Paddys Market - The Final Curtain

A flea market and Glasgow institution going back over two hundred years was typecast an eyesore and not fit for a modern Glasgow. Masked as a regeneration project by Glasgow City Council and supported by local media and misleading crime statistics, the market traders fought a hard battle to keep the market open and to save their livelihoods. This short 10 minute film using bw photography and audio documents the fight to save the market, to the last week of trading and the funeral procession to the city chambers.
This film was part of my MA Documentary Photography Project -
Hope, memories, loss and community - Four stories of regeneration in Glasgow.
Using photography, video and audio this was a project aimed at capturing people's hopes, fading memories, lost livelihoods and the disappearance of homes and communities; issues that can be largely ignored in the utopian goals of regeneration. Now that the project is complete, most of the areas I documented no longer exist.
One year on from its closure Paddy's Market remains is an empty fenced off lane - some of the traders moved to the Barras but saw their income slashed from six to two days trading. The councillor who pushed for the closure of Paddys - Gordon Matheson, is now the leader of Glasgow City Council.
www.chrisleslie...

[@nothingisreal8618]

I shopped at this market for years on a regular basis and loved it. Its such a shame for the regular folk who made a living here and the folk who relied on its community. Very sad!

[@tommytaylor9315]

My granny was one of the original hawkers jean Lindsay next to Anabelle who she ran an arch just doon from Bell's cafe under the bridge and all of my clothes come from her picking she had a camp bed outside the arch wot a character she was god rest her .

[@scotlainie]

i grew up in glasgow, and remember if you met your pals in paddy's market you said you were takin a short cut to " what every woman wants! " (";) but we secretly knew we were all there with our mammies for the same reason....very sad to see it go but i was fortunate enough to remember it as it was in the seventies.

[@Croftamie7]

Sad day when closed Paddys Market many memories looking for bargains then going outside gates going to wee cafe next to it to have Spare Ribs & Cabbage

[@tommytaylor9315]

That was boiled ribs and cabbage majik at the bottom of the lane as granny used to cry it.

[@stuartjohnson7967]

It’s a disgrace, honest people trying to make a living outside the boundaries of commercialised shops.

[@samanthamccabe6663]

Aw that’s my mammy singing the song she wrote about it closing. ❤

[@joecmccluskey]

Weldone yer Mammy Samantha 😉

[@bryanhanson396]

I have to say i am glad my mom tried to show me how she grew up & taking me to various places an such through the years through out Scotland . Nice video .

[@chriskennedy900]

I just loved this place, the real criminals are the scumbags who killed it, I can honestly say that I met some of the kindest and loveliest people there, a shame, a real shame.

[@deeppurple883]

The big shops put the boot in, fuck them all shame on them. Respect from Dublin Ireland 🍀✊

[@paulinemcallister9855]

Love it my wee mum went every day took me i took my kids so sad now my grandkids dont know what i talking about xmiss it Polly lovely people to the old ones like ethel Nancy rest in peace ❤

[@alexnewton1928]

Absolute icons every one of yous.... be proud of being a part of Glasgows history...am just a wee guy fae springburn..remember askin ma maw...can a huv a day aff school n can yae take mae tae paddy's market.... she took me .... smittin they called it !!!!

[@roseofsharon.6192]

loved the place loved the ppl ...Open it back up : ).

[@andymorrow1597]

Watching this oct 2020,sad times even Barras has lost its charm if you can call it that just not the same obv meaning 2019/2020 pre covid. Hopefully can recover from this madness we are in and stay open. Old school Glasgow slowly Fading away Brilliant I remember going here regular with my gran was great listening to all the hawking old school Glasgow talk etc. I used to get a lot of music from here back when it was cassettes. Great Times and memories always my gran loved the place and the people,real people old school unlike today its fading away. Look at the barras these days going the same way hopefully it can keep going and stay open.

[@raynicholl4446]

Used to love going to Patrick's boutique,great days

[@stephenforrester2719]

It was the only place a found my memory!

[@daniellejohnnyhill591]

The brigget. Xx sadly missed xx grew up in that wee market xx

[@user-ee7fi7pv5t]

Used To Go Hawking And Busking With My Da All Over Glasgow Then We'd Take Our Stuff To Srcond Hand Shops And Scrap Shops, Then, What Was Left, Off, To The Brigget To Sell It, I Learnt To Appreciate People Who Had A Hard Time, But, Still Got Out There To Make A Quid, great DaysIn The Fifties, Loved The Cry," Delft For Rags" And Cobicerts, Or Coal Briquettes.❤❤ Jimmy Campbell.

[@josephhenry4725]

Love the poster KEEP PADDIES ...A FLEA MARKET ..pure dead brilliant.

