Dixon Halls: Giving Shape to Govanhill
This week saw the launch of a new edition of Loved And Lost: Govanhill's Built Heritage by Bruce Downie at Dixon Halls as part of the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival. But how much do you known about this iconic building, which helped to define the neighbourhood?
By Bruce Downie
Dixon Halls on Cathcart Road, opened on Friday 12 December 1879. It was one of the more unusual burgh halls of the time, because it served not just one burgh (municipal district), but two.
Known originally as the Crosshill and Govanhill Burgh Hall, it was the gift of the local landowner, William Dixon, to the recently formed burghs of Crosshill and Govanhill.
The construction of Queen’s Park and Victoria Road, which began in 1859, allowed development in the area on a scale that had not been possible before. In the space of little more than 15 years, new streets were laid out, many new houses and tenement blocks were constructed, and the local population grew from just a few hundred to over 12,000, so some degree of municipal control was urgently required to provide essential services.
The Police of Towns (Scotland) Act in 1850, stated that ‘a populous place’ could become a burgh if it had more than 1200 residents. Crosshill achieved burgh status in 1871, empowering the new commissioners to spend money on local services, like paving, lighting and cleansing. In 1877, Govanhill also became a burgh, able to deal with local issues.
Soon after, William Dixon declared his intention to gift the two new burghs, a public hall, which would provide a much-needed social space and a place to conduct municipal and judicial business, but which would, perhaps more importantly, be a symbol of all that the burghs had achieved in becoming self-governing and independent.
The hall is not the oldest building in the neighbourhood; there are several houses and tenement blocks which are older. It is not even the oldest public building; that distinction lies with the original Calder Street School, built in 1874. But it is perhaps, architecturally at least, the most impressive building that has survived from that formative period.
Designed by architect Frank Stirrat, the hall is built in the Scots Baronial style, which is characterised by stepped rooflines, turrets and conical roofs. The total cost of the project, including construction, was £10,000.
One shared building, rather than two separate ones made sense practically and economically because neither burgh occupied a large amount of land, but there was a challenge in that Govanhill was in the county of Lanarkshire and Crosshill was in Renfrewshire. The prosecution of crimes had to be conducted in the county in which the offence had been committed, so the location was crucial, the new hall would straddle the border, standing equally in both counties.
On the ground floor, both burghs had their own chambers or court-room. There were also offices and a hall-keeper’s apartment. The upper level was a grand hall shared by both burghs which could also be hired out to event organisers.
Not long after the burghs took possession of the hall, they voted to officially change the name to Dixon Halls, to honour their benefactor. In the years that followed, countless social events took place in what was one of the most significant local venues; glittering formal dances, operas, music recitals, plays, political meetings and humble church socials.
Dixon made one important stipulation; if the burghs ever decided to become part of the City of Glasgow, then Glasgow would have to purchase the hall and donate the money to the construction or upkeep of a southern infirmary. That day came in 1891 and prompted a fierce debate about the value of the hall. At first Glasgow offered just £4,500 but eventually around £7,000 was donated to the Victoria Infirmary.
Following annexation, Dixon Halls became one of Glasgow’s public halls and over the years that followed, served the times and the needs of a growing and diverse community. But eventually, through a lack of investment and want of repair, the upper hall was forced to close, leaving only the two smaller ground floor halls available for hire.
In 1972, a lunch club for senior citizens began in one of the lower halls; that project has evolved and has become known as the Dixon Community, a charity now serving the needs of older people locally and their carers. Around 1980, they were awarded grant funding to repair the upper hall and adapt it to their needs. Now, the Dixon Community are the principal users of the Dixon Halls and this year, are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary.
The Dixon Halls was the centre of the community for many years, and still is for some people today. While the halcyon days may have gone, it is worth remembering that the Dixon Halls represented local identity and celebrated the achievement of building and creating a community from almost nothing, in less than twenty years. The Dixon Halls is a treasure in our midst, which gave shape and form and substance to an idea, the idea of Govanhill and Crosshill.
You’ll soon be able to buy the new edition of Bruce Downie’s book, Loved And Lost: Govanhill's Built Heritage from the Govanhill Baths website or by visiting their office at 126 Calder Street.
Catch Bruce Downie speaking this Wednesday as part of the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival at Tall Tales of Govanhill in the Bees Knees Cafe where you can expect: “a magical evening of tall tales, fabulous fables, and history that’s stranger than fiction…. you’ll see a side of Govanhill and Glasgow that you’ve never seen before!”