Glasgow

Glasgow Glaschu Glesca, Glesgae
Coordinates: 55.858° N 4.259° W Image:Scotland (Location) Template (HR).png
Population	578,790
Language	English
	Scots
OS grid reference	NS590655
- Edinburgh	49 miles (78 km)[1]
Council area	Glasgow City Council
Lieutenancy area	Glasgow
Constituent country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GLASGOW
Postcode district	G1–G80
Dial code	0141
Vehicle code	SA-SJ
Police	Strathclyde
Fire	Strathclyde
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Glasgow Central
	Glasgow East
	Glasgow North
	Glasgow North East
	Glasgow North West
	Glasgow South
	Glasgow South West
Scottish Parliament	Glasgow
	Glasgow Anniesland
	Glasgow Baillieston
	Glasgow Cathcart
	Glasgow Govan
	Glasgow Kelvin
	Glasgow Maryhill
	Glasgow Pollok
	Glasgow Rutherglen
	Glasgow Shettleston
European Parliament	Scotland
Website: www.glasgow.gov.uk Image:Flag of Scotland.svg
List of places: UK • Scotland • Glasgow

Glasgow (Glaschu in Gaelic; or Glesca/Glesga in Scots) is the largest city in Scotland. The City of Glasgow is the most populous unitary authority area. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. People from Glasgow are known as Glaswegians; Glaswegian is also the name of the local dialect popularly referred to as the "Glasgow Patter".

Glasgow grew from the medieval Bishopric of Glasgow and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow, which contributed to the Scottish Enlightenment. From the 18th century the city had become a hub of transatlantic trade with the Americas. With the Industrial Revolution, the city and surrounding region grew to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of heavy engineering and shipbuilding,^[2] constructing many revolutionary and famous vessels. Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" in the Victorian era.^[3] Today Glasgow is the U.K's second largest and most economically important commerce and retail centre.^[4] It is Europe's sixteenth largest financial centre, is the world's 124th most significant city, and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew to a population of over one million, and was the third city in Europe to exceed this number of inhabitants, after London and Paris.^[5] In the 1960s large-scale relocation to new towns in the outskirts of the city, followed by successive boundary changes have reduced the current population of the City of Glasgow to 578,790^[6] although 1,749,154^[7] live in the urban area surrounding the city, based on the 2001 census. Around 2,300,000^[8] people live in the Greater Glasgow conurbation, defined as the City of Glasgow and the surrounding region.

History

Main article: History of Glasgow

Although the area of Glasgow has long been used for settlement due to the River Clyde providing a natural area for fishing, the origins of Glasgow as an important city derive ultimately from its role as the centre for medieval Scotland's second largest bishopric. Glasgow became important in the 12th century as the site of this bishopric, reorganized by King David I of Scotland and John, Bishop of Glasgow. There had been an earlier religious site the exact age of which is unknown. According to doubtful hagiographical tradition, this ecclesiastical site had been established by Saint Kentigern. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland, bringing wealth and status to the town. Somewhere between 1175 and 1178 this position was strengthened even further when Bishop Jocelin obtained for the episcopal settlement the status of burgh from King William the Lion, allowing the settlement to expand with the benefits of trading monopolies and other legal guarantees. Sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives to this day as the Glasgow Fair.

Glasgow grew over the following centuries, and the founding of the University of Glasgow in 1451 and elevation of the bishopric to an archbishopric in 1492 increasing the town's religious and educational status. In the 16th century Glasgow became prominent in international commerce as a hub of trade to the Americas, especially in the movement of tobacco, cotton and sugar.

Daniel Defoe visited the city in the early 18th century and famously opined that that Glasgow was "the cleanest and beautifullest and best built City in Britain, London excepted". At that time, the city's population numbered approximately 12,000, and its structures largely consisted of compact wooden buildings, none of which remain today. Glasgow streets, including Glassford Street and Buchanan Street, are named after local tobacco barons who grew rich from good produced by slave labour in the West Indies. [2]

In its subsequent industrial era, Glasgow produced textiles, engineered goods and steel, which were exported. Shipbuilding became a major industry on the Clyde, building many famous ships including the Cunard liners RMS Lusitania, RMS Aquitania, RMS Queen Mary, RMS Queen Elizabeth, RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Royal Yacht Britannia. By the end of the 19th century the city was known as the "Second City of the Empire" and was producing most of the ships and locomotives in the world. During this period, the construction of many of the city's greatest architectural masterpieces and most ambitious civic projects were being funded by its wealth.

The 20th century showed a great decline in the city's fortunes, especially with the effects of two World Wars and the Great Depression. The city's industries became uncompetitive, leading to high unemployment, urban decay and poor health for the city's inhabitants. At the end of the Second World War there were active attempts at regeneration of the city, when the Glasgow Corporation published its Bruce Report which set out a comprehensive series of initiatives aimed at turning round the decline of the city.

