Words by Hsiao-Chiang Wang and Yen-Ting Lin

Newspaper clipping from 1878 reported the completion of new municipal buildings in Maryhill. It begins with a positive statement about the future of the area: ‘Through the Burgh of Maryhill presents few attractions to the rambler in search of the picturesque, its development and dimensions exhibit many pleasing signs of progress.’ [Glasgow Police Museum]

Original Maryhill Police Station, 1857. [Glasgow Police Museum]

At the heart of Maryhill is Maryhill Burgh Halls, and its purpose has changed many times. The Burgh Halls building opened in 1878 as a community space, as well as a centre for policing and local governing. Maryhill Burgh Police station was located within the building, meaning the Halls were once central to the growth and development of the area. Since then, the area has continued to flourish and the local police office has moved to a different location. As the Burgh Halls has continued to develop and contribute to the community through the arts, heritage and culture over the last decade, perhaps its history as a police station has been forgotten.

However, it is interesting that both the Police and the Burgh Halls have set up museums with the intention to preserve the history and memories for the people, consequently allowing this knowledge to be available to the wider public. To date, the Maryhill Burgh Halls has continued to fulfil this duty, remaining a hub that commits to serving the community as its priority.

Travelling back to around 1850 , there was a time when there were serious riots occurring in Glasgow due to the pressure generated by the trade depression in Scotland, and the political upheaval in Europe. Likewise, the consequences of radical changes in the area- brought about by a large itinerant workforce through projects like the construction of the Glasgow & Dunbartonshire Railway- and rising crime rates, meant that there was a demand for a Maryhill Police Burgh and this was founded in 1856. At the time Maryhill became a Burgh, ‘The Captain’ George Anderson, was appointed as the first superintendent. The first Police station was opened in 1857 at the corner of Maryhill Road and Fingal Street. It not only provided space for a court and magistrate’s chambers, but also accommodation for the officers.

Moving forward a few decades, the expansion of the Maryhill Police Burgh force and the request for improvement of the space, triggered the movement to build a new Burgh Halls and Police Station. As a result, the new police station was established within the Burgh building on Gairbraid Avenue, off Maryhill Road. The original Maryhill Police Burgh force was subsequently merged into the force of Glasgow Police in 1891 and became the Maryhill Division..

An interesting fact is there are unique connections, between the previous location of the police station and the development of the museums today, through some notable people. For example, Sir Alastair Dinsmor, the founder of the Glasgow Police Heritage Society, played multiple roles related to Maryhill throughout his career, and is known as the main founder, general director and leading curator of the Glasgow Police Museum. Investing in his hobby of collecting, he has developed a riveting record of being an enthusiastic collector of police memorabilia. He has been collecting items for more than 55 years and a few are from Maryhill Burgh Police. Coincidently, he was also previously an inspector who served in the Maryhill division.

Alastair introducing the police history of Maryhill. [Hsiao-Chiang Wang]

Bronze Medal of Citizen of Maryhill. [Hsiao-Chiang Wang]

Alastair joined the police force at age 16, serving as a policeman in Glasgow for 33 years, starting in 1965. He served in Maryhill between 1993 and 1997. From his perspective as a former policeman, Alastair notes that Maryhill is a vivid area that accommodates a mixture of backgrounds of people. Apart from his daily work such as crime prevention, riot training, and firearm management, he also needed to supervise sales in the alcohol trade. Thus, he had to visit Maryhill Burgh Halls to carry out this work locally.

Initially, he was interested in military history but after joining the police force, his passion turned to the history of policing and how it has evolved within society. Because of his interest in police history - and his motivation to create connections with other nations - he started the International Police Collection, with items dating from 1966.

Currently Alastair owns more than 8,000 items from countries all over the world. After retiring from the force, he founded the Glasgow Police Heritage Society in 1988. He led a project to establish the police museum in Glasgow between 2000 and 2002. Finally, the Glasgow Police Museum opened in May of 2002. The museum was run by retired police officer volunteers from the Society, and it is supported entirely by public donations. Despite not having a background in museum work, Alastair learned a plethora of skills for operating the attraction, including computer programming, collection management, and museum operation. The museum reaches out to the public through storylines and narratives via the richness of the objects on display, putting into action its mission of serving the community, in much the same way as Maryhill Museum does.

Figure 7 The world police collections in the Glasgow Police Museum. (Photo taken by Hsiao-Chiang)

In 2016, Alastair was presented with an MBE by Prince William at Buckingham Palace for his dedication to preserving history. In addition, the operation of the Glasgow Police Museum was acknowledged when it won the 'Best Day Out' award at the Glasgow Awards in 2019. These awards not only recognise the positive impact of the museum in the Glasgow community and its civic culture, but also emphasise the importance of growing as a cultural attraction. This resonates with the spirit of Maryhill Burgh Halls, and highlights the impact and goals of the museum. Maryhill residents past and present can share memories and insights of the past and write the stories of the future. Both Glasgow Police Museum and Maryhill Museum share an ethos of cherishing the achievements of the city, the people and the history of their communities.