits of the pundit a was the previous manager. as his deputy before he red."
ordon refers to his old boss, Pickford, as a pundit purely of respect for the man. Mr (ford is now secretary of the ional Association of British rket Authorities and a much Dected figure, says Gordon rY) llasgow Corporation leases muses to traders in the fruit rket and, in turn, provides urity, lighting, administra1, water and necessary rers on site. The Corporation's rkets Department is also res ponsible for the cleanliness of the market and runs its own refuse vehicle, in addition to a tractor/trailer, a gully cleanser and numerous other vehicles.
Apart from a few vacant stances adjacent to the site of last July's fire, Glasgow fruit market is fully occupied. Those vacant stances will be re-let eventually although the burnt out ones will be demolished in order to provide additional parking space. There can, at present, be traffic problems, says Gordon Berry.
"There are some severe traffic problems from time to time. If at the north-east corner — where ramps join the fruit and fish markets — a wagon breaks down, half the market is dead."
An additional entrance could possibly solve the problem says Gordon who feels that a single entrance/exit was a "design fault".
Other problems are caused by people who park illegally within the market complex. Often, a buyer will arrive in a car, park inconsiderately and bring traffic to a near standstill. Trying to find the offender so that he can move his vehicle is a near impossible job.
A pc on day shift and the fruit market's own security squad make strenuous efforts to prevent unauthorised parking, says Gordon. Overnight lorry parking is not encouraged on the actual market site, he says.
An article about Glasgow fruit market would be incomplete without a brief mention of the Brochairn Bar where drivers and market staff can enjoy superb meals from 8am to 11pm.
The landlord, William Smith, is confident that his breakfasts are the best a lorry driver can buy.
"You've heard of Covent Garden, haven't you, son? Well, when drivers have delivered their loads there, they make their way up here to Glasgow for their breakfasts!"
I almost believed him.