By the end of the century there had been a significant resurgence in Glasgow's economic fortunes, finding a new role as a European centre for business and finance, as well as an increase in tourism. The latter is due to the legacy of the city's status as European City of Culture in 1990, and the product of its thriving artistic community. The ongoing regeneration of inner-city areas has led to people moving back to live in the centre of Glasgow.

Etymology

It is common to derive the name Glasgow from the older Brythonic glas cau or a Middle Gaelic cognate, which would have meant green hollow. The settlement probably had an earlier Cumbric name, Cathures; the modern name appears for the first time in the Gaelic period (1116), as Glasgu. However, it is also recorded that the King of Strathclyde, Rhydderch Hael, welcomed Saint Mungo (also known as Saint Kentigern), and procured his consecration as bishop about 540. For some thirteen years Kentigern laboured in the region, building his church at the Molendinar Burn, and making many converts. A large community developed around him and became known as Glasgu (meaning the dear family). The confusion between the terms is not wholly resolved (Dear Family vs. Dear Green Place vs. Green Hollow).

Heraldry

The coat of arms of the City of Glasgow, as granted to the royal burgh by the Lord Lyon on October 25, 1866.^[9] It incorporates a number of symbols and emblems associated with the life of Glasgow's patron saint, Kentigern (often known by his nickname, Mungo) which had been used on official seals prior to that date. The emblems represent miracles supposed to have been performed by Mungo and are listed in the traditional rhyme:

Here's the bird that never flew

Here's the tree that never grew

Here's the bell that never rang

Here's the fish that never swam

Kentigern is also said to have preached a sermon containing the words Lord, Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word and the praising of thy name. This was abbreviated to "Let Glasgow Flourish" and adopted as the city's motto. The motto was more recently commemorated in a song called "Mother Glasgow", popularised by Hue and Cry.

In 1450, John Stewart, the first Lord Provost of Glasgow, left an endowment so that a "St Mungo's Bell" could be made and tolled throughout the city so that the citizens would pray for his soul. A new bell was purchased by the magistrates in 1641 and that bell is still on display in the People's Palace Museum, near Glasgow Green.

The supporters are two salmon bearing rings, and the crest is a half length figure of Saint Mungo. He wears a bishop's mitre and liturgical vestments and has his hand raised in "the act of benediction". The original 1866 grant placed the crest atop a helm, but this was removed in subsequent grants. The current version (1996) has a gold mural crown between the shield and the crest. This form of coronet, resembling an embattled city wall, was allowed to the four area councils with city status.

The arms were rematriculated by the City of Glasgow District Council on February 6, 1975, and by the present area council on March 25, 1996. The only change made on each occasion was in the type of coronet over the arms.^[10][11]

Geography

Main article: Geography of Glasgow

Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland.

Climate

Weather in Glasgow is not typical of the weather in the rest of Scotland for several reasons. Glasgow benefits from its mild south western position; the Gulf Stream currents flow up the Clyde estuary from the Atlantic warming the entire region. The city is also sheltered by the surrounding Clyde Valley hills keeping the city fairly humid throughout the year. The temperature is often milder than the rest of the country. In general, the temperature in Glasgow is around the same as that in the North of England. In Scotland the weather is more likely to change from a rain storm to a heatwave in the same day.

Though there are a few rainy and windy days, the spring months (March to May) are mild and cool. Many of Glasgow's trees and plants begin to flower at this time of the year and parks and gardens are filled with spring colours.

The summer months (May to September) are often long, warm, calm and sunny, but can vary considerably. The winds are generally westerly, due to the warm Gulf Stream. The warmest month is usually July, the daily high averaging 20 °C. (Highest recorded temperature 33.8 °C Glasgow July 2006.)

Despite some infrequent clear or dry days, winters in Glasgow are normally damp and cold. However, the Gulf Stream ensures that Glasgow stays warmer than other cities at the same latitude, like Moscow. Winds and rainfall are often fairly chilling and strong, like the rest of western Scotland. Severe snowfalls are infrequent and melt within days. December, January and February are the wettest months of the year, but can often be sunny and clear.

Demographics

Main article: Geography of Glasgow#Demographics

The population of the Glasgow City Council area peaked in the 1960s at 1,300,000 people and before that for 80 years was over 1 million. During this period, Glasgow was one of the most densely populated cities in the world. After the 1960s, clearings of poverty-stricken inner city areas like the Gorbals and relocation to 'new towns' such as East Kilbride and Cumbernauld led to population decline. In addition, successive boundary changes by the Scottish Office and UK governments reduced the official city boundaries (and hence the official population) making direct comparisons difficult. The city continues to expand beyond the official city council boundaries into surrounding suburban areas, encompassing nearly 400 square miles if all adjoining suburbs, commuter towns and villages are included.

There are two distinct definitions for the population of Glasgow; the Glasgow City Council Area (which lost the district of Rutherglen to South Lanarkshire in 1996) and the Greater Glasgow Urban Area which includes the urban conurbation around the city.

