1930s Bungalow
In the 1930s, bungalows became a popular housing choice in areas around Glasgow, representing a modern move toward suburban living away from crowded inner-city tenements. These were single-story or attic-convertible brick and roughcast homes for the aspiring middle classes.​​
Many original floor plans for bungalows were designed so owners could later expand upward into the roof space or outward into the garden as their families grew.​
Example of a typical 1930s bungalow seen in many suburbs around Glasgow and in Rutherglen.
Image credit: McTaggart & Mickel.
Popular areas for these homes included Bearsden, Netherlee, Williamwood, and Cathcart. There are also many examples of these fine period properties in Rutherglen. In a Sunday Times article in 2006, Charles McKean, then professor of Scottish Architectural History at Dundee University, said that when these bungalows were originally built, there was a wide variety of interiors:
"Some of them were very creative indeed, with a large central, top-lit hallway/drawing room from which every other room opened. Although great things can be done in lofts — taking advantage of the height to create light rooms with large views — it is a mistake to look at a bungalow as some form of miniature two-storey house."
One of our members in Rutherglen Heritage Society is fortunate to live in a 1930s bungalow in Rutherglen which retains many of the original period features in the Art Deco style. Our member kindly allowed us to take photos of the interior and told us something of the history of the house.
"The bungalow was built in 1934. The property has been owned and occupied by four generations of the same family. The title deeds show the purchase of the plot in 1933 with permission to build a detached "villa or cottage of a value not less than £750”. This was the first bungalow built on the street. It is the same design as another one I have seen in the Giffnock area."
Left, stained glass ceiling cupola, hallway.
Above, stained glass porthole windows, lounge.
The title deeds to the bungalow show that it was built on land owned at one time by William Gray "late of Blairbeth, sometime goldsmith in Glasgow" and sold to Rutherglen Corporation in 1860 by his surviving Trustees. Gray's father Robert had aquired Blairbeth House in the late 1790s. The Grays ran a highly succesful silversmiths business in Trongate, Glasgow. The owners of Blairbeth began selling off land from the estate for housing development.
Left, red brick fireplace, dining room.
"It was originally a three-bedroom bungalow with all rooms on the ground floor and a maid's room off the kitchen."
Left, stained glass porthole windows, dining room. Although at first sight a matching pair, there are subtle differences in their design.
"The current owners built a staircase into one of the ground floor bedrooms and added two double rooms and shower room upstairs in the former loft space. That was in 1990. The maid's room now serves as a utility room/home office."
Right, detail of the ceiling light fitting, lounge.
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"The kitchen and bathroom were ‘modernised’ in the late 1970s, but all other 1930s features have been retained - dark stained window frames, doors and skirting boards, panelling in the hall, stained glass ‘port hole’ windows in the public rooms, stained glass cupola in the hall, and original light fittings in the lounge, dining room and hall."
Left, ceiling light and cupola, hallway.
"The servants' bell system with push button in each room to summon the maid from the kitchen, worked until the 1980s but sadly the mechanism seems to be jammed now."
Right, servants' bell and display, kitchen.
"The house was warmed by coal fires in the four main rooms and a stove in the kitchen. The stove and one bedroom fireplace were removed in 1976, the other fireplaces remain with original 1930s brickwork or mahogany surround and tiling. The mahogany surround is perhaps the style of the Edwardian age rather than the 1930s. This would be the taste of the first owner who was in her 60s when she had the house built."
Left, fireplace with mahogany wood surround, lounge.
"The house design is spacious and very convenient for family life, with the big central hallway having doors to close off all rooms, making for a peaceful life. The family living quarters are separated off from the smells and noise of the kitchen by a passageway with doors at each end.
One of the best features is the run of deep storage cupboards in this back hall, leading to the kitchen".
Above, storage cupboards, back hall.
Left, central hallway. Natural daylight is admitted through the decorative ceiling cupola.
"There is a useful wall cupboard for pots and pans in the kitchen and a wardrobe built into the corner of the maid’s room for her clothes."
"In the dining room there are two corner display cabinets with glazed doors for showing off the best China and crystal. A glazed door in the dining room led to the garden.
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The conservatory was added by the current owners and was not in the original design. There was a wooden garage for the family car. This was replaced in 1980 by a brick built one. There was a small wood/glass back porch over the back door giving access to a WC and coal store - presumably for the maid's convenience. This was replaced by a larger porch in 1987".
Left, one of two corner display cabinets, dining room.
Above, ceiling light, hallway, illuminated.
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The design of the light fitting in the lounge seems to owe more to the Arts and Crafts style than Art Deco.
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© Rutherglen Heritage Society 2026. ​
Associated article on this website - History of Blairbeth House Click here