Kelvin Hall: 100 years on film

Kelvin Hall is a trailblazer. It is a place of living memory. Ask any Glaswegian over a certain age and they often remember fun times at the circus and carnival, or weekend outings to the old transport museum. But the cultural significance of this place runs even deeper. Starting out as a unique space that welcomed the world to international exhibitions, Kelvin Hall grew into a space for industry, entertainment, sport and learning. Since 2016 it has also been home to the National Library of Scotland's moving image and sound collections.

Film is central to the story of the Kelvin Hall. The official history records major events and the celebrities of the day. There are also television programmes, interviews, videos and digital records. Many of these are unique, often personal records intended for a smaller audience entirely. Let's find out more about the Kelvin Hall over the last century and how film brings its story to life.

1920s: News on film

Our journey begins just over one hundred years ago, when the original Kelvin Hall was destroyed by fire. That venue had opened in 1918 with the second British Industries Fair, a typical example of one of the major exhibitions held there. It was just before the Second World War ended and Glasgow was still known globally as 'The Second City of the British Empire'. On a summer's day in July 1925, watch how quickly that Kelvin Hall building went up in smoke.

'Great Glasgow Fires' (1925). The original Kelvin Hall engulfed in flames and the brave attempts to stop it.

You can almost feel the wall of heat as firefighters tackle the blaze. Look out for the crowds of gallus Glaswegians in front of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Look at the line of people desperate to help carry the water hose and those schoolboys excitedly running to help (some are making themselves more useful than others!). The film was captured by daredevil cameraman Alf Verne, the staff cameraman for Glasgow based Green's Topical Productions. Imagine the physical challenge of filming the action using a heavy 35mm camera. There was no handy mobile phone in your pocket back then.

''Alf Verne was the only cameraman to take film of the first Kelvin Hall when it was burnt to the ground. Alf was actually inside the building and was practically hosed out by the firemen before the roof fell in!''
From a recording by David Gouk of the Glasgow Cinema Club, November 1975, at the People's Palace Museum. [Archive reference: MI. 5/7/97].

From the ashes of this fire rose a new 'Kelvin Hall of Industries', built for Glasgow Corporation between 1926 and 1927. It was designed by Thomas Somers, Glasgow's Master of Work and City Engineer, assisted by Thomas Gilchrist Gilmour. As quickly as 1928, Kelvin Hall was alive with activity and, again, film took centre stage.

James Orr, the canny advertising manager for the Scottish Co-operative and Wholesale Society commissioned two films: 'Making Soap' and 'How Guild Margarine is Made'. They were screened together at the National Co-operative Exhibition of 1928. These films were designed to inform Scotland's homemakers (the consumers of the time) that they had the power to choose products made in Scotland. The size of the exhibition was breath-taking, occupying ''a floorspace of four acres'' with a ''cinema that could seat up to 1,000 people!''

People not only flocked to such big exhibitions but would make regular trips to the cinema to watch newsreels in the days before television. This one, released by Topical Budget in 1929 was specially issued to Scottish audiences. It was seen across the whole country, not only in Glasgow. It brings together three entertaining news stories of the moment:

• J.M. Barrie (the author of Peter Pan) opening the Housing and Health Exhibition

• Comedian Tommy Lorne entering Bostock and Wombwell's lion's den

• Lady Inverclyde opening the Great Flower Show

'Topical Budget: Kelvin Hall Events' (1929). Newsreel film from 1929 featuring the Kelvin Hall, from Peter Pan to peonies!

Topical Budget (1911 to 1931) was one of the major newsreel producers in Britain in the silent era (its main rivals were Gaumont Graphic and Pathé Gazette). This film reflects the importance of Kelvin Hall as somewhere people could spend their leisure time. Seeing huge crowds or famous celebrities attending events like this would have been a great marketing tool encouraging people to make the trip to Glasgow.

Most people will recognise the first celebrity, J.M. Barrie, as the author of children's book 'Peter Pan' (watch out for a fun reference to this). As the film is silent, only written sources record his speech. Although full of praise for Glasgow's achievements ("its commerce, its Clyde resorts, its art, its municipal enterprise"), he calls Glasgow "this mighty and squalid city" and urges:

"But there is a lot more to do, and I think that what is to be will be better. In the belief that this Exhibition is to be one step more towards the great still-distant immaculate, I wish it God-speed" [quote from his opening speech].

