|
Some interesting info
about the city of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, with a
huge membership from our
Glasgow online dating
service. Use the menu at the top of page to find your perfect
Glasgow date. Have Fun!
Glasgow
was historically based around Glasgow Cathedral, the old High Street
and down to the River Clyde via Glasgow Cross.
City centre
The city centre is bounded by the High Street to the east, the River
Clyde to the south and the M8 motorway to the west and north which
was built through the Townhead, Charing Cross and Anderston areas in
the 1960s.
Buchanan Street at night, looking southward behind the Donald Dewar
statue.
Retail and theatre district
The city centre is based on a grid system of streets, similar to
that of Barcelona or American cities, on the north bank of the River
Clyde. The heart of the city is George Square, site of many of
Glasgow's public statues and the elaborate Victorian Glasgow City
Chambers, headquarters of Glasgow City Council. To the south and
west are the shopping precincts of Argyle, Sauchiehall and Buchanan
Streets, the latter featuring more upmarket retailers and winner of
the Academy of Urbanism 'Great Street Award' 2008.
Buchanan Street at night.The main shopping centres are Buchanan
Galleries and the St. Enoch Centre, with the up-market Princes
Square and the Italian Centre specialising in designer labels. The
London-based department store Selfridges has purchased a potential
development site in the city and another upmarket retail chain
Harvey Nichols is also thought to be planning a store in the city,
further strengthening Glasgow's retail portfolio, which forms the
UK's second largest and most economically important retail sector
after Central London. The layout of the approximately two and a half
mile long retail district of Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street and
Argyle Street has been termed the "Golden Z".
The city centre is home to most of Glasgow's main cultural venues:
The Theatre Royal (home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet), The
Pavilion, The King's Theatre, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
Film Theatre, RSAMD, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Mitchell Library,
the Centre for Contemporary Arts, McLellan Galleries and The
Lighthouse Museum of Architecture, Design and the City. The world's
tallest cinema, the eighteen-screen Cineworld is sited on Renfrew
Street. The city centre is also home to four of Glasgow's higher
education institutions: The University of Strathclyde, The Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow School of Art and
Glasgow Caledonian University.
Merchant City
The Tolbooth Steeple dominates Glasgow Cross.To the east is the
commercial and residential district of Merchant City, which was
formerly the residential district of the wealthy city merchants in
the 18th and early 19th centuries. As the Industrial Revolution and
the wealth it brought to the city resulted in the expansion of
Glasgow's central area westward, the original medieval centre was
left behind. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of High Street,
Gallowgate, Trongate and Saltmarket was the original centre of the
city, symbolised by its Mercat cross. Glasgow Cross encompasses the
Tolbooth Clock Tower; all that remains of the original City
Chambers, which was destroyed by fire in 1926. Moving northward up
High Street towards Rottenrow and Townhead lies the 15th century
Glasgow Cathedral and the Provand's Lordship. Due to growing
industrial pollution levels in the mid to late 19th century, the
area fell out of favour with residents.
Royal Exchange Square at night (Merchant City)From the late 1980s
onwards, the area has been rejuvenated with luxury city centre
apartments and warehouse conversions. Many new cafés and restaurants
have opened. The area also contains the Tron Theatre, the Old
Fruitmarket, the Trades Hall, and the City Halls. There are also a
number of high end boutique style shops in the area and it has now
become home to some of Glasgow's most upmarket stores.
The area is also home to Glasgow's growing 'Arts Quarter', based
around King Street, the Saltmarket and Trongate, and at the heart of
the annual Merchant City Festival. There are many art galleries
here.
A large part of Glasgow's LGBT scene is located within the Merchant
City. This includes many clubs, and the UK gay chain store Clone
Zone, along with a couple of saunas. Recently the city council
defined (and perhaps expanded) the area known as Merchant City as
far west as Buchanan Street, marking these boundaries with new,
highly stylised metal signage.
