I loved Glasgow almost immediately. Arriving on an October morning after three weeks in Scotland I was eager to see what its largest city offered. During that first walk to our AirBnB, I felt its energy, doted on its array of architecture, delighted at its street art, and received and returned smiles from the friendly locals. Soon I would feel serene strolling its leafy green parks, and marvel at its cultural institutions. If you go to Scotland you will surely visit Edinburgh but you will be making a mistake to skip Glasgow. Add in the beautiful, historic town of Stirling nearby, and you’ll see some of the best of Scotland.
I arrived knowing virtually nothing about Glasgow but soon felt a closer connection to this west coast, working class, ancient, and diverse burgh along The River Clyde than I did with Edinburgh. Edinburg is lovely and its crescent streets are beautiful. Being the home of David Hume, Adam Smith, James Hutton, and so many others of the Scottish Enlightenment makes it a pilgrimage sight alone for the intellectual traveler.
I was first struck by Glasgow architecture. Arriving at the Queen Street ScotRail Station and walking to our AirBnB in Merchant City, George Street offered sandstone, brick, and cast iron building after building that testified to Glasgow’s 19th-century legacy as the Engine of the Empire. Most buildings in the Merchant City neighborhood date from the Victorian Era but you can find medieval towers, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and modern buildings as well. Facades sport accents such as Doric columns and Celtic motifs such as knots.
The Duke
This famous emblem of Glasgow was sculpted by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti. Unveiled in 1844 to commemorate the first Duke of Wellington. I suppose any Brit who handed Napoleon his Waterloo, would be an honored figure but I haven’t figured out why this particular statue is in Glasgow or why the Duke has been given a traffic cone hat.
I have learned that the Glasgow City Council considered plans in 2013 to raise the height of the statue’s plinth to protect the Duke from receiving such headgear. It was withdrawn after howls of protest from Glaswegians, who love a good joke as much as they like to protest against authority.
The practice of giving The Duke a traffic cone hat was first documented in the 1980s. (The tradition of a drunken night out, which one assumes led to the practice, is widely regarded to be even more historical by locals. It is not for nothing that they will tell you that a Glasgow fine is more fun than an Edinburgh wedding.)
Glasgow also boasts some serious scientific achievements. The Wonder Wall at the University of Strathclyde tells this story with images of Frankenstein, a television set, fingerprints, and more. Take the street art tower from David with __. _
St. Giles Cathedral is a beautiful structure; among the oldest buildings in the city and a short walk from Strathclyde which we took on a sunny day. The Cathedral is beautiful but I also felt a touch of gloom and mystery. It has been used to portray Gotham City in the 2022 Batman installment and the Necropolis nearby doesn’t hurt in adding to this mood.
It to is a burial place. Glasgow’s patron Saint Kentigern, who everyone calls Mungo, rests in the crypt. He established a religious community on the site in 550 AD. His tomb was the destination of many pilgrimages in medieval times and Glasgow was a center of popular religious practice.
A different sort of pilgrim started to arrive at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Glasgow was transformed by shipbuilding, textiles, and engineering. It reached its industrial (and colonial-fueled) zenith as the Engine of Empire during the Victorian Era. Glasgow gained some of my favorite places at this time. These include Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow City Chambers, Glasgow School of Art, what’s since become the Gallery of Modern Art, and red, brown, and yellow edifices displaying fantastic wealth along Buchanan Street and elsewhere in the city core.