The second item records Bostock and Wombwell's world renowned menagerie. This was famous not only in Britain but in places like Paris and New York. The lion seen in this film travelled up by special train from Leeds for the Christmas and New Year Carnival "none the worse of their journey". The menagerie was disbanded in 1932 so this would have been one of the last times such a spectacle was on show at the Kelvin Hall. It even ran on Christmas Day! Seen now, these performances highlight how differently we view the treatment of animals today, and how our societal values continue to develop.

In the final section, Lady Inverclyde is in the party posing to camera, along with Sir John Reid of the North British Locomotive Company. She was a silent film star in her own right. Born June Howard-Tripp in Blackpool, she worked mainly on stage (in revue – variety-style live entertainment). Her most notable screen role was in the silent Alfred Hitchcock thriller 'The Lodger' (1927), opposite Ivor Novello.

1940s and 1950s: Glasgow projects itself to the world

After the war, films were used by the City of Glasgow to communicate with its citizens. They are fascinating records of what might have been. The 'Glasgow Today and Tomorrow' Exhibition in 1949 was a grand exhibition that presented the radical plans of the Planning Committee of the Corporation of Glasgow  to its citizens. A bold and completely redesigned Glasgow was imagined, based on proposals in the Bruce Report of 1945. People visited Kelvin Hall to see with their own eyes how it could affect their lives. There was even the opportunity to watch this public information film underlining why such changes were necessary.

'Glasgow Today and Tomorrow' (1949). Glasgow's post-war vision for the future of the city and its people. Screened in the Kelvin Hall during the exhibition.

One of several public information films sponsored by the Corporation of Glasgow to inform citizens of progress, they were screened in cinemas across the city and at community meetings. The film features shots of the 'old' city with Victorian streets, slums and back closes, as well as futuristic architectural models and maps detailing ambitious plans for redevelopment.

A closely related film 'Our City – Today and Tomorrow' (1949) was also linked to the exhibition. It reflects the city of Glasgow in the 1940s: its buildings, parks, museum, university, and housing, and shows the plans for major re-development of the city. It tells of a ''Glasgow dirty but vividly alive'' and flatters the audience with comments like ''Glasgow people most intelligent in country''.

The film starts and ends with an urgent call to action: ''The future of Glasgow is in your hands''. This film was one of twelve educational films in the Glasgow Civics Series. These were made by Glasgow Corporation Education Committee to inform, instruct and certainly to influence people's understanding of their City, their Glasgow.

Such films were crafted to sustain hope and offer citizens a better life in Glasgow after the destruction and damage of the war years. Connecting people to physical exhibitions at the Kelvin Hall gave people at least some ownership of the enormous changes happening around them. In the end, only some plans were ever implemented. While buildings including Glasgow City Chambers, the Glasgow School of Art and the Mitchell Library live to tell the tale, other parts of Glasgow are now gone forever.

Two years later, the Kelvin Hall hosted the Exhibition of Industrial Power, part of the UK wide 'Festival of Britain' designed by Basil Spence. Here was a chance to show Britain as a thriving post war power, open for business and with Glasgow front and centre. British Coal's film magazine series of 'Mining Reviews' perfectly captures the ambition of this time. These Mining Reviews were produced by the Documentary and Technicians Alliance (DATA). This was the UK's first film co-operative and was led by a strong cast of post war British documentary film-makers (including its Scottish founding member, Donald Alexander).

One story contained in this series is called 'The Key To Power', filmed, rarely, inside the Kelvin Hall. Captured by leading documentary filmmaker, Wolfgang Suschitzky, it invites the viewer up the staircase of the impressive 'Coal Cliff' and down a full-sized mineshaft. Power, science and technology formed the beating heart of this Exhibition, with the Coal area alone taking up half of the floorspace. As well as the Hall of Coal, there was Steel, Power for Industry, Electricity, Railways and Shipbuilding, Irrigation and Civil Engineering, Hydroelectricity and, tantalisingly, The Hall of the Future...

You can watch this film on site at the National Library: 'Mining Review 1 No. 1 Fifth Year' (1951).

A quite different kind of film illustrates the strength of mid-20th-century Scottish industry. It shows the Kelvin Hall buzzing with life and confidence. See the array of companies represented in the exhibition, from Rolls Royce to Harris Tweed. It shows the diverse range of products Scotland produced but it is also a fantastic record of design brilliance. From revolving boats and tartan typewriters to kitchen furniture that seems straight out of the hit television series 'Mad Men'.

