Paddy's Market spanned almost 200 years of Glasgow history - until it was swept away in the name of a redevelopment still to happen.
A decade may have passed since the market shut – but it's a wound still felt by many Glaswegians.
For generations of struggling families, it was a vital place where secondhand clothes and furniture could be bought cheaper. For others, it represented an underbelly of counterfeit goods, antisocial behaviour and dodgy dealings under the arches of a railway bridge.
Either way, it’s hard to deny that the market on Shipbank Lane was anything other than a Glasgow institution, for rich and poor.
The market’s name was taken from the huge influx of Irish immigrants making new homes in Glasgow in the 19th century.
It closed for the last time in May 12 years ago, with promises of redevelopment for the area surrounding the Saltmarket.
The lane remains closed off to the public today, the High Court towering to one side and the beautifully redeveloped Briggait - now a centre for the arts and events - just along the road.
Back in 2009, stallholders campaigned to the council to make it a tourist attraction - a documented piece of Glasgow history much like the Barras Market nearby.
The Scotsman reported in 2016 that the market could reopen as an ‘upmarket shopping destination’ as Network Rail explored options on how to revive the area under the railway arches.
But the lane remains untouched today, and there appear to be no concrete plans for its future.
In honour of the trip down recent - and controversial - memory lane, we’ve taken a look back at Paddy’s Market through the years, and the many Glaswegians who remember that cobbled lane well …
Article first published on May 15, 2017.
