Edit What do you know about Provanmill?
Provanmill lies to the North East of the city centre, bordering with the nearby suburbs of Springburn, Carntyne and Robroyston.
Since the 1950s however, the area has become a major area of deprivation, with chronic housing and drug-related crime problems. Blackhill, one of the most notorious housing estates in the area was demolished in 1990 to make way for the M80 Stepps bypass.
The area was also the home of infamous Glasgow gangster Arthur Thompson (aka "The Glasgow Godfather).
Provanmill's most famous landmark is the iconic twin gasometers of the now largely disused Provan Gas Works, which have become a portal into the city for motorists arriving on the adjacent M8 and M80 motorways.
Provan Gas Works is an industrial gas holding plant in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The plant, resides in the Provanmill area of the city, and was built by Glasgow Corporation in 1904. It later became part of British Gas, and subsequently Transco, who operate it today. Originally the plant undertook gas manufacturing from coke, but was downsized significantly in the 1980s. Today the plant is largely unmanned, and is now used solely for gas storage and distribution.
The plant has become significant for its two massive gasometers which have become an iconic industrial landmark in Glasgow's East End. Among the largest of their kind in the UK, each of the towers can hold a massive 283,000 cubic metres of gas - enough to supply a city the size of York for a whole day.
Since the construction of the M8 and M80 motorways in the 1970s & 1980s, which run directly next to the plant, the twin gasholders have become an unofficial portal into the city's central area for those driving from Edinburgh and the north.
The towers have also gained an affection among locals since they are often used to display huge placards showcasing the various promotional slogans for the city, the most memorable being the "Glasgow's Miles Better" and "Everyone's Glasgowing On" campaigns.
The future of the plant is under discussion - Glasgow City Council have proposed plans for decontaminating the unused land on the site, and redeveloping it for commercial use. The twin gasholder towers are expected to remain in use for the foreseeable future.
Arthur Thompson was a notorious Glasgow-born gangster who made his mark on the streets of Scotland in the 1950s, and who then went on to take charge of organized crime there for more than 30 years. He was born in September 1931 in the industrial area of Springburn, Glasgow. He died in Glasgow on March 13, 1993 from natural causes - a heart attack - at the age of 63.
Thompson began his career as a money lender. He was said to crucify those who did not repay their debts, by nailing them to floors or doors. Protection rackets soon followed.
He then went on to invest his money into legitimate businesses, which grew more and more over the years, making him a very wealthy man. Thompson was one of the most feared criminals in Scotland. It was rumoured that, by the 1990s, he was earning some £100,000 a week as a money lender/loan shark (usurer).
On 18 August 1991 Thompson's son Arthur Jr (nicknamed "Fatboy") died after being shot three times outside the family home "The Ponderosa".
Thompson, Sr.'s daughter, Margaret, died from a drug overdose in 1989.
Another son, Billy, was stabbed and seriously wounded 400 yards from the family home in 2000, but survived.
Since the 1950s however, the area has become a major area of deprivation, with chronic housing and drug-related crime problems. Blackhill, one of the most notorious housing estates in the area was demolished in 1990 to make way for the M80 Stepps bypass.
The area was also the home of infamous Glasgow gangster Arthur Thompson (aka "The Glasgow Godfather).
Provanmill's most famous landmark is the iconic twin gasometers of the now largely disused Provan Gas Works, which have become a portal into the city for motorists arriving on the adjacent M8 and M80 motorways.
Provan Gas Works is an industrial gas holding plant in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The plant, resides in the Provanmill area of the city, and was built by Glasgow Corporation in 1904. It later became part of British Gas, and subsequently Transco, who operate it today. Originally the plant undertook gas manufacturing from coke, but was downsized significantly in the 1980s. Today the plant is largely unmanned, and is now used solely for gas storage and distribution.
The plant has become significant for its two massive gasometers which have become an iconic industrial landmark in Glasgow's East End. Among the largest of their kind in the UK, each of the towers can hold a massive 283,000 cubic metres of gas - enough to supply a city the size of York for a whole day.
Since the construction of the M8 and M80 motorways in the 1970s & 1980s, which run directly next to the plant, the twin gasholders have become an unofficial portal into the city's central area for those driving from Edinburgh and the north.
The towers have also gained an affection among locals since they are often used to display huge placards showcasing the various promotional slogans for the city, the most memorable being the "Glasgow's Miles Better" and "Everyone's Glasgowing On" campaigns.
The future of the plant is under discussion - Glasgow City Council have proposed plans for decontaminating the unused land on the site, and redeveloping it for commercial use. The twin gasholder towers are expected to remain in use for the foreseeable future.
Arthur Thompson was a notorious Glasgow-born gangster who made his mark on the streets of Scotland in the 1950s, and who then went on to take charge of organized crime there for more than 30 years. He was born in September 1931 in the industrial area of Springburn, Glasgow. He died in Glasgow on March 13, 1993 from natural causes - a heart attack - at the age of 63.
Thompson began his career as a money lender. He was said to crucify those who did not repay their debts, by nailing them to floors or doors. Protection rackets soon followed.
He then went on to invest his money into legitimate businesses, which grew more and more over the years, making him a very wealthy man. Thompson was one of the most feared criminals in Scotland. It was rumoured that, by the 1990s, he was earning some £100,000 a week as a money lender/loan shark (usurer).
On 18 August 1991 Thompson's son Arthur Jr (nicknamed "Fatboy") died after being shot three times outside the family home "The Ponderosa".
Thompson, Sr.'s daughter, Margaret, died from a drug overdose in 1989.
Another son, Billy, was stabbed and seriously wounded 400 yards from the family home in 2000, but survived.
A LOT OF GOOD FOLK STAY HERE AND HAVE MANY GOOD MEMORIES. THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE HAS LESSENED OVER THE YRS BUT IT WILL BE LIKE OTHER AREAS, ALWAYS HAVE A STIGMA ATTACHED. THERE HAVE BEEN IMPROVEMENTS AND HOPEFULLY THE GOOD POEPLE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY ALIVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO LOVE THE PLACE WE CALL BLACKHILL.