Pollokshaws Sir John Maxwell School fight reignited after roof collapse

Reigart vans spooked residents after they showed up at the Sir John Maxwell School.

Now Douglas McCreath, a member of the Save Sir John Maxwell School Trust has reignited the campaign to save the Pollokshaws landmark.

Douglas McCreath stands in front of the historic Pollokshaws school as he reignites the fight to save the building

He said: “One of the things that upset the locals was that Reigart demolition vans had appeared at the school. But demolition is only one of the things they do, they have a preservation and maintenance role as well.”

Glasgow city council confirmed that Reigate contractors were there to make sure the building was safe after its roof collapsed in February.

But the sighting reinvigorated the battle to turn the building’s fortunes around and Mr McCreath renewed calls for locals to write to their councillors to keep the pressure on.

Residents were spooked after they mistook Reigate workers for demolition squads

“That would be a real step forward to get some sort of action here,” he said.

Kyle Thornton, a Tory councillor for Newlands and Auldburn, noted that the building was one of the few remaining in the area which “didn’t fall prey to the bulldozers of the post-war planners”.

Named for the philanthropic Tory MP who resided at Pollok House, it was the school at which the radical socialist John McLean taught, where the Red Clydeside firebrand lead classes in Marxism.

Mr McCreath said a survey had found the building to be salvageable but its future remains uncertain

Mr Thornton added: “Given how much of the heritage of the area has been lost in the last 70 years, it is crucial we protect the built heritage as much as possible.

“The school holds a special place in the community’s heart as many local residents attended it when it was a school and I am fully supportive of all efforts to find a permanent solution that protects and enhances the building.

“Glasgow city council should hang their heads in shame at the state they have allowed the building to fall into since it was closed. We need urgent action from the council to save this building and give it a chance to survive and be reborn for its 21st-century purpose.”

Mr McCreath told of his desire to see the former school used as a community resource.

In 2019, the campaign group was awarded a grant by Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT) to carry out a site survey, which Mr McCreath said found the near-ruined site to be salvageable.

Local Tory councillor Kyle Thornton slammed the council for allowing the building to fall into a state of disrepair

Niall Murphy, GCHT’s deputy director, said the grant could lead to an engagement process to see the schoolhouse listed.

Reigart is used by the council to demolish buildings and for the preservation of dangerous buildings, such as the Glasgow School of Art, and careful taking down works, in the interests of public safety and protecting important structures.

David Naro Associates said it could take 3-5 years before the building is made safe for future work

A report by David Naro Associates for the council was given to Trustees. It gave a timeframe of three to five years before the building could be made usable again.

The report stated: “The roofs are generally in poor condition and in need of protection if the building is to have any chance of being safe.

“The best outcome that can be suggested as part of this study would be some form of ‘holding works’ which provides a 3-5 year period of stability and drying-out of the building to allow a future use and funding to be investigated and confirmed.”