Financial district
Clyde Arc.To the western edge of the city centre, occupying the
areas of Blythswood Hill and Anderston, lies Glasgow's financial
district, known officially as the International Financial Services
District (IFSD), although often irreverently nicknamed by the
contemporary press as the "square kilometre" or "Wall Street on
Clyde".[citation needed] Since the late 1980s the construction of
many modern office blocks, a trend which continues into the 21st
century with a new wave of high rise developments currently on the
drawing board, has enabled the IFSD to become the third largest
financial quarter in the UK after the City of London and Edinburgh.
With a reputation as an established financial services centre,
coupled with comprehensive support services, Glasgow continues to
attract and grow new business. Of the 10 largest general insurance
companies in the UK, 8 have a base or head office in Glasgow -
including Direct Line, AXA and Norwich Union. Key banking sector
companies have also relocated some of their services to commercial
property in Glasgow - Resolution, JPMorgan, Abbey, HBOS, Barclays
Wealth, Morgan Stanley, Lloyds TSB, Clydesdale Bank, BNP Paribas and
the Royal Bank of Scotland. The Ministry of Defence have several
departments and Clydeport, the Glasgow Stock Exchange, Student Loans
Company, Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong
Learning Department, Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish
Enterprise also have their headquarters based in the district.
West End
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is Glasgow's premier museum and
art gallery, housing one of Europe's great civic art collections.
Popular with students and professionals alike is Ashton Lane with
its many pubs and bars.Glasgow's West End refers to the bohemian
district of cafés, tea rooms, bars, boutiques, upmarket hotels,
clubs and restaurants in the hinterland of Kelvingrove Park, the
University of Glasgow, Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the Scottish
Exhibition and Conference Centre. The area's main thoroughfare is
Byres Road and one of its most popular destinations is Ashton Lane.
The West End includes residential areas of Hillhead, Dowanhill,
Kelvingrove, Kelvinside, Hyndland, and, to an increasing extent,
Partick. However, the name is increasingly being used to refer to
any area to the west of Charing Cross. This includes areas such as
Scotstoun, Jordanhill, Kelvindale and Anniesland.
The West End is bisected by the River Kelvin which flows from the
Kilsyth Hills in the North and empties into the River Clyde at
Yorkhill Basin.
The spire of Sir George Gilbert Scott's Glasgow University main
building (the second largest Gothic Revival building in Britain) is
a major local landmark, and can be seen from miles around, sitting
atop Gilmorehill. The university itself is the fourth oldest in the
English-speaking world. Much of the city's student population is
based in the West End, adding to its cultural vibrancy.
The area is also home to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum,
Hunterian Museum, Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena, Henry Wood
Hall (home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and the Museum
of Transport, which is to be rebuilt on a former dockland site at
Glasgow Harbour to a design by Zaha Hadid. The West End Festival,
one of Glasgow's largest festivals, is held annually in June.
Glasgow is the home of the SECC, the United Kingdom's largest
exhibition and conference centre. A major expansion of the SECC
facilities at the former Queen's Dock by Foster and Partners is
currently planned, including a 12,000 seat arena, and a 5 star hotel
and entertainments complex.
East End
This section does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable
sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
The People's Palace in Glasgow Green.The East End extends from
Glasgow Cross in the City Centre to the boundary with North and
South Lanarkshire. It is home to the famous Glasgow Barrowland
Market, popularly known as 'The Barras', Barrowland Ballroom,
Glasgow Green, and Celtic Park, home of Celtic F.C.. Many of the
original sandstone tenements remain in this district. The East End
in contrast to the West End, includes some of the most deprived
areas in the UK. However, many areas of the district are not
deprived in any way. In particular, parts of the Dennistoun area
have become increasingly fashionable and expensive.
The Glasgow Necropolis Cemetery was created on a hill above the
Cathedral of Saint Mungo in 1831. Routes curve through the landscape
uphill to the 62-metre (203 ft) high statue of John Knox at the
summit.