'Scottish Industries Exhibition 1959'. From the craftsmanship of Templeton's Carpets to revolving boats, Scottish Industry shows off in style at this major exhibition.

As well as these impressive and immersive industrial exhibitions, film reflects how important the Kelvin Hall was for people's leisure and wellbeing. It offered escapism, information, entertainment, and fun for all.

The next film shows Ken Davidson ('The Buster Keaton of Badminton') performing at the Kelvin Hall in the International Invitation Tournament, in 1951. Thousands of people were happy to leave the comfort of home to watch this type of show. Watch how he mesmerises the audience with his performance: a mixture of burlesque, clowning around and sheer technical talent.

'Gladminton' (1951). The 'Buster Keaton of Badminton' entertains huge crowds at the Kelvin Hall.

Davidson was used to the limelight, having performed at New York's Radio City Music Hall, the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, in variety theatre, and even in front of the Royal Family. He appeared in several other films about badminton including a 10-minute short film produced by Metro Goldwyn-Mayer that was shown on screens in 1945 and in Pathe newsreels. Sadly, Davidson was tragically killed only three years later (Christmas Day, 1954) at Prestwick Aerodrome in an aeroplane crash having just celebrated his forty-ninth birthday the previous day.

The circus and carnival were always a big attraction at Kelvin Hall. Held annually since the 1920s, it offered a place of wonderment and escape. Here is an example of a film that was made as a personal record of a trip to the circus. Again, what once drew crowds now encourages us to reflect on the ethics of this kind of entertainment.

'Circus' (1956). Roll up, roll up! The circus is in town.

It's unusual to have records filmed inside the Kelvin Hall by everyday people, probably because it was often difficult to capture light levels and sound. There are a few though, often buried within longer compilation reels of film. 'Summer Holiday at Dunoon June 1938' has a section where you see the carnival rides whizzing past and a sign promising "Over the Hills for the Greatest of Thrills" for only 3 pennies. There's a merry-go-round, circus elephants, motor bikes, dodgems, and an exciting ride called 'The Whip'. It demonstrates people returning to some sort of normality after 1945.

American evangelist Billy Graham's visit to Glasgow is another example of the attraction Kelvin Hall held for the public. Holding up to 13,000 people, Kelvin Hall was, at the time, the biggest exhibition hall in Europe. Its overflow area, created in the circus arena, allowed for a further 3,500 seats.

'Billy Graham in Glasgow' (1955). Thousands of people flock to the Kelvin Hall to hear evangelist Billy Graham in this unique and personal film record.

This 16mm film was made by the Reverend Merricks Arnott and is subtitled ''A personal movie of the All-Scotland Crusade. By kind permission of the Crusade Executive Committee'', so we can assume it had Billy Graham's blessing. It's an ambitious work, showing 'behind the scenes' as well as the event itself.

Workers in bunnets are filmed hammering and painting, and eating their pieces (sandwiches), women wash the seats down, and closed-circuit television is set up. It was a very organised and professional operation. There are intertitles visible to read so it is easy to follow the action. A well-crafted silent film, it contrasts with the more familiar jaunty Pathe newsreels and popular soundbites of Graham's visit.

The 1960s and 1970s: Television takeover

The Kelvin Hall continued to host huge industrial exhibitions well into the 1960s, such as the Scottish Industries Exhibition in 1964.

'Calculators' (1964). Punch cards in action – Scottish TV programme showcasing early computers and the Scottish Industries Exhibition.

"This is a computer. The instrument that's going to change our lives more in the next decade than all the inventions of the past thousand years put together. A computer does what an intelligent man could do if he had an infallible memory, never slept and never made a mistake – only a computer does it a few million times faster."

This film was part of a special industrial series broadcast on Scottish Television called 'Enterprise 64'. It aimed to raise interest in the Scottish Industries Exhibition at the Kelvin Hall. The presenter, Andrew Gardner flew up from England every week to record the programmes (he was to become the well-known face of ITN News at Ten only a few years later).

Brimming with positivity, the programme shows a no-nonsense assessment of the current state of the nation. The programmes approached traditional heavy industries or newer ones such as nuclear power or computing with equal enthusiasm. The National Library of Scotland preserves four of the programmes in this series.

