Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, where the House for an Art Lover is situated, was the site of the Empire Exhibition 1938.

Towards the exit of the House a digital reconstruction of the Exhibition was on display. This one is from YouTube:-

There was also a small cabinet containing some memorabilia from the Exhibition:-

The memorabilia in the picture are: a toasting fork, a bronze model of the Tower of Empire (Tait’s Tower,) a metal badge in the shape of the Tower, the official Guide to the Exhibition, a glass dish on which there is a season ticket for the Exhibition, the book entitled The Empire Exhibition Fifty Years On and a Birrell’s chocolate box. Presumably the structural engineering company whose plaque is also present had a stand at the Exhibition.

I haven’t done one of these posts featuring postcards from the Empire Exhibition 1938 in a while. The tower was officially known as The Tower of Empire but was dubbed Tait’s Tower after its architect.

A colourised photo of The North Cascade and Tower by Night at the Empire Exhibition 1938:-

Black and White Photo Postcard, North Cascade and Tower:-

A Fountain and Tait’s Tower, Empire Exhibition 1938, with Palace of Engineering:-

I haven’t posted any of these for quite some time.

So here are three views of the North Cascade and Tower at the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, 1938, held in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park.

First one of Brain Gerald’s art-drawn postcards:-

This is a very similar view but is a colourised photograph:-

This one, also a colourised photograph, omits the fountain:-

Brilliant coloured postcards of the South Cascade and Tower by Night at the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, 1938. The A697 code number on the left hand one tells me it is an Art Drawn card by Brian Gerald. The more muted one on the right is to all intents and purposes identical though it is missing the UnionJack on the Tower’s flgapole. Despite its different code number it was also produced by the same postcard company, Valentine’s. I suppose it may have faded over time but on the other hand it may have been printed this way. My copy of it claims to be a real photograph.

Stunning stuff, whatever.

The Tower of Empire (Tait’s Tower) was certainly impressive. More so at night, judging by these.

Another Brian Gerald Art-drawn postcard from the Empire Exhibition Scotland 1938. Pavilions for South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Canada on left with Palace of Engineering at far end:-

Valentine’s sepia postcard of the Dominions and Colonial Avenues at the Empire Exhibition Scotland 1938 featuring fountains, Australian Pavilion and Palace of Engineering:-

Reverse view. Another Valentine’s postcard. Australia and Canada Pavilions to near right, Palace of Industries at far end:-

Valentine’s sepia postcard of Canada Pavilion plus Palace of Engineering at far end. Tower of Empire in background left:-

I haven’t done one of these 1938 Empire Exhibition posts for a while but these are two crackers.

On left the Tower of Empire by Night; a Brian Gerald art-drawn postcard by Valentine’s for the Empire Exhibition, Glasgow 1938.

On the right the South Cascade and Tower by Night, Empire Exhibition 1938: a colourised postcard of the Empire Exhibition, Glasgow, 1938.

The Tower at night must have been wonderful.

Another stunning art-coloured postcard by Brian Gerald from the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, 1938.

Another colourised postcard of Thomas Tait’s Tower of Empire by night, at the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, 1938. (See a previous one here.) This shows off well the illumination of the upper canopies plus has the Moon in the background.

Here are two more of my collection of postcards of the Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938.

The first shows three of the Colonial Pavilions, part of the South African building on left – one of the few “traditional” structures present (rather than the deco/moderne that dominated the Exhibition) – then New Zealand and finally Canada. As ever Thomas Tait’s Tower of Empire is in the background.

This next one is captioned wrongly. It shows the South African and New Zealand Pavilions and not Australia.

The Empire Exhibition of 1938 was well endowed with fountains. The one in this postcard was at the foot of the North Cascade. The Tower of Empire (seen here in the background) was never far from any view in the Exhibition.