Explosives brought about the end of an era

The �500,000 explosion shook the Castlemilk area as another landmark on the city's skyline vanished in a cloud of dust.

It took 22 seconds and 300 kilos of explosives to reduce the tower blocks to 62,000 tonnes of rubble.

They were built in 1965, at a cost of about �2m, to house 570 families.

However, a decision was taken three years ago to knock them down because of how housing needs had changed.

I was going to Mass one Sunday and there was a body lying outside the general grocers Former resident

Crowds turned out to see the flats being razed to the ground and there was a mixture of emotions.

One onlooker said: "I knew one lady who lived here for 23 years and she really misses it."

But another did not share such fond memories: "All the flats were cold. There were icicles inside the windows. You woke up with your head frozen at the top.

"I was going to Mass one Sunday morning and there was a body lying outside the general grocers.

"It was right on from there that we heard different ones had committed suicide."