There are two late 18th century tenements in Gallowgate. Dating from
1771 and 1780, both have been well restored. The construction of
Charlotte Street was financed by David Dale, whose former
pretensions can be gauged by the one remaining house, now run by the
National Trust for Scotland. Further along Charlotte Street there
stands a modern Gillespie, Kidd & Coia building of some note. Once a
school, it has been converted into offices. Surrounding these
buildings are a series of innovative housing developments conceived
as 'Homes for the Future', part of a project during the city's year
as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999.
East of Glasgow Cross is the Saint Andrew's Church, built in 1746
and displaying a Presbyterian grandeur befitting the church of the
city's wealthy tobacco merchants. Also close by is the more modest
Episcopalian Saint Andrew's-by-the-Green, the oldest
post-Reformation church in Scotland.
The Doulton Fountain in Glasgow Green.Overlooking Glasgow Green is
the façade of Templeton's carpet factory, featuring vibrant
polychromatic brickwork intended to evoke the Doge's Palace in
Venice.
The extensive Tollcross Park was originally developed from the
estate of James Dunlop, the owner of a local steelworks. His large
baronial mansion was built in 1848 by David Bryce, which later
housed the city's Children's Museum until the 1980s. Today, the
mansion is a sheltered housing complex.
The new Scottish National Indoor Sports Arena, a modern replacement
for the Kelvin Hall, is planned for Dalmarnock. The area will also
be the site of the Athletes' Village for the 2014 Commonwealth
Games, located adjacent to the new indoor sports arena.
To the north of the East End lie the two massive gasometers of
Provan Gas Works, which stand overlooking Alexandra Park and a major
interchange between the M8 and M80 motorways. Often used for
displaying large city advertising slogans, the towers have become an
unofficial portal into the city for road users arriving from the
north and east.
South Side
House for an Art Lover is situated in Bellahouston Park,
Glasgow.Glasgow's South Side sprawls out south of the Clyde,
covering areas including the Gorbals, Shawlands, Simshill,
Strathbungo, Cardonald, Mount Florida, Pollokshaws, Nitshill,
Pollokshields, Govanhill, Crosshill, Ibrox, Cessnock, Mosspark,
Kinning Park, Govan, Mansewood, Arden, Darnley, Newlands,
Deaconsbank, Pollok, Croftfoot, King's Park, Cathcart, Muirend and
Barrhead, Busby, Clarkston, Giffnock, Thornliebank, Netherlee, and
Newton Mearns in the East Renfrewshire council area, as well as
Cambuslang, East Kilbride, and Rutherglen in the South Lanarkshire
council area.
Although predominantly residential, the area does have several
notable public buildings including, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's
Scotland Street School Museum and House for an Art Lover; the world
famous Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park; Alexander 'Greek'
Thomson's Holmwood House villa; the National Football Stadium
Hampden Park in Mount Florida, (home of Queens Park F.C.) and Ibrox
Stadium, (home of Rangers F.C.).
Queen's Park, Glasgow. Looking towards Queen's Park Baptist Church
in winter.The former docklands site at Pacific Quay on the south
bank of the River Clyde, opposite the SECC, is the site of the
Glasgow Science Centre and the new headquarters for BBC Scotland and
SMG plc (owner of STV) which have relocated there to a new purpose
built digital media campus.
In addition, several new bridges spanning the River Clyde have been
built or are currently planned, including the Clyde Arc at Pacific
Quay and others at Tradeston and Springfield Quay.
The South Side also includes many great parks, including Linn Park,
Queen's Park, Bellahouston Park and Rouken Glen Park, and several
golf clubs, including the championship course at Haggs Castle. The
South Side is also home to Pollok Country Park, which was awarded
the accolade of Europe's Best Park 2008.[68] Pollok Park is
Glasgow’s largest park and the only country park within the city
boundaries. It is also home to Pollok Cricket Club.
