An 'empty' in Glasgow normally means there's a party to be had, but we know of one such dwelling where the last guests were thrown out long ago.
Nestled in a leafy corner of the west end sits 1016 Great Western Road. Once a vibrant home to a well know local GP, but now a decrepit shell, its decay has long been a topic of conversation in the area.
The derelict building, which is just a stones throw from Nuffield Hospital, was owned by a Dr K. Sweeney who was the go-to practitioner for many of the nearby residents.
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It is unclear when the property on the West End street was abandoned but it was last pictured with occupants living there in 2008 on Google Maps before the whitewashed windows appeared in 2012.
However, it could have been abandoned well before then.
Writing on the Lost Glasgow Facebook group, one local said: "Me and my mates used to pass it every day when we were in school on our lunch breaks
"That was a good while ago now but I always thought it could fix up pretty well
"It looked like that during my school days so I think it was abandoned before 2012."
Others recalled how the house was in far better shape when Dr Sweeney owned it.
One of his former patients wrote: "I think that could have been a Dr Sweeney's house, I used to deliver papers there and he was also our family doctor."
Another agreed: "I think you are right I remember Dr Sweeny, he was my doctor and I vaguely remember going there once in the early 1960s."
Rumours about the property, which has been lying vacant and boarded up now for more than a decade, have been swirling around the local area for years. Some say it was to be sold off or demolished, but a family fallout has resulted in the building being left to rot.
A curious commenter said: "I could never understand why it was lying derelict for so long. I thought maybe the owner had died and no one to pass onto. It’s always a conversation starter when waiting at the bus stop at Gartnavel Hospital."
So was there a family feud that led to the downfall of the house? Did the property hold a ghastly secret? Speculation is rife.
The true answer is not quite the Hollywood blockbuster tale you were probably hoping for. It's understood that the most recent owners have been looking to demolish the building and its detached garage to make space for a block of flats.
In fact, plans to level the property have been mooted for at least 15 years. Initially proposals to replace the building with a modern house and a double garage were given the go-ahead in 2007.
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These plans hit a major snag, however, when the warrant to demolish the property expired. A renewed effort to construct a new abode on the site was again approved by the local authority in 2009 but nothing came of it.
The property was all set to be razed to the ground in 2014, but yet again it stayed standing. In 2019 another proposal was given the thumbs up but it once again failed.
As recently as last August plans were granted by the council to construct new flats on the land, but who is to say whether anything will come of it.
The saga of 1016 Great Western Road isn't over and it may never come to end, but one thing's for sure: this resilient home certainly has a story to tell.
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