The Post Office Directory Of Glasgow 1936-1937

The Post Office Directory of Glasgow 1936-1937 – Digital Download or CD

Product Description:

Unlock the history of your family and the "Second City of the Empire" with this complete replica of the Post Office Directory of Glasgow 1936-1937.

Spanning the pre-war era, this directory is an essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and anyone researching the industrial heritage of Scotland. Because the 1931 National Census for Scotland was destroyed during WWII and the 1941 Census was cancelled due to the war, this directory fills a vital 10-year gap in official records. It provides a unique snapshot of life in Glasgow just two years before the famous Empire Exhibition of 1938.

Navigating the Directory: This product is a high-quality scan of the original book, presented as a PDF file. While the directory consists of scanned images (not immediately text-searchable in the traditional sense), it is incredibly easy to navigate. The original publishers utilized a strict alphabetical organization for both residents and trades, allowing you to flip to a section and scan for a surname with speed.

Tech Note: We provide these as crisp scanned images to preserve the original look and typography. However, many modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) now perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly, which effectively allows you to search the text using your computer's "Find" function.

What’s Inside?

This comprehensive volume is divided into detailed sections to help you pinpoint exactly who lived where and what they did:

1. Alphabetical List of Residents: The core of the directory. Lists the heads of households, their occupations, and their residential addresses. Perfect for tracing ancestors who were living in the tenements or villas of Glasgow during the mid-30s.
2. Street Directory: An invaluable tool for house historians. Lists every street in Glasgow (and surrounding suburbs) house-by-house, showing the name of the head occupier at each address.
3. Commercial & Trades Directory: A classified list of businesses and tradesmen. Find out if your ancestor was a baker, a Clyde shipbuilder, a tea merchant, or a solicitor.
4. Official & Municipal Information: Details of the Glasgow Corporation, magistrates, councillors, and public officials.
5. Ecclesiastical & Educational: Lists of churches, ministers, schools, and schoolmasters.

Glasgow in 1936: A Snapshot in Time

• The Industrial Giant: In 1936, Glasgow was still the engine room of the UK. The directories are filled with names connected to the shipyards of the Clyde (like John Brown’s) and the heavy engineering works that powered the world.
• Sports & Leisure: The city was buzzing with football fever. The directory lists officials and players associated with the giants of the game, including Rangers (who were dominant in this era) and Celtic, as well as Partick Thistle, Third Lanark, and Queen’s Park. You will also find references to the administration of Hampden Park.
• Notable Residents:
  • Sir Patrick Dollan: A prominent figure listed in the official sections; he was the Lord Provost of Glasgow during this period and a major driving force behind the upcoming Empire Exhibition.
  • Sir John Reith: The founder of the BBC (born in Stonefield but educated in Glasgow and heavily associated with the city) was a towering figure in British media during this time.
• The Approach to War: While the city was gearing up for the grand Empire Exhibition of 1938, the undercurrents of the looming Spanish Civil War and political unrest in Scotland (including the formation of the Scottish Socialist Party in 1936) can be felt in the variety of political organizations and meeting halls listed.

Important Note regarding Maps: While every effort has been made to reproduce this directory faithfully, please be aware that the original 1936-1937 volume occasionally had inconsistencies regarding the inclusion of street maps. Therefore, some maps may be missing from this digital reproduction, as they were absent from the original physical source book used for scanning.

Formats Available:

• Digital Download: Instant access after purchase. No waiting for shipping.
• CD-ROM: A physical disc sent via post for those who prefer a tangible backup.

Start your journey into Glasgow’s past today and bridge the gap left by the missing census records!