Egyptian Halls: What does the future hold for historic Glasgow building after 40 years of decay

Upper floors were abandoned in the early 1980s and The Egyptian Halls have been on the Buildings at Risk register since 1990. Despite numerous attempts to find some sort of solution to the legal and technical wranglings that have plagued Thomson’s masterpiece, the buildings upper floors are still empty and decaying.

It was built in 1872 as a grand and imposing department store, bazaar and exhibition rooms, commissioned by iron manufacturer James Henderson Robertson. It’s magnificence is currently hidden behind scaffolding that has been in place for over 15 years, which the council says "is not being used to facilitate repairs, conversion or maintenance or serving any structural need, and is causing environmental, social and economic blight".

The building's upper floors are privately owned by Dundee businessman Derek Souter. A consortium led by publisher The List magazine are keen are keen to redevelop the historic building as a food market and hotel.

When this overture was rebuffed by Souter, Glasgow City Council made the decision to begin the process for a Compulsory Purchase Order, a legal mechanism that would free the building for development. A previous attempt to use a CPO was carried out in 1996. Cllr Ruairi Kelly, SNP, the council’s convener for built heritage, propsed the order, saying: “The Egyptian Halls are an architectural treasure of national importance right in the heart of our city.

“Yet the pursuit of solutions leading to its repair and restoration have dragged on for decades. While there remains no indication of a viable plan coming forward from the building’s owners, the concern is the Halls continue to deteriorate. What councillors are being asked is whether the time is right for the city council to look at how we use the CPO powers to acquire the halls.

“CPOs can be lengthy and complex legal processes but this would be the first major step towards the repair and reuse of this beautiful building, bringing part of Glasgow’s heritage back into city life, with so many positive impacts for our city centre.”

Mr Souter said the new CPO would "wipe out 27 years of private sector investment”. The council said: "No applications for planning permission for reuse have been submitted by the current owners since 2012, and two recent engineering reports state that the continued decline in the overall building fabric has arisen through a prolonged lack of occupation and ongoing maintenance."

A prospectus for the redevelopment opportunity was produced last year with the council inviting ideas for how to save an architectural treasure. The List magazine CEO Sheri Friers told me last year: “The List is working closely with Glasgow City Council and a number of organisations to deliver something special for the city of Glasgow which brings the best of Scotland's food and drink together and restores the A-Listed Egyptian Halls.”

In March 2025, structural engineers reported that the building’s condition is continuing to decline and a defective building notice was served, requiring repairs to be carried out.

Should the compulsory purchase order now be granted, the stage is set for a historic comeback for one of Glasgow’s most important buildings.

Scott Abercrombie, Associate Director of John Gilbert Architects with specific responsibility for conservation work, undertakes voluntary work with the Alexander Thomson Society and Glasgow Institute of Architects. He visited The Egyptian Halls and took these photographs of the faded grandeur that lies within.