Long before they descended to the depths of underground Glasgow on the escalators, subway commuters could buy their tickets in a little office in St Enoch square.

The travel centre is modest in size yet remains a striking feature of a square which is now dominated by the glass façade of the shopping centre.

The original two-storey centre was designed by Scottish architect James Miller, who combined classical Italian architecture with the use of red bricks to emulate the Flemish Renaissance style.

The Victorian red sandstone and turrets are staples of both this style and of buildings in late 19th century Glasgow.

After opening in 1896 the building operated as both a ticket office on the ground floor and the Subway’s headquarters on the top floor. Once the city’s hub for underground travel, it fell out of use as a ticket office when the subway was modernised in the late 1970s and a new ticket station was implemented underground.

Glasgow Times: The centre was quite literally suspended in the air as the renovations took place in the 1970sThe centre was quite literally suspended in the air as the renovations took place in the 1970s

But the travel centre was still highly regarded as a significant building, as it was quite literally suspended in the air while the ground around it was dug up during the renovations. It then served simply as a travel information centre before the travel facilities moved to their home below ground in 2008.

But today, commuters may still pop in – for a coffee.

In December 2009 the building became home to a Caffe Nero and is a Category A listed building, an honour also held by the City Chambers and Glasgow Cathedral.

While it may be just a little ticket office-turned-coffee shop, the St Enoch travel centre has developed a status as an iconic building and a permanent fixture in what is an ever-changing part of the city centre.