Schmap Glasgow Historical Background

Our apologies: your internet browser is not yet fully supported by our Schmap online guides. If you continue, pages in this guide may display or function incorrectly.

Would you like to continue anyway?

Schmap.com supports the following browsers:

Internet Explorer 6 and above
Firefox 1.5 and above
Safari 3 for Pc

MAC

Safari version 1.3 and above
Firefox 2 and above

Glasgow - Historical Background
Download the Schmap Glasgow Guide
With Schmap 2.0 you can:

Browse this Schmap Guide on your PC, online or offline.
View Schmap Guides for 200 worldwide destinations.
Bookmark places of interest, plan trips and take virtual tours.
Custom print your own full-color travel guides.
Publish and share schmapplets with your favorite places
Enjoy many more unique Schmap features.

Glasgow Home
Schmap Glasgow guide and map

Glasgow's name derives from the Gaelic word Ghlaschu – meaning dear, green place. It's generally agreed that the city was founded in the 6th century by St Kentigern, a Christian missionary more commonly known as St Mungo (Mungo means the dear one) who is also Glasgow's patron saint. The 13th century Glasgow Cathedral was supposedly built on the site upon which his settlement's church originally stood. This ground was consecrated in the 4th century by St Ninian.

The city's coat of arms reads:
Here is the Bird that never flew
Here is the Tree that never grew
Here is the Bell that never rang
Here is the Fish that never swam.

It may sound like a riddle, but it's actually based upon miraculous events in the life of St Mungo. The bird represents a robin that he brought back to life after being unfairly blamed for its death. The bell represents one that the Pope gave to him. The tree represents a hazel branch that Mungo ignited after some boys extinguished the holy fire of the monastery in Culross. The fish recalls a time that Mungo came to the rescue of an adulterous queen. King Hael suspected his wife, Queen Langeoreth, of infidelity and his suspicions were not unfounded. He discovered that she had even given her wedding ring to her lover, a knight. Hael secretly took the ring, hurled it into the River Clyde and demanded that his flighty wife produce it. At a loss, Langeoreth asked her lover for help. He confessed all to St Mungo, who bid him catch a salmon from the Clyde and lo and behold, the ring was in the mouth of the fish.

The city's motto is "Lord let Glasgow flourish through the preaching of thy word and praising of thy name". Sadly, there are no good stories associated with it, and it's usually shortened to the much snappier "Let Glasgow Flourish".

William Wallace Defeats the English

Glasgow became a Burgh in 1175 when King William the Lionheart signed a charter. Another William who played a part in the city's history was William "Braveheart" Wallace, who was born in the village of Elderslie in Renfrewshire. At the start of the 14th century, Wallace trounced the English in a battle which was waged where the top end of High Street is nowadays.

The Founding of Glasgow University

In 1451 Glasgow University was founded, it's the fourth oldest in the UK and the second oldest in Scotland. St Andrews came first. The original site was in High Street, but it was re-located to Gilmorehill in 1870. In 1490, an archbishopric was established and Glasgow was consequently granted city status.

Eighteenth-Century Prosperity

It was as a port town that the city's trade began to flourish. In 1707 the Treaty of Union with England prepared the way for a growth in overseas trade, especially with the colonies. The Treaty was met with great resistance by the people of Glasgow who resented any alliance with the "auld enemy", even if it was to their benefit. Glasgow imported goods such as tobacco, rum, sugar and cotton from the Americas. Many of these imports were promptly re-exported to France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Norway. Fortunes were made, but they were in danger of being lost again as the American War of Independence loomed. Luckily for the city, many of the merchants were far-sighted enough to diversify before it was too late. With the development of a super-charged steam engine by Greenock-born James Watt in the 18th century, Glasgow turned its attentions to the textile industry and started to build cotton mills. The Industrial Revolution had begun.

The Industrial Revolution

Glasgow then went on to shipbuilding and by 1835 it was responsible for half the tonnage of steam ships produced in Britain. It's from this economically powerful period that much of the city's magnificent architecture springs. The shipbuilding legacy lived on into the 1900s. The Cunard Shipping Line was established here and famous transatlantic liners like the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, QE2 and the Royal Yacht Britannia were all built at Clydebank. As was The Waverley, the last ocean-going paddle steamer in the world, which was built by A & J Inglis in 1947.

Railway lines to Garnkirk (1831) and Edinburgh (1842), in addition to the Caledonian Railway (1845), boosted both Glasgow's productivity and population further. There was a huge influx of Irish immigrants escaping from the potato famine of the 1840s as well as Highlanders, all in need of work and shelter. By the mid-19th century the population of Glasgow had reached 420,000. As with most cities experiencing such a boom in their working-class population, housing was built cheaply and inadequately resulting in a proliferation of slums. Nonetheless, Glasgow had the best water supply in the UK, thanks to pipes from Loch Katrine in the Trossachs. Glasgow's water is still piped from this source today.

