Glasgow

GLASGOW

Glasgow appears in FTHM Issue 81

Glasgow is the second city in Scotland (its name is Brittonic in origin) and is the most populous city. It began as a small settlement on the River Clyde and grew to be one of the main places for transatlantic trade involving the West Indies and North America. It is thought that a Christian missionary called Saint Mungo actually founded Glasgow in the 6th century when he established a church on Molendinar Burn which is where the present Glasgow Cathedral stands.

Communities have been based around the River Clyde for millennia as it was a natural location for fishing. The Romans constructed outposts in the area and built the Antonine Wall to prevent Brittonic speaking Caledonians from attacking Roman Britannia. Interestingly, items from the wall and other Roman artefacts have been discovered in the area which can now be found in the Hunterian Museum. 

Wealth was initially generated in the Glasgow area through brewing, fishing and agriculture and the first bridge over the River Clyde was built in 1285. The University of Glasgow was also founded in 1451 and helped increase the town’s educational status as well as its religious standing.

In the 17th century, Glasgow’s financial fortunes were transformed through involvement with the Atlantic triangular slave trade with products such as sugar, tobacco and cotton being traded. By the late 18th century, more than half of the British tobacco trade was based on the River Clyde. In fact, Acts of Union in 1707 resulted in the city’s easy access to vast markets of the new British Empire.

Significantly, in 1795, the opening of the Monkland Canal made access to extensive iron-ore and coal mines in Lanarkshire possible which resulted in a major shipbuilding industry evolving on the upper stretches of the River Clyde. Glasgow also became an important centre for chemicals, textiles and engineering, which included the marine engineering industry. And by 1821, Glasgow’s population was larger than that of Edinburgh. Notably, one of the first municipal police forces in the world was formed in the city in 1800 and reflected its social development. It is also important to state that at the end of the 19th century, Glasgow was responsible for half of Britain’s tonnage of shipping, and remarkably, for a quarter of all locomotives produced in the world. At this time, the population grew to peak at 1,127,825 people in 1938. Glasgow was also a major player in things including textiles, garment fabrication, leather processing and cigarette making.

The 20th century saw a decline in Glasgow’s fortunes after World War I, and it suffered from recession, the Great Depression, radical socialism and also from the formation of the “Red Clydeside” movement. The city recovered by the start of World War II but suffered further setbacks due to the Luftwaffe’s Clydebank Blitz. Although its economy grew in the 1950s, the emergence of industries in Japan and West Germany in the 60s, meant that Glasgow’s industries declined due to de-industrialisation, and there was a rise in unemployment and urban decay. The population also fell significantly and there was more welfare dependency. The Glasgow Corporation responded by publishing the Bruce Report which led to slum demolition, suburban housing estates and tower blocks built from the mid- 1950s to late 1970. In addition, there was a large-scale relocation of people to towns like East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld and so, consequently, the population of Glasgow was only 626,410 in 2019. The city’s economy was boosted through heavy investment in road infrastructure and the promotion of it as a European centre for business services, finance, inward investment and importantly, it became a hub for tourism – in 2008, Lonely Planet cited the city as one of the world’s top tourist cities.

It is true to say that Glasgow is a cosmopolitan city that includes the 10,000 Lithuanian people who settled there in the mid-20th century and also many Italian Scots who made their home in the city. In the 1960s and 70s, many Asian people moved to Glasgow to areas like Pollokshields while many Chinese people settled in the Garnethill area of the city.

Although it has seen many changes over the decades, today, Glasgow boasts a varied architectural landscape with grand Victorian buildings and relatively new glass and metal edifices which can be found in the International Financial Services District. In addition, if you visit the city, you will see terraces of blond and red sandstone in the fashionable West End. There are also many futuristic buildings like the Riverside Museum and the Glasgow Science Centre on the banks of the River Clyde.

