City of Glasgow College

College gives FPs a final look round

We were deluighted when the City of Glasgow College invited former pupils to have a final look round the Allan Glen Campus before its demolition to make way for the new College campus.

When the school closed, the building was taken over by the Central College of Commerce, now part of The City of Glasgow College, created when Central College Glasgow (the College of Commerce), Glasgow Metropolitan College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies merged in 2010. The school building became the Allan Glen Campus.

The City of Glasgow College later consolidated its eleven sites across Glasgow into just two, located at the Nautical College site, and the Allan Glen's site. This required the demolition of the old AGS building to make way for a large complex covering the whole area down to Cathedral Street.

Members of the School Club were invited to a final look round the building as it shut its doors for the final time, and there was a lot of reminiscing going on.

Association with the College

We were very impressed with the research the college had done on Allan Glen and the school, and were particularly pleased to hear that the college is keen to keep the name of Allan Glen associated with the site.  The college would also like to further the connection with the School Club, and a number of avenues of cooperation are being explored. The Principal, Paul Little, suggested that former pupils could become honorary alumni of the College, and we are delighted that in addition to the Book of Remembrance, the College is also taking the school honours boards, which the club retrieved when the school was closed.

So although this was our final look at the building, and we went prepared for a farewell, it was heartening to learn that Allan Glen will continue to be associated with education on this site. Paul Little noted in his address that Allan Glen's bequest was "to give a good practical education and preparation for trades or businesses, to between forty to fifty boys ...". He told us that the City of Glasgow College will have a roll of 40,000 students. I wonder if Allan Glen could have anticipated that.

Mike McCreery presents the School's Book of Remembrance to Paul Little, the Principal of the City of Glasgow College. The book is on display in the College's library in the new campus built on the site of the Allan Glen's building.