[@stephenforrester2719]

They’re killing us slowly but surely! First the smoking ban, that fucked most off the old generation going to the pub, so they became lonely and died to be honest, killed my granda & ma nana, it is like a death in the family because you can’t buy the memories back. Am fuckn sick off it, Glasgow is flourishing in the wrong directions now! Most off my memories are in the gallowgates pubs & now they are shutting. My local shut at the start of the smoking ban & the other followed soot! Sorry for the rant but am heartbroken absolutely heartbroken!

[@tommytaylor9315]

That cafe had a motorcycle meeting every Wednesday night and I used to ride in from Bell's hill on my moped then go hang out at my granny house in Stockwell St before I rode home.

[@John-vw3lr]

I remember buying second hand suits in Paddy’s Market during the Punk Rock era in the late 70s

[@jamesdonnelly5555]

THAT WOMAN SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT SHUT THE PEOPLES PALACE DOWN THEY JUST DONE IT THIS WEEK JD .THE BARRAS ARTIST PROTEST HOUSE ON LONDON ROAD

[@astra47420]

I remember bells car wash in the 70s my dad had a taxi fun times 😅 5:49

[@deeppurple883]

Blame the big shop's for putting pressure on local authorities to stop little markets like this, same here in Dublin. The Gentrification of our heritage and our culture, its shameful. 🖕☘️✊

[@naradaian]

There are no shops at all near Paddys Market Argyll st is nearest and thats got international brands and closed sites ….no one could ever say they were loosing biznis due to Paddys Market

[@owenmccall632]

Something familiar through the years.councillors and politicians deciding what is best for us.if there is criminal element anywhere its the authorities responsibilty to deal with it

[@lindseymca6422]

I feel so sad to see my Glasgow lost.... I feel old Hate it now Towering banks and full.of the usual corporate clothes and coffee shops,restaurants and cinemas ....and getting gentrified I love these women's voices and dialects Bittersweet

[@johnm725]

did the same to the barras, ripped the heart out of it. Now folk travel across the world to find local street markets

[@StrawberrySunday212]

The original "car boot" minus the cars. I never used it myself, it didn't appeal to me. But I appreciate that folk did, and the stall holders who relied on it.

[@yukiomishima8031]

2:32 They should just shut the whole of Scotland. Could not agree more.

[@Chris-hp8yf]

Very sad to see such a great resource closed. Post pandemic cost of living crisis should be heralding the resurgence of places like Paddy’s after all not everyone is tech savvy or even interested enough to access eBay!

[@naradaian]

Last time I was there some 10 years ago I was interested to see many newcomers to the UK , mostly women who were getting into earning and selling for a first step….so that opportunity is now closed

[@zamiadams4343]

I used to go down Paddys Market on a Saturday around the late 80's early 90's. There was a few blokes that used to sell videos, usually pornos and they also introduced me to Hong Kong Category 3 films. It was a great place, the REAL Glasgow people used to go there.

[@detectingadventuresscotlan6177]

No Fae glesga but these places lot memory's for ppl so sad some song 😂

[@michaelking9772]

Was this an Irish market.????Just asking.!!!!

[@williamf4544]

I bielive it was started by Irish immigrants so yes

[@sidsidney8622]

all this nonsense about criminals. I remember being taken there in the 60s...I'm 60 by the way...they closed this place, who knows why they did it but forget about all the nonsense about junkies or crime. Once my car toolbox got knocked and i went to Paddies to buy new tools. Aye..

[@raycarter4030]

what about all those stolen shopping trolleys?

[@njoyingtube1]

@raycarter4030 What about 🐑🐑🐑Acting The 🐐? 🍩

[@user-hr3fb5qw6d]

It's sad that yon fowk in this video didnae express thir opeenions in their ain Gesga vernacular. The Glesca vernacular - that's anither thing that's deein! oot. That disnae fit in wi the new fancy image o Glasca. Hey! Dinnae cry it Glesca

[@junemckirdle4969]

😢❤

[@gerrynicol3951]

Went to this market wen I was a wee boy I hated it.

[@williamf4544]

And we hated you - you wur a spotty faced wee brat

[@tamisueify]

terrible of what they have done to the poor folk JD the barras artist look what they done to me wrecked my house and life with wrecking my house looking for Princess Dianas jewels check out the doc u tube under [the artist and the jewels JD.

[@williamf4544]

Never mind aw this rubbish whit aboot my lamp - 2 pound a paid for it and when i got it hame it didnae work - Took it back the next week and the place wis shut doon - a bunch of rotton scammers they probably new that lamp didnae work and saw me comin

[@dorianwolf2198]

Sorry cant comment U tube wants to tell you what to say boycott utube