The Tenement Flat In The Late 19th Century

The tenement flat is a conventional type of social housing in Scotland which when at its peak between the 19th and 20th century was the most popular form of housing. Their facade of white and red stone have impressed visitors for centuries. Glasgow was often described as one of the finest 19th century cities in Europe due to the quality of the architecture, not only restricted to the public and commercial buildings but also the long rows of tenement housing. The tenements were initially built to provide high density housing during the industrial revolution between the 19th and 20th century for a large number of people who were immigrating to the city for work. The word ‘tenement’ these days is a word which people more regularly associate with the slum
The first industrial houses were built in 1784 in New Lanark beside the spinning mills which were typically 3 storied tenement blocks which was much more similar in contemporary town architecture to that of the countryside. This was a primary step into the future of the housing movement and a considerable impact and influence on the future developments. Many of the thousands of people who flocked to Glasgow for work during the early 1800’s, inevitably ended without work due to the high demand. With these people and also those who were made redundant due to trade recessions in 1816,1819 and 1826, which was when the mills closed their doors. The impact of this was that vast numbers of people were now forced into great poverty and could only afford to live in deplorable conditions. These people congregated into immigrant communities occupying the oldest parts of the city like the High street, the Gallowgate, Saltmarket and Bridgegate. Taking advantage of these communities, tenements of largely inferior build quality were cheaply erected in what would have been the gardens of the street buildings. These tenements were reached only by