iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 28/09/2026

Introducing my new side web project: PlaceExplorer.org - UK-wide neighbourhood stats & open heritage data in one place. Explore IMD, community need & historic buildings - for funding applications or curiosity. Free for non-commercial use. More info: www.linkedin.com/pulse/introd...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 01/09/2026

A busy day so far at the @dtascotland.bsky.social conference - lots of conversations & learning about projects & organisations. Andrew Hitches-Davies & I are around the rest of today and most of tomorrow so come speak to to find out what @archhfund.org.uk can offer your project! #DTAS26

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 31/08/2026

Come join me & my @archhfund.org.uk colleague Andrew at @dtascotland.bsky.social conference in Glasgow on Tues & Weds this week - we’ll be at Table 3 in the marketplace, happy to talk all things community-led regeneration, grant funding & social investment. Look out for our logo & come say hello…

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 29/08/2026

Having to wear hard hats today while we gave a @ScottishCinemas.org talk was a first for us! Little did we know after our first visit to photograph the Broadway Prestwick in 2005 that we’d be back more than 20 years later to see real film projected on its big screen once again! Go visit!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 09/07/2026

Plus I did manage to visit a couple of interesting old cinemas too - with the lovingly restored Plaza Stockport also being an AHF-supported project! Major contrast to the Longford Essoldo in Stretford which is sadly still long-term empty.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 09/07/2026

A great couple of days down in Manchester with @archhfund.org.uk colleagues - useful meetings, inspiring projects and stunning historic buildings of a wide variety of styles and ages!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 04/07/2026

At last - the 1988 show! The dedicated book the Glasgow Garden Festival always deserved is finally here thanks to a huge amount of work from @lexlambwrites.bsky.social Glad to have been a wee part of this through the @glasgowgardenfestival.org team. Get your own copy here: gardenfestivalbook.com

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 24/06/2026

Well that’s a view I’ve not seen in a long time…

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 24/06/2026

Tonight!* A Special Presentation - For One Night Only! Glasgow’s Cinema Experiment! A @westfest.bsky.social illustrated heritage lecture about the history of cinema buildings including Glasgow’s Wonder Cinema! Kelvin Hall, 7pm, Free & unticketed *if you’re seeing this on Weds 24th

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 23/06/2026

I’m giving a cinemas talk this Weds evening at 7pm at the Kelvin Hall, part of the @westfest.bsky.social heritage lecture strand organised by the indomitable Ann Laird. Free and unticketed as they correctly deduced no one will pay to see me give a similar cinemas talk once again! 🙂

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 22/06/2026

At @archhfund.org.uk we’ve invested over £43m in Scotland with grants & loans, supporting 600+ historic building projects. As our #AHF50 anniversary celebrations move on to Wales, here’s a chance to catch up with all 16 weeks of Scottish Project of the Week highlights: ahfund.org.uk/anniversary/

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 16/06/2026

I want ‘U’ in to hear about Glasgow’s Cinema Experiment in a newly updated, fully illustrated @scottishcinemas.org heritage talk - part of this year’s @westfest.bsky.social Heritage Talks - at the Kelvin Hall Lecture Theatre on Weds 24th June at 7pm. Free & Unticketed! westfest.uk/event/herita...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 10/06/2026

At Scottish Historic Environment Forum #SHEF2026 today in Glasgow: Jo and I were manning a table in Connections Space & making plenty of connections while @memckeague.bsky.social was also on the panel about Economic & Creative renewal - a topic close to the heart of us here at @archhfund.org.uk !

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 03/06/2026

This is Aberdeen’s C-listed @belmontcinema.bsky.social First showing films in 1898, it is now being revived as city’s only community-led independent cinema, education centre & café bar. @archhfund.org.uk helped with an #HESsupported grant in 2024 to help develop sustainable plans for its future.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 01/06/2026

Visiting Aberdeen’s Cat B-listed Wallace Tower today. Built c.1600 in city centre, moved to Seaton Park in 1960s, & now restored after nearly 30 years of dereliction by Tillydrone Community Development Trust. @archhfund.org.uk supported project with William Grant Foundation grants in 2023 & 2025.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 29/05/2026

Splashing news: Tarlair Lido among this year’s RIAS award winners! @archhfund.org.uk supported Friends of Tarlair with #HESsupported grant for plans to regenerate this remarkable Cat A-listed complex. No swimming yet but café’s scones and sea views well worth the trip! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 26/05/2026

In Gourock, CR are already up and running in the B-listed Old Library Annex, now a welcoming space offering range of extracurricular STEAM activities for young people & adults. AHF helped with an #HESsupported PVG to get specialist conservation advice on repairs for the somewhat weathered facade!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 26/05/2026

In Greenock, Creative Regeneration have just taken ownership of the former Glebe building, prominent B-listed former sugar warehouse, with plans to regenerate it as a community learning space and creative hub. AHF have helped with an #HESsupported viability & dev grants towards design team costs.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 26/05/2026

In Port Glasgow, Parklea Branching Out are developing plans supported by William Grant Foundation funded AHF viability grant to restore an 1850s farm cottage & store as a welcoming new hub & community space to complement their work supporting people with additional support needs through horticulture

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 26/05/2026

Yesterday’s bank holiday was a great day for a sunny work trip downriver to visit some Inverclyde-based projects @archhfund.org.uk has been supporting. Three projects of very different scales and at different points, but all extremely inspiring!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 24/05/2026

Lovely wander along Bo’ness foreshore yesterday- some excellent bricks spotted! Could this partial circular brick structure be a surviving part of base of chimney from Carriden Colliery visible on OS maps & in Trove pic? Location fits at least! Interesting area to do some industrial archaeology…

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 21/05/2026

Glasgow folks! Come see me giving a brand new (*) heritage lecture on Glasgow’s Cinema Experiment at 7pm on 24th June at the Kelvin Hall - absolutely free and unticketed as part of WestFest 2026. (*) Contains approximately 7% new material compared to previous talks. westfest.uk/event/herita...