Govan is a district and former burgh in the south-western part of
the city. It is situated on the south bank of the River Clyde,
opposite Partick. It was an administratively independent Police
Burgh from 1864 until it was incorporated into the expanding city of
Glasgow in 1912. Govan has a legacy as an engineering and
shipbuilding centre of international repute and is home to one of
two BAE Systems shipyards on the River Clyde and the precision
engineering firm, Thales Optronics. It is also home to the Southern
General Hospital, one of the largest teaching hospitals in the
country, and the maintenance depot for the Glasgow Subway system.
North Glasgow
This section does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable
sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
North Glasgow extends out from the north of the city centre towards
the affluent suburbs of Bearsden, Milngavie and Bishopbriggs in East
Dunbartonshire and Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire. However, the
area also contains some of the city's poorest residential areas.
Possilpark is one such area, where levels of unemployment and drug
abuse continue to be above the national average. Much of the housing
in areas such as Possilpark and Hamiltonhill had fallen into a state
of disrepair in recent years. This has led to large scale
redevelopment of much of the poorer housing stock in north Glasgow,
and the wider regeneration of many areas, such as Ruchill, which
have been transformed; many run-down tenements have now been
refurbished or replaced by modern housing estates. Much of the
housing stock in north Glasgow is rented social housing, with a high
proportion of high-rise tower blocks, managed by the Glasgow Housing
Association.
The Forth and Clyde Canal at the north Glasgow district of
Ruchill.Not all areas of north Glasgow are of this nature however.
Maryhill for example, consists of well maintained traditional
sandstone tenements. Although historically a working class area, its
borders with the upmarket West End of the city mean that it is
relatively wealthy compared to the rest of the north of the city,
containing affluent areas such as Maryhill Park and North Kelvinside.
Maryhill is also home to Firhill Stadium, home of Partick Thistle FC
since 1909, and briefly the professional Rugby Union team, Glasgow
Warriors. The junior team, Maryhill F.C. are also located in this
part of north Glasgow.
The Forth and Clyde Canal passes through this part of the city, and
at one stage formed a vital part of the local economy. It was for
many years polluted and largely unused after the decline of heavy
industry, but recent efforts to regenerate and re-open the canal to
navigation have seen it rejuvenated.
Sighthill is home to Scotland’s largest asylum seeker community,
many of whom live in extreme poverty.
A huge part of the economic life of Glasgow was once located in
Springburn, where the engineering works of firms like Charles
Tennant and locomotive workshops employed many Glaswegians. Indeed,
Glasgow dominated this type of manufacturing, with 25% of all the
world’s locomotives being built in the area at one stage. It was
home to the headquarters of the North British Locomotive Company.
Today the French engineering group Alstom's railway maintenance
facility in the area is all that is left of the industry in
Springburn. Sport -
Football
The world's first international football match was held in 1872 at
the West of Scotland Cricket Club's Hamilton Crescent ground in the
Partick area of the city. The match, between Scotland and England
finished 0–0.
Glasgow is one of only three cities (along with Liverpool in 1985
and Madrid in 1986) to have had two football teams in European
finals in the same season: in 1967 Celtic F.C. competed in the
European Cup final defeating Inter Milan to become the first
Scottish and British football club to win the trophy, with Rangers
F.C. competing unsuccessfully in the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup
final.
The city is home to Scotland's only two UEFA 5 star rated stadia
which allows them to host UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup finals
Ibrox Stadium (51,082 seats) and Hampden Park (52,670 seats),
meaning that they are eligible to host the final of the UEFA
Champions' League. Hampden Park has hosted the final on three
occasions, most recently in 2002 and hosted the UEFA Cup Final in
2007.
Hampden Park, which is Scotland's national football stadium, holds
the European record for attendance at a football match: 149,547 saw
Scotland beat England 3-1 in 1937, in the days before British stadia
became all-seated. Celtic Park (60,832 seats) is also located in the
east end of Glasgow.