At the end of the 19th century, Glasgow decided it was time to show off a little. The International Exhibition was held in 1888 in Kelvingrove Park and again in 1901, when Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was opened as part of the celebrations. The underground network had opened in 1896 so travel around the city was easier than ever before, despite its expanding boundaries. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928), a local designer and architect, is responsible for many of the private homes and public buildings which sprang up around this time, as well as influencing the development of art nouveau across Europe. Glasgow got the chance to showcase its treasures again in 1938, when the Empire Exhibition was held in Bellahouston Park.

Modern Times

After World War II, the city's population dropped dramatically as people moved away from the hustle and bustle of Central Glasgow out to new towns on the outskirts with a less industrial atmosphere. The unemployment rate was high and morale was low, the city was suffering under harsh economic conditions and the industries of old, which had brought Glasgow such prosperity, were no longer viable. In the 1980s, the city cleaned up its act (and its streets) and set out to reclaim its reputation as "Second City" of the much depleted Empire. A smart promotion campaign, in addition to the opening of prestigious attractions such as The Burrell Collection (1983), the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (1985) and Princes Square (1987) kept Glasgow in the public consciousness. The city honed new skills in tourism and service industries, leading to its role as host to the National Garden Festival in 1988, a major coup.

Glasgow is now Scotland's largest city. The fact that it was Europe's City of Culture in 1990 and UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999 shows that it is enjoying a resurgence of cultural identity, something reflected in the city's vibrant feel as it begins the 21st century with excitement, pride and optimism.

Copyright 1999-2005 Wcities, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contact Wcities

Bellahouston Park

Artistic stroll

16 Dumbreck Road
Glasgow G41 5BW
United Kingdom
+44 141 427 0558

This lovely urban park, established in 1895, is not only home to the Mackintosh House for an Art Lover and an excellent Leisure Centre - it is also a very attractive area to visit and covers 175 acres. In 1938, the Empire Exhibition celebrating art and industry was held here and the Pope visited in 1982. If the weather's good, take a picnic, otherwise, take an umbrella.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: jo donaldson

Photo: Dale Self

Bellahouston Park photo by Evelyn McCall

Photo: Evelyn McCall

Bellahouston Park photo by Christy Scott

Photo: Christy Scott

Bellahouston Park photo by Stewart Fullerton

Photo: Stewart Fullerton

Bellahouston Park photo by Rosanne Haaland

Photo: Rosanne Haaland

Bellahouston Park photo by TrueBlueRanger

Photo: TrueBlueRanger

Photo: summerseal

Photo: John R.

Burrell Collection

Burrell's gift to Glasgow 2060 Pollokshaws Road
(Pollok Park)
Glasgow G43 1AT
United Kingdom
+44 141 287 2550 In 1944, Sir William Burrell gifted the city with his obsessive stockpile of art treasures, all of which were amassed during his prodigious lifetime. There is an amazing array of impressionist works, Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts, china from various Chinese dynasties, European tapestries, armour, furniture and church art. Pride of place goes to the Warwick Vase, a large, restored Roman urn that was once the property of Emperor Hadrian. Overall, the complex and its riches have to rank as Glasgow's cultural pièce de résistance.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Dionne Rennie
Photo: John Robertson
Photo: Paradasos
Photo: Robert Watt
Photo: Zen Zero
Photo: Robert Watt
Photo: pedantka
Photo: Meredith Warren

Photo: David M. Axler
Photo: cosmicsmudge
Photo: Wenfei Tong
Photo: Michael McDonald
Photo: jacqui
Photo: Kelly Krueger
Photo: Angus Crossley
Photo: rute gonçalves

Photo: petersb
Photo: b_positive
Photo: louweeez

Glasgow Cathedral

Medieval landmark Castle Street
Glasgow G4 0RH
United Kingdom
+44 141 552 8819 In 543 AD, Glasgow's patron saint St Mungo founded this cathedral on the site of a Christian burial ground. It is Scotland's oldest medieval church and now houses the Church of Scotland. The first stone church on this site was established in 1136 by Bishop Achaius and King David I, but was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1197. The present building is in the Gothic "First Pointed" style and dates from the 13th century. Bishop William de Bondington (1233-1258) supervised the initial work but the cathedral was not completed until 200 years later. Approximately 550 years ago, Glasgow University was founded in the sacristy of the upper church, which also houses the nave and choir, while in the suitably solemn lower church you can visit the shrine of St Mungo.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: vmabney
Photo: Lady Labobo
Photo: Mary Endicott
Photo: Gary Menzies-Browne
Photo: Gordon McLean
Photo: Bonnie Mattson
Photo: Pawel Wojciechowski
Photo: Ewan Harwood