WESTFEST 2026 PRESENTS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRIENDS OF GLASGOW WEST
A SCOTTISHCINEMAS.ORG PRODUCTION
GLASGOWS
CINEMA
EXPERIMENT
AN ILLUSTRATED HERITAGE TALK ON
GLASGOW'S PAST, PRESENT AND POSSIBLE CINEMA BUILDINGS
24TH JUNE @7:00PM
KELVIN HALL LECTURE THEATRE
STARTS 7PM | DOORS 6.45PM | FREE ENTRY ARRIVE EARLY TO BE SURE OF A SEAT!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 19/05/2026

Can't believe it's been exactly 20 years (!) of 'milking it' since the late, great Andy Parkin and I did an exclusive photoshoot for the Times Higher Educational Supplement to promote our 'Chem-moo-stry' cow - part of the Edinburgh CowParade - that helped to promote Scottish Chemistry research!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 15/05/2026

I do enjoy being quoted with a good pun in a press release:🔥 "Like the historic boilers, I’m all fired up to see these exciting plans coming together … different spaces creating new usable & sustainable spaces for both visitors & local community” @archhfund.org.uk www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-co...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 08/05/2026

It's not often I get to be a pin-up for a construction news focussed website, but Project Scotland have a nice feature on the Scotland leg of our travelling @archhfund.org.uk 50th Anniversary exhibition- on now at the Briggait until May 16th, so do pop in for a look! projectscot.com/2026/05/glas...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 04/05/2026

It’s a lovely day - if you’re in Glasgow why not pop in to see our @archhfund.org.uk 50th Exhibition at the Briggait. I can testify that the kids activity sheets work well to distract them while you get a chance to read up on a huge variety of fantastic projects from all over!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 01/05/2026

It's a terrible thing having a face for radio when the radio starts recording pictures! 🙂 Anyway, if you’re in Glasgow in the next 2 weeks go see our snazzy new exhibition at the Briggait, celebrating 50 years of @archhfund.org.uk ! www.instagram.com/reel/DXy0Vp1...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 12/04/2026

The Lyceum was pretty interesting inside too- very unique building. Plus of course the genius of its entirely fake show facade! Charles Mckean describing it in the Scottish 30s: “It seems, therefore, that by the time of the War, the cinema was indeed about to achieve its true architectural form”

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 10/04/2026

The inside of it is pretty cool as well…(pics from trip up it I made back in 2017)

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 10/04/2026

Nice to be able to be part of a rare counter example to Betteridge’s Law of Headlines! Our upcoming exhibition celebrating 50 years of @archhfund.org.uk is opening for its Scottish focused leg in Glasgow at the Briggait soon! www.heraldscotland.com/news/2599811...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 03/04/2026

Well that’s beautifully surreal - the two 1960s lost episodes of Doctor Who found & returned by @filmisfabulous.bsky.social now sharing the “new and trending” space on iPlayer with Gladiators!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 12/03/2026

Knockers. London Spitalfields.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 11/03/2026

Lifelong achievement unlocked: attending a recording of a TV show tonight at the iconic BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London. Not only that, it was TC3, where much of 20th Century Dr Who was recorded from William Hartnell right through to Sylvester McCoy. Very exciting! QI was also good.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 10/03/2026

Do you mean this in blue? It’s the structure that supported the giant LED screen where the Barrs Irn Bru advert used to be; there’s video footage of it falling off in the fire.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 10/03/2026

In aftermath of Glasgow Union St fire, interesting to compare with historic Goad fire insurance maps (NLS). The one remaining structure within building envelope is clearly remains of the ‘stone stairs’; & note thankfully clear thick wall separation between it and adjacent buildings!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 09/01/2026

Good advice spotted in Glasgow earlier today.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 07/01/2026

Upcoming @scottishcinemas.org Talk! Me & Gary Painter are giving our illustrated double-act talk about Glasgow cinema - both the old buildings & the city itself on screen - for @glasgowheritage.bsky.social on Feb 25. Unfortunately sold out already but let them know if any demand for an encore!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 05/01/2026

Watching the finale of Stranger Things, it’s good to see the Duffer Brothers were clearly inspired to film the Dimension X / Abyss alien landscape scenes to pay homage to the great Doctor Who story City of Death, written by Douglas Adams and filmed at BBC Television centre in 1979.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 08/12/2025

Quite a few references in this book!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 08/12/2025

Quite a few references in this book!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 22/10/2025

Lovely morning for a trip down to Millport, and good to see the historic Crocodile Rock looking good!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 16/09/2025

They also do most excellent merchandise!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 11/09/2025

Not a bad view to wake up to.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 31/08/2025

Maybe that explains the “contains product placement” message that comes up at the start of each episode on P+ this season! (at least in the UK!) 😂

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 10/08/2025

Pretty cool to get a wave from the current actual Spider-Man within minutes of getting off the train into Glasgow city centre today.

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 07/08/2025

Achievement unlocked - utilising a historic pissoir while on holiday in Stockholm. It’s situated behind the Nobel museum! www.atlasobscura.com/places/kalla...

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 07/08/2025

Just back from my holidays to discover this fantastic new book by @jonmelville.bsky.social on my doorstep - I was lucky enough to read a prerelease version & Kermit is looking forward to getting stuck into the actual published book of Rainbow Connections - Volume 1!

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Gordon Barr @gordonbarr.scot · 15/07/2025

They appear to have made it to Linlithgow as well…

Warning: Illegally Parked Cars Will be removed by tractor beam.

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