(transcribed from audio) - (Stan) What I remember about Glasgow as a child, was post-war austerity and big industrial city, grimy buildings, still with the end of rationing. And of course at Christmas, for youngsters from a working class city, it was magical. The Kelvin Hall had this huge circus which kids were mesmerised by, and Central Station was full of carol singers.
In St Enoch Square, where there's a shopping mall now, there was the most amazing Victorian railway station, the most beautiful building. And Santa would come by train. And in Argyle Street, there's a huge building, it used to be Lewis's department store, it's subdivided now... And a lot of the girls there would come as Santa's fairies and helpers on the train.

There were street carnivals in Argyle Street, George Square with the lights and so on. And all the ballrooms in Glasgow, there were lots of ballrooms, had festive dances on and the youngsters would go.... But in Glasgow at that time they had the most amazing concert hall, St Andrews Hall, the world famous acoustics were amazing... it burned down in 62... but there were all sorts of musical Christmas ensembles and singing and so on.

Argyle Street, Chucky Hall Street, George Square, Trongate, all had street carnivals, and all the department stores - Glasgow was a city of big department stores then - they all had huge window displays and stuff coming out to see the youngsters... I mean, looking back, I hadn't thought about it for years... But the memories, you know, and at that age, you know, a more simple society, you know, going to the station and Santa arrives with this steam train...
I'm thinking of the early 50s, certainly by mid 50s I get older - I was off to the Navy in ‘59 - but that was probably the best time when the city really pushed the boat out...

- (interviewer) Can you remember a Christmas present that you might have had around that time?
- (Stan) Well, my best one at that age was a huge Hornby train set. That was as sophisticated as children's toys got then. And you would go around at big department store's toy sections and look at all the trains. You say, ‘oh, look at that one’ and ‘that's what I like’, then on Christmas morning, there it was. There.
We were a bit more naive in those days. We didn't expect the things that kids expect now. So, when it arrived...

- (interviewer) Would that have been clockwork or was it electric?
- (Stan) That was clockwork. I mean, a lot of engineering went into these things, you know, and beautifully built.

- (interviewer) I think one of my early memories like my brother and I, had a scale electric set for Christmas. We should like a shared present, the two of us. That was like, you know, just amazing.
- (Stan) I mean, the toy departments in those days for youngsters... goggle-eyed looking at everything... but train sets were the big thing.