The Earth Moved For Me in The Gorbals

A friend advised me of the planned demolition of the Sandiefield Road Flats in Glasgow's Gorbals was taking place on Sunday 21 July 2013, between 11am and 1pm.

I joined in with locals and other photographers near the Brazen Head pub,at around 11am, as we tried to find a decent vantage point.  The death of a woman at a previous demolition, in 1994, had resulted in additional safety measures being put in place and it was difficult to get a decent spot to shoot from.  I settled on a place and erected my tripod. The demolition was delayed, as the helicopter, which was required to give the area one final sweep, was delayed, as it had to make a detour to Dumfries and Galloway.  However as 2pm approached, two sirens were sounded and we braced ourselves for event. 

I was expecting the loud explosion but I had not thought about the earth below my feet trembling significantly as the two towers collapsed.  Nor was I expecting such a large cloud of dust engulfing us, within a few seconds of the event.  With a movie poster proclaiming 'This is the End' and the Colonel Mustard And The Dijon 5 Demolition Band playing, the on lookers raced away from the advancing dust cloud, like a scene from a Holywood Block Buster.  

The Band's video shows me, on the right hand side, taking my pics and being engulfed in the cloud, as I packed up my camera, before making my way to my dust covered car.  I stopped off at a local car wash before going home, where a shower and change of clothes awaited me.

I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to shoot another demolition but if I do I'll know what to expect!