In the 1920s, the city of Glasgow boasted some hundred cinemas. One of the principal Scottish exhibitors of the day was Green's of Glasgow. Several years earlier, the Green family had found it cheaper to make their own films which were then shown in their cinemas.  The family founded Green’s Film Service, proposing the distribution of film to other exhibitors.  The company quickly grew prosperous and in 1917, launched itself into film production and newsreels. As the first title card of the film indicates, it was the cameramen employed by the company who recorded these now-historic images on 7 July 1925.

As reported in the local press, the fire brigade was called to the Kelvin Hall which was in flames!  Designed by architect Robert James Walker (1867-1946) and built in 1917, during the First World War, this temporary building served as a reception area for great exhibits and international fairs. Constructed mainly of wood, the building burned fiercely, filling the entire neighbourhood with thick smoke. The heat of the inferno damaged several nearby houses, exploding their windows. The whole neighbourhood was rapidly evacuated. The tarred felt roof of the building sent ashes and sparks up into the air.

The church, located about three hundred metres away also caught fire. It was home to two congregations: College Church and Kelvingrove Church. The sad irony was that some time ago, a fire ravaged the first parish, which the second has ever since accommodated.

Green's Film Service records in this film a historic event for the city of Glasgow - one of its most devastating fires. Although the church disappeared, Kelvin Hall was reconstructed in 1927 and transformed into a sports arena in the 1980s. In 2011, it was once again damaged by a minor fire.

The original music for this film was composed by Pierre Oberkampf in 2011 in the context of the call for proposals launched in partnership with the Sacem (Société des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs de musique – Society of authors, composers and music editors).