A district comprising a social housing scheme in NW Glasgow, Wyndford is located to the southeast of Maryhill and 2 miles (3 km) northwest of the city centre, on elevated ground between the River Kelvin and the Forth & Clyde Canal. The area is dominated by four tower blocks on Wyndford Road, each built in 1964, comprising 26 storeys, 150 flats and reaching a height of 74m (243 feet). There were also five 15-storey blocks, three 7-storey blocks, three and four-storey courtyard housing, two primary schools, a nursery school and several shops. Built between 1961 and 1969, at an estimated to cost £4 million, the scheme was the work of Ernest Buteux (1914 - 2000), Chief Technical Officer of the Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA). It was intended to provide a mix of properties which could be matched to different types of household; namely families with children, young couples, single people and the elderly. In total, there are 1900 properties, some now in private ownership, with the others managed by the Cube Housing Association.
The estate occupied the 22-ha / 55-acre site of the old Maryhill Barracks, which opened in 1872, accommodating an infantry regiment, a cavalry unit and a battery of field artillery. Regiments based here included the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Highland Light Infantry and Scots Greys. The Nazi leader Rudolf Hess was held here for a short time after his solo flight to Scotland in 1941. The barracks closed in 1960 and the buildings were demolished, but the outer wall was retained as a feature to provide a boundary to the estate.
Initially, this was a popular place to live, with the tower blocks offering fine views over the city. However, by the 1980s it had gained social problems and a 'hard-edged' reputation. The area appeared regularly as a backdrop in ITV's detective series Taggart.
The estate benefits from a £27 million district heating scheme which was commissioned in 2012. This comprises a 1200 kW CHP engine and a thermal store with a capacity of 120,000 litres, with three 4500kW gas boilers providing backup and peak-load heat requirements.
In 2023, plans to demolish the tower blocks were opposed by residents and several notable architects on the basis of their historical importance, together with the waste and environmental damage.