Inside Hampden Park.Glasgow has three professional football clubs:
Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C., together known by some as the Old
Firm, and Partick Thistle F.C.. A fourth club, Queen's Park F.C., is
an amateur club that plays in the Scottish professional league
system. Prior to this, Glasgow had five other professional clubs:
Clyde FC, which moved to Cumbernauld, plus Third Lanark A.C.,
Cambuslang F.C, Cowlairs F.C. and Clydesdale F.C., who all went
bankrupt. There are a number of Scottish Junior Football Association
clubs within the city as well, such as Pollok F.C., Maryhill F.C.,
Ashfield F.C. and Petershill F.C., as well as countless numbers of
amateur teams.
The history of football in the city, as well as the status of the
Old Firm, attracts many visitors to football matches in the city
throughout the season. The Scottish Football Association, the
national governing body, and the Scottish Football Museum are based
in Glasgow, as are the Scottish Football League, Scottish Premier
League, Scottish Junior Football Association and Scottish Amateur
Football Association. The Glasgow Cup was a once popular tournament,
were all professional teams from the city would compete, however,
now only Junior teams do.
Club League Venue Capacity
Celtic F.C. Scottish Premier League Celtic Park 60,832
Rangers F.C. Scottish Premier League Ibrox Stadium 51,082
Partick Thistle F.C. Scottish Football League Firhill Stadium 10,887
Queen's Park F.C. Scottish Football League Hampden Park 52,670
Rugby
Glasgow has a professional rugby union club, the Glasgow Warriors,
which plays in the Magners League alongside teams from Scotland,
Ireland and Wales.
In the Scottish League, Glasgow Hawks was formed in 1997 by the
merger of two of Glasgow's oldest clubs: Glasgow Academicals and
Glasgow High Kelvinside (GHK). Despite the merger, the second
division teams of Glasgow Academicals and Glasgow High Kelvinside
re-entered the Scottish rugby league in 1998.
Other sports
Major international sporting arenas include the Kelvin Hall and
Scotstoun Sports Centre. In 2003 the National Academy for Badminton
was completed in Scotstoun. In 2003, Glasgow was also given the
title of European Capital of Sport.
The Braehead Arena is home to leading professional basketball team,
the Scottish Rocks, who compete in the British Basketball League.
The arena was also host to the 2000 Ford World Curling
Championships.
Glasgow is also host to many cricket clubs including Clydesdale
Cricket Club who have been title winners for the Scottish Cup many
times. This club also hosted the friendly One Day International
match for India and Pakistan in 2007, but due to bad weather was
called off.
Smaller sporting facilities include an abundance of outdoor playing
fields, as well as golf clubs such as Hagg's Castle and artificial
ski slopes. Between 1998 and 2004, the Scottish Claymores American
football team played some or all of their home games each season at
Hampden Park and the venue also hosted World Bowl XI.
Motorcycle speedway racing was first introduced to Glasgow in 1928
and is currently staged at Saracen Park in the North of the city.
Glasgow Tigers (speedway)
Befitting its strong Highland connections as the City of the Gael
Baile Mòr nan Gàidheal, Glasgow is also one of five places in
Scotland which hosts the final of the Scottish Cup of Shinty, better
known as the Camanachd Cup. This is usually held at Old Anniesland.
Once home to numerous Shinty clubs, there is now only one senior
club in Glasgow, Glasgow Mid-Argyll, as well as two university sides
from Strathclyde University and Glasgow University.
2014 Commonwealth Games
See also: 2014 Commonwealth Games
On 9 November 2007, Glasgow was selected as the host city of the
2014 Commonwealth Games. It will be based around a number of
existing and newly constructed sporting venues across the city,
including a refurbished Hampden Park, Kelvingrove Park, the Kelvin
Hall, and the planned Scottish National Arena at the SECC. Plans
have already been drawn up for a Commonwealth Games campus in the
East End of the city, which will include a new indoor arena,
velodrome and accommodation facilities in Dalmarnock and Parkhead,
with an upgraded Aquatics Centre at nearby Tollcross Park. It is the
third time the Games have been held in Scotland.[
|
