Glasgow Airport, Abbotsinch
Airfield (20th Century), Airport (20th Century)
Site Name Glasgow Airport, Abbotsinch
Classification Airfield (20th Century), Airport (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Abbotsinch Airfield
Canmore ID 94958
Site Number NS46NE 43
NGR NS 475 667
NGR Description Centred on NS 465 667
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/94958
First 100 images shown. See the Collections panel (below) for a link to all digital images.
- Council Renfrewshire
- Parish Renfrew (Renfrew)
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Renfrew
- Former County Renfrewshire
Building Notes
Queen Elizabeth opened Spence Glover & Ferguson's Glasgow Airport terminal on 2 May 1966. The building, designed by Sir Basil Spence, was a rectangular block with a distinctive chunky concrete barrel-vaulted roof. Originally two long corridors, or piers, extended from the terminal to take passengers to and from their flights. The building has since been extended so that it is not easy to see the original design. Spence's partner in his Edinburgh practice, Peter Ferguson, was the architect in charge of ensuring that the airport was built to Spence's design; Dame Sylvia Crowe was the landscape architect; and the Scottish artist Robin Phillipson contributed a mural.
Archive Details
The Sir Basil Spence Archive contains the first letter from the Ministry of Aviation from May 1961 offering Spence Glover & Ferguson the job to design the terminal. At this time Spence, architect of the nearly-completed Coventry Cathedral, was highly regarded, but had never designed an airport before. The Archive contains notes that he and Ferguson made on a whirlwind tour of four European airports showing their thoughts on how airports worked and how things like luggage conveyor belts and check-in desks might fit into their design. Also included are Spence's original designs for the terminal, which was to have thick, glass-plate zigzag walls on all four sides: it was decided, however, that this would be too expensive and it was not executed.
Press cuttings in the Archive reveal that plans to build Glasgow Airport were controversial, as the government had already committed millions to the nearby Prestwick Airport. Letters dated 1963 show that debates in Parliament and in the press affected the architects, as they were unsure as to whether the project would ever be built.
Spence's talents as an interior designer are shown in letters discussing the airport's artwork, colour scheme and original furniture; his designs for bar stools were so successful that a Birmingham company wanted to manufacture them for others.
Archive Summary
In total, the Sir Basil Spence Archive contains 56 drawings, 67 photographs and three manuscript folders containing correspondence and news cuttings on Glasgow Airport. The drawings are largely sketches of the unexecuted design and the early development of the built design, rather than information detailing the technical construction. Photographs include Spence's model of the airport and publicity shots taken by the professional photographers shortly after the terminal opened.
RCAHMS also holds the Spence Glover & Ferguson Collection that includes eight further photographs taken by professional photographers and 123 slides of airports that Spence and Ferguson visited or knew about.
This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.
NS46NE 43.00 centred 475 667
NS46NE 43.01 NS c.4811 6615 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.02 NS c.4804 6582 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.03 NS c.4722 6587 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.04 NS c.4711 6651 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.05 NS c.4688 6702 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.06 NS c.4744 6726 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.07 NS c.4793 6735 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.08 NS c.4843 6715 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.09 NS c.4855 6676 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.10 NS 4846 6630 Pillbox
NS46NE 43.11 NS 47333 66167 and NS 47302 66089 Aircraft Hangars
NS46NE 43.12 NS c.4736 6583 Pillbox
Glasgow Airport shows its RAF naval past by the continued existence of a few wartime buildings. After the war, Abbotsinch continued to be used by the Royal Navy, finally leaving in October 1963. The airfield was then prepared for use as Glasgow's airport and by 1966 was being used by many major airlines. Two naval type hangars remained still in use.
D J Smith 1983
A Callender-Hamilton hangar close to the terminal is still in use by airport vehicles. Loganair use the adjacent 'C' type.
B Quarrie (ed) 1987
Glasgow Airport terminal buildings have recently been completely refurbished and modernised, work continues to improve other areas of the airport.
Information from RCAHMS (DE) 14 March 1996
Recorded by Mr Guy in his Strathclyde Region survey.
J Guy 2001; NMRS MS 810/11, Vol.1, 186-7
A defensive ring of nine type 27 pillboxes (NS46NE 43.01-09) which are visible on RAF wartime vertical air photographs (E309, 7013-7053, flown 3 October 1941) have almost certainly all been removed during the recent reconstruction and rebuilding of Glasgow Airport.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), December 2001
One type 27 pillbox (NS46NE 43.10) was still extant in 1980s and it is not known whether this has survived the more recent airport rebuilding programme.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), April 2003
Construction (May 1961 - 27 June 1966)
Contract awarded in May 1961 offically open on 27 June 1966
Commission And Contract (May 1961)
First letter received from the Ministry of Aviation offering Spence Glover & Ferguson the job.