Photo: choctadpole
Photo: Mike Work
Photo: laura whittamore
Photo: Vicky
Photo: Narasimman Jayaraman
Photo: Maximo Cabeza
Photo: Gina Pensiero
Photo: Sigrun Olafsdottir

Photo: Maria Morell
Photo: DiscoNick
Photo: S. Stojanovic
Photo: lentodolce
Photo: garzhia
Photo: joolsbanana
Photo: jaybird85
Photo: Maria Tarnavskaya

Photo: Irene Biasioli
Photo: Theresa
Photo: Oxford Andy
Photo: Robert Weir
Photo: Trond Kjetil Bremnes
Photo: pokster
Photo: Jeremy Tapsell
Photo: Erin Ferguson

Photo: mrchancer
Photo: Pat and Amy's pics
Photo: Giang Hoang
Photo: Katie Farrar
Photo: df82
Photo: Aurimas Mikalauskas

Glasgow University

Gothic revival University Avenue
Glasgow G12 8QQ
United Kingdom
+44 141 330 5511
http://www.gla.ac.uk/ Admire the Gothic Revival style of the main campus building here, also known as the Gilbert Scott Building, in honour of the architect responsible. The university itself was founded in 1451 by Bishop Turnbull, in the sacristy of Glasgow Cathedral, and the original site was on High Street. Unfortunately, the old college building was destroyed in 1870, when the campus moved to Gilmorehill in the west end, but Gilbert Scott's impressive gables, turrets and cloisters are well worth a look. If you take a tour, you can climb to the top of the 91m high central tower and enjoy one of the best views of the city available. Guided tours start at the visitor centre, which has an exhibition on the university, a cafe and a shop. Tours: 2pm Mon-Sat. Adults £2, concs £1

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Petra Bos
Photo: Victoria Catterson
Photo: Colin Arthur
Photo: Olivia Klonaris
Photo: Simon Bishop
Photo: Iain Cochrane
Photo: Chor Ip
Photo: Annierib

Photo: Chris Saunter
Photo: FionaMargaret
Photo: Stuart MacKay
Photo: Maria P
Photo: Emma Boyd
Photo: Craig Hunter
Photo: marktimmphotography
Photo: Paddy McCann

Photo: Andy Stuart
Photo: Richard Janssen
Photo: Cameron Yule
Photo: Nils Wiese
Photo: David Mackay
Photo: Esther Majadas
Photo: Nigel Swales
Photo: Buana Girisuta

Photo: Philippe sergent
Photo: gail mcleary
Photo: Stuart Mowat
Photo: Deemer2404
Photo: Hugh Nicolson
Photo: Andrey Dorokhov
Photo: tonecasblog
Photo: Wynn...

Photo: ruthdeleavey
Photo: iolaire
Photo: Andrew Levey
Photo: Duncan Mclean
Photo: Zamush
Photo: Heather
Photo: Margreet Vermeulen
Photo: Mallika Veeramalai

Photo: mattscat
Photo: S. Skinner
Photo: Michael Huang

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Imposing but fun museum Argyle Street
Glasgow G3 8AG
United Kingdom
+44 (0)141 276 9599 Kelvingrove Gallery was built to house the 1901 International Exhibition. This red sandstone building still provokes strong reactions today and most people in Glasgow either decidedly love it or loathe it. According to local legend, the gallery was built back to front by mistake, but this is just a myth—it was intended to face the river rather than the road. The collection within ranges from local historical art to Rodin sculptures, natural history specimens of varying interest and a Storm Trooper costume from the original Star Wars films. Admission is free. In 2007 a major remodel was completed, making Kelvingrove even more of a must see Glasgow attraction than is was before. There are exciting new exhibitions, with a special emphasis on involving youngsters, so bring the whole family and head on down for a fun filled educational visit.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Jack de Koning
Photo: Jeremy Bailey
Photo: Roseanne McDonald
Photo: Clayton Calk
Photo: Mark Andrew Turner
Photo: Janice Banser
Photo: Scott Rennie
Photo: ROSAS EN EL MAR

Photo: wape
Photo: Craig Rodway
Photo: Miguel Angelo
Photo: Chris Naef
Photo: clawson1
Photo: Iain Frazer
Photo: Wong Yeuk Yue
Photo: Sandwick

Photo: Helen Pownall
Photo: Zeeshan Kazmi
Photo: Damien Choizit
Photo: Walter Kyle
Photo: Claire Mullan
Photo: lemon_topping too
Photo: Jason & Megan Mills
Photo: Ann McKelvie

Photo: Ross McQueenie
Photo: Alex Gilbert
Photo: Gordon McKerracher
Photo: Neil Armstrong
Photo: Colin Whiteside
Photo: Neil Foster
Photo: Jamie Neely
Photo: Chris