If you want to spend time in the city centre, you can’t but be impressed by its numerous cultural venues such as the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Theatre Royal, the Pavilion Theatre and the Gallery of Modern Art. It is also the home to four excellent higher education institutions which are: the University of Strathclyde, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow School of Art and Glasgow Caledonian University.

Retail is obviously very important to Glasgow, and its layout is based on a grid system on the north bank of the River Clyde. George Square is at the heart of the city and is home to many statues, the elaborate Victorian Glasgow City Chambers and is also the headquarters of Glasgow City Council. Any serious shopper will want to visit “The Style Mile” which includes the precincts of Argyle Street, Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Street. It is not surprising that Glasgow is the second retail centre in the UK after London!

An important area to mention is the Merchant City area which has been rejuvenated and includes luxury city centre flats, warehouse conversions and now houses quite a lot of high-end boutique shops and other upmarket stores. The area is also rich in theatres and concert venues like the Tron Theatre and St. Andrew’s in the Square.

Another important district is Glasgow’s Financial District which is based in Blythswood and Anderston. The emergence of many high-rise developments and modern offices, since the late 1980s, has resulted in Glasgow being one of the largest financial sectors in the UK and has attracted companies like Direct Line, Norwich Union, Esure and the Lloyds Banking Group.

The West End of the city, which incorporates Blythswood Square and Garnet Hill, has many fine townhouses and tenements with lots of cafes, tea rooms, bars, boutiques, upmarket hotels, clubs and restaurants. It is also the location of the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.

The East End of the city is where you will find the famous Celtic FC, Barrowland Market, Barrowland Ballroom and Glasgow Green. If you want to visit this part of the city, maybe take a look at the two restored 18th century tenements in Gallowgate and you could also view the large baronial mansion built in 1848 by David Bryce which now continues to exist as a sheltered housing complex. The Glasgow Club Crownpoint Sports Complex is also important to the community as it offers not only sports facilities but health advice, stress management and leisure and vocational classes.

The South Side of the city possesses affluent towns like Newton Mearns, Clarkston and Giffnock and there are plenty of sandstone tenements in Battlefield and Govanhill. It is a predominately residential area and has some striking architecture by the likes of Mackintosh. Govan district is also famous for its engineering and shipbuilding works.

North Glasgow includes the suburbs of Bishopbriggs and Clydebank and contains some of the poorest residential areas in the city where there is a lot of unemployment and drug abuse. The one exception is Maryhill which borders on the West End and which is relatively wealthy with well-kept traditional sandstone tenements. However, Glaswegians from this area were once responsible for producing vast numbers of locomotives that were sent all over the world.

As you will probably be aware, football is hugely important to the people of Glasgow and there are four professional teams in the city: Celtic, Rangers, Partick Thistle and Queen’s Park. It is also the home to six women’s teams. Interestingly, the first ever international game played in 1872 was a drawn affair between Scotland and England. Many other sports are practised in the city like speedway, athletics, rugby union and rugby league, swimming, basketball, rowing and cricket.

If you like a bit of culture, during a visit to Glasgow, you could immerse yourself in opera, ballet, theatre and classical music. Of course, there are many venues that offer live music, so it is true to state that the city has something to offer everyone!

Christianity is practised by many Glaswegians and the two main branches on offer are the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church. There are four cathedrals in the city including Glasgow Cathedral (Church of Scotland) and St. Andrew’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic). Sectarianism is a problem in Glasgow but it is not territorially segregated like in Belfast, N. Ireland. Other religions that are represented in the city are Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism.

Education is also taken very seriously in Glasgow and it has various higher education facilities, 29 secondary schools, 149 primary schools, 3 specialist schools (dance, sport and Gaelic) as well as a number of good independent schools.

If this article has sparked some interest in Glasgow for you, then it is not difficult to visit as it has an excellent road and rail network and three international airports within 45 minutes travel from its centre. You have no excuse not to visit fabulous Glasgow!