Journal
Glowing references
When they pulled the plug at the Luma Co-operative Lamp Factory in the late 1960s, they switched off a light that had stood as an illuminated beacon on the southern approach to Glasgow since before the Second World War began. The British Luma Co-operative Lamp Company commissioned this inland lighthouse, which stands on the borders of the Govan shipbuilding neighbourhood, as its Glasgow headquarters – the first international co-operative factory for the manufacture of electric lamps. Designed by Cornelius Armour and built in 1938 to coincide with the Empire exhibition, it is one of the few surviving examples of art deco architecture in Glasgow. This is made all the more significant by the 25m-tall glass tower that sits on the south-west corner of the building. This tower was the testing area for lightbulb production and was permanently illuminated. In fact, this marked out the building so clearly that in the 1950s and 60s it was used at night as a sighting point by pilots approaching the Renfrew aerodrome, which was the main airfield in those days. When the factory shut down, it wasn’t just the lights that went out. With the darkness came an economic gloom. The Luma Building changed hands several times, each new occupant failing to make the building their own, until it was finally left vacant in the early 1980s. It became increasingly dilapidated and this decline was echoed in the fortunes of the surrounding area. From here, boarded-up property, sturdy but uncared-for housing, pubs and convenience stores resembling fortresses line the road past Rangers’ Ibrox stadium into Glasgow city centre. Discuss this article
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