Photo: Jane Thomas
Photo: Corey Campbell
Photo: estefanía Berga

Kelvingrove Park

Monumental retreat Otago Street
Glasgow, Lanarkshire G12 8JN
United Kingdom
+44 141 334 6363 This restful 85 acre park is roughly bordered by Sauchiehall Street, Woodlands Road and Kelvin Way. Named after the River Kelvin, which runs through it, the park was laid out in 1852 by Sir Joseph Paxton and contains many monuments to Glaswegian chiefs including Lord Kelvin. The huge fountain is a memorial to a 19th century Lord Provost of Glasgow. Enjoy the attractive trees, greenery and sculptures. Kelvingrove Park is the setting for many events during the West End Festival, and is popular with film-makers. Admission is free.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Kevin McCormick
Photo: Rich Ford
Photo: Nicky Glenn
Photo: Sarah Gerity
Photo: Nick Dastoor
Photo: paperScissors
Photo: Mistapurple
Photo: Russell Kyle

Photo: Stuart Meldrum
Photo: Bart Sedgwick
Photo: Andrea Heins
Photo: Andrew Mackay
Photo: Squigster
Photo: kevin m.
Photo: Susan Connachan
Photo: Akhila Vijayaraghava

Photo: Emeric Heydel
Photo: Victoria Kochowski
Photo: Mark Snowden
Photo: Craig Wilson
Photo: Beth Young
Photo: Rebecca Slaven
Photo: Stephen Wales
Photo: Emily Dafferner

Photo: Shawn Haswell
Photo: Emily North
Photo: Eilidh Anderson
Photo: Auchentorlie
Photo: Gitte F
Photo: Gitte F
Photo: daft_club2k7
Photo: Michelle Jamieson

Photo: Andrew Dobbie
Photo: indicopleustes
Photo: Allan Shaw
Photo: maceymonkey
Photo: Scott Sealy
Photo: angela.gardiner
Photo: Anna Brock
Photo: Kathy Lieburn

Princes Square

Art nouveau setting 48 Buchanan Street
Glasgow G1 3JX
United Kingdom
+44 141 204 1685
http://www.princessquare.co.uk/ Princes Square is easily the most favoured and famous shopping centre in Glasgow - probably because of its high-quality shops and art nouveau surroundings. The stylish cafes, bars and restaurants also prove a potent draw and are all open until midnight. The building dates from 1841, although the original architect (John Baird) would recognise little in the modern interior, which boasts a glass ceiling and elevators as well as lavishly ornate ironwork and a grand staircase. When you tire of looking around the five floors of shops, many of which cannot be found elsewhere in Scotland, relax with a coffee and admire the mosaics, fountain and Foucault Pendulum.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Ailsa Partridge
Photo: Martin Burns
Photo: Christopher Porter
Photo: Ian Morrison
Photo: Michael Eckrich-Neubauer
Photo: Ruuy Lestrade
Photo: Adam Crew
Photo: Rosa Gudjonsdottir

Photo: Rayan 'Jungleboy'
Photo: Helen Alderson
Photo: Christopher Hunter
Photo: Bennie Torrance
Photo: Claire Bain
Photo: Mark Christian
Photo: Christopher Anderson
Photo: fivecats

Photo: ireneintheworld
Photo: www.nikwatt.co.uk
Photo: fraran
Photo: Christie Maddock
Photo: ireneintheworld
Photo: Devin Connolly

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC)

Enormous multi-purpose venue Myres View
Glasgow G3 8YW
United Kingdom
+44 (0)141 248 3000
http://www.secc.co.uk/ The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre is an enormous venue, spanning 64 acres on the banks of the River Clyde, and accessible via its own low-level train station. With over 22,000 square meters of usable space, it hosts concerts, exhibitions and conferences of all sizes, like the Autumn Ideal Home Show. It also welcomes circuses, fun-fairs and a host of other one-off entertainment events. Its distinctive armadillo building (officially called the Clyde Auditorium) is an incredible feat of architecture and a credit to Glasgow. It seats 3,000, is fully-equipped and boasts impeccable acoustics. Alternatively, the SECC can cater for a capacity of up to 10,000 in another of its halls or a smaller affair of 600 in the more intimate Lomond suite. There are restaurants, a hotel, business centers, a bank and medical services available. There is almost nothing that cannot be done here - except have a look around the armadillo if you are not attending an event there.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Shahbaz Majeed
Photo: Euan Fraser
Photo: C. Fraser-Hopewell
Photo: Catriana McKie
Photo: Jonathan Baldwin
Photo: Mark Loveridge
Photo: Wiyono Aten
Photo: Soerenoerensen

Photo: Samantha Dooey
Photo: Andrew Levey
Photo: Middernachtzon
Photo: Susan McGinty
Photo: Auberjon
Photo: Jon Stockton
Photo: Graeme Warren
Photo: imhara

Photo: euphbass
Photo: Jeremy Hall