Scottish Television broadcast various news items connected to the Kelvin Hall that give a glimpse into the attractions on offer during the 1960s and 1970s. In the following clip we hear about activities for all the family, albeit split into a strict 1970s view of gender norms, young or old.

'Jackie Stewarts Speed Show' (1971). Motorsport legend Jackie Stewart puts on a show for all the family to enjoy!

"It's not all spark plugs and camshafts... for the teenagers we've got a music situation... we've got fashion shows for the girls... a complete variety of leisure time activities not just motor racing".

Audiovisual continued to be part of the package. There was a cinema on site as well as DJ William L. Freckleton who you could send record requests to. Stewart would go on to win the Monaco Grand Prix in May of this same year.

The Modern Homes Exhibition also drew thousands of people to Kelvin Hall. It offered a mix of products to buy alongside entertainment to be enjoyed. The news report below from Scottish Television calls it "part circus, part salesroom". As well as gadgets that would save time and money around the house, there were bigger temptations to consider such as modern furniture, fixtures and fittings. Entertainment such as fashion shows or dog displays made it a fun day out for the whole family. Check out the display by Glasgow Corporation Parks department in this clip, where they bring the outdoors in:

'Modern Homes Exhibition' (1972). Let's go behind the scenes at the Modern Homes Exhibition in this STV news report.

The 1980s: A time of change

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre opened in 1985, replacing Kelvin Hall as the host for major exhibitions, concerts and events in Glasgow. In 1987 the Kelvin Hall itself was redeveloped, upgrading its facilities to become a world class sporting venue. It also accommodated the Museum of Transport from the old former Coplawhill tram depot on Albert Drive in Pollokshields (which in turn became contemporary visual and performing art venue, Tramway).

Evidence of this change exists in the moving image collection, from schoolchildren visiting the 'Glasgow Museum of Transport at Coplawhill Tram Depot' (1979), to this 1980s promotional VHS video displaying the fantastic new sporting arena in Kelvin Hall (courtesy of Glasgow City Archives):

'Kelvin Hall' (1989). Ready, set, go... the new International Sports Arena was spectacular in the '80s!

Today

The Kelvin Hall refuses to stand still. Continuing the building's tradition of open public access, the National Library of Scotland, Glasgow Life, and the University of Glasgow collaborated to open a centre of cultural excellence here in 2016. Physical and digital collections from Glasgow Museums, The Hunterian and the National Library can be explored for free, by appointment and at the touch of a button. World class teaching and research sits alongside sports classes and community meeting space. It's a place of learning and enjoyment, open to all.

Contemporary collections preserved by the National Library reflect the inclusiveness of the building as well as giving voice to people that historically may not have felt part of the Scottish film-making world. This film was made for viewing on social media by Kara Gillespie (BAFTA Young Presenter, 2024).

'How Deaf Aware Is Clip and Climb in Kelvinhall Glasgow' (2023). Clip 'n' climb is given the TikTok treatment from Kara Gillespie.

Learn more about visiting Kelvin Hall in Glasgow

End credits

I have traced the evolution of the building through the lens of selected films in the Library's collection. But this is not the end of Kelvin Hall's story.

Films immerse us in a living place and time in a way words on a page cannot. But that lens can be biased. Who made the film, why, and when influences what we see. Sometimes, the films we have in the collection are not digitised or easy to view. Sometimes we do not have the full picture because a place in time was never recorded, or if it was, it is not (yet) known about.

• Does film exist of the power cuts affecting the Scottish Industries Exhibition in 1951?

• Are there vox pop (voice of the people) recordings asking Glaswegians their opinion on the radical plans for their home in the Glasgow Today and Tomorrow exhibition?

• Are there films of Ella Fitzgerald or Elton John in concert?

• What was actually filmed and what has been lost or forgotten?

• What are we doing to fill gaps in the collection, and how do we identify these?

Inevitably, emotional responses to a film distort the view and the lens can quickly become a kaleidoscope! The Library must not merely 'collect'. It has to contextualise and clearly document what we have. It must co-operate with individuals, organisations and communities to ensure what is preserved is as comprehensive as it can be. Then it is up to the viewer to take their own journey into the past, knowing they can trust what they see.

It will be interesting to see what is filmed in and around the Kelvin Hall in the next 100 years (and beyond)!