SOUTH ROTUNDA

The Group are also very lucky to be based in the South Rotunda, on the banks of the Clyde in Glasgow.

The North and South Rotundas are B-Listed buildings, built between 1890 and 1895. The two Rotundas are connected under the River Clyde by a Tunnel, which was opened in 1895. The buildings acted as entrances to three tunnels on either side of the river, and when opened were mainly used for transporting goods via horse and cart. The three parallel tunnels were 720 ft in length and 16ft in diameter. The exterior of the Rotundas are load bearing, held up by cast iron Corinthian columns carrying steel girders. Both Rotundas have a glazed section where vehicles would originally have entered the buildings. The external walls are constructed from brick, with steel frame, cast-iron columns and stone cornices and Cills. The Rotundas stand at around 21m in height and have a footprint of around 400m2 each.

• 1888 – The rotundas are designed by Simpson and Wilson and Alex Findlay and Co and built between 1890 and 1895.
• 1889 – Parliamentary approval was granted for a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel under the River Clyde between Finnieston on the north bank and Mavisbank Quay on the south.
• 1895 – The rotundas and tunnels are opened. Each Rotunda housed six hydraulic vehicle lifts and stairs for pedestrians. The lifts were supplied by the Otis Elevator Company of New York, a choice which brought criticism from the local engineering community of Glasgow, the Harbour Tunnel Company stated that it was used because it was the best available. Subsequently, the pedestrian tunnel became disused, as the vehicle tunnels remained in better condition. However, the Glasgow Harbour Company became bankrupt, and the tunnels were closed from around 1900 – 1913, when they were bought over, and later sold into the city’s control for £100,000 (equivalent to over £15 million today).
• 1943 – The vehicle lifts were removed during the war effort, and in 1943 the vehicle tunnels were closed. In 1986 Bell’s Bridge was built nearby, offering easier access across the river.
• 1987 – The passenger tunnel remained open until 1987, after which a water main was installed, and the two vehicle tunnels were filled in.
• 1988 – The Rotundas are used for the Glasgow Garden Festival with Nardini’s turning the South Rotunda into an Ice Cream Parlour.
• 1990 – The South Rotunda becomes a dome of discovery as part of the Glasgow City of Culture celebrations.
• 2014 – The South Rotunda is transformed into a venue for The Tin Forest, a Puppet show and experience by the Scottish Youth Theatre under a wider programme run by the National Theatre of Scotland. It was planned that the Rotunda would become a permanent theatre space, but this did not happen.
• 2017 – The South Rotunda is given a new lease of life becoming offices for Malin Group and the building you stand in now.

A building steeped in history, reinvigorated for a modern, innovative office space, this building is the perfect home for the Malin Group.