Glasgow slum. Woman and children in a slum in Glasgow, UK, in the mid-19th century. This area of housing is Old Vennel, off the High Street in Glasgow. It was taken in 1868 by Scottish photographer Thomas Annan (1829-1887). Annan was commissioned by the City Improvement Trust to document the overcrowded and unsanitary inner-city slums which were scheduled for demolition and reconstruction by an act of Parliament in 1866. According to 'The Old Closes And Streets Of Glasgow' by William Young, the Old Vennel branched eastwards from the High Street, turning south and joining to Gallowgate to the west of Little St Mungo's Church.