Prior to 1914 many Lithuanian asylum seekers settled in Glasgow and at its height in the 1950s there were around 10,000 in the Glasgow area. ^[13]. Since 2000, the UK government has pursued a policy of dispersal of asylum seekers to ease pressure on social housing in the London area. Glasgow has seen waves of new arrivals because of this policy, though not always smoothly in some districts. At first there was heavily publicised resentment from the established local population, and the policy looked to have failed, particularly when several hundred refugees left Glasgow voluntarily to make their own way back to London following a couple of high profile murders. Seven years on however and the benefits of the policy for Glasgow are evident and growing.^{[citation needed]}

Since the 2001 census the population decline has stabilised. The 2004 population of the city council area was 685,090 and the population of both the City of Glasgow Council area and Greater Glasgow are forecast to grow in the near future. Around 2,300,000 people live in the Glasgow travel to work area.^[17] This area is defined as having 10% and over of residents travelling into Glasgow to work, and has no fixed boundaries.^[18]

Compared to Inner London (22,438 people per sq mile), Scotland's major city has less than half the current population density of the English capital (8,528). However, in 1931 the population density was 16,011, highlighting the subsequent 'clearances' to the suburbs and new towns that were built to empty one of Europe's most densely populated cities.^[19]

Districts

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 Charing Cross and Anderston areas in the 1960s.

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, Buchanan Streets, the latter more upmarket than the first two which are distinctly low grade in large part, and at best are fairly ordinary. The main shopping malls are Buchanan Galleries and the St. Enoch Centre, as well as the more specialised, designer malls: Princes' Square and the Italian Centre. The London-based department store Selfridges has shelved its plan to open in the city to concentrate on further upgrading to its London flagship, the other upmarket southern retail chain Harvey Nichols is thought to be planning a store in the city, further strengthening Glasgow's already impressive retail portfolio, which arguably, along with Central Manchester - Glasgow's strong competitor for this title, 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". In October 2005 retail locations in the area were sought after to the extent that Buchanan Street had the 7th highest shop rental fees in the world.^[20]

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, 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 18 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, RSAMD, Glasgow School of Art and Glasgow Caledonian University.

Merchant City

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. This area, commonly known as "Old Glasgow" takes in the eastern fringes of the Merchant City and some of the East End. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of High Street, Gallowgate, Trongate and Saltmarket was the original centre of the city. In the Cross sits 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. Latterly, due to growing industrial pollution levels in the mid to late 19th century, the area fell out of favour with residents, who mostly moved to the newly developed West End and South Side districts.

From the late 1980s onwards, the area has been rejuvenated with luxury city centre apartments and warehouse conversions. Many new cafes and restaurants have opened. The area also contains the Old Tolbooth, the Tron Theatre, the Old Fruitmarket, the Trades Hall, and the City Halls.

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 including Glasgow Print Studio and will soon be home to Trongate 103, a new arts centre.

A large part of Glasgow's gay scene is located within the Merchant City. This includes Polo Lounge, MODA, Delmonica's, Bennett's, Court, Revolver, Merchant Pride, 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

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". Since the late 1980s the IFSD has grown to become the third largest financial quarter in the UK after the cities 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 - JPMorgan, Abbey, HBOS, Barclays Wealth, Morgan Stanley, Lloyds TSB, National Australia Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Since the late 1980s, this area of the city centre has seen 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.

The West End

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, BBC Scotland's Headquarters, 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 district is home to some of the wealthiest addresses in Scotland. The West End includes the upmarket residential areas of Hillhead, Dowanhill, Kelvingrove, Kelvinside, Hyndland, Jordanhill and, to an increasing extent, Partick. However the name is now being used to refer to anywhere to the west of Charing Cross. This includes areas like Scotstoun, Kelvindale and Anniesland. 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 for miles around, sitting atop Gilmorehill. The university itself is the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world, after Oxford, Cambridge and St. Andrews. Much of the city's student population is based in the West End, adding to its cultural vibrancy. The district's most well known school, Hillhead High, is sited adjacent to the university.

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 an old dockland site at Glasgow Harbour to a design by Zaha Hadid. The West End Festival, one of Glasgow's biggest festivals, is held annually in June.

Glasgow is Europe's fastest growing conference and events destination, and the SECC is the UK'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.

The area is served by bus, rail and the Glasgow Subway.

The East End

The East End is home to the famous Glasgow Barrowland Market, popularly known as 'The Barras', and Barrowland Ballroom Music Hall, Glasgow Green, and Celtic Park, home of Glasgow Celtic FC. 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, the Dennistoun area has 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 high statue of John Knox at the summit, with some tombs designed by prominent local architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. The design creates a dramatic skyline of obelisks, pinnacles and statues in memory of Glasgow's wealthiest inhabitants. It was described by James Curle as 'literally a city of the dead'. The main entrance is approached by a bridge over what was the Molendinar Burn towards an impressive set of classical mausolea. The bridge, designed by James Hamilton, is known as the Bridge of Sighs because it formed the route of funeral processions.

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 magnificent 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.

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. If the 2014 Commonwealth Games bid is successful, the area will house the Athletes' Village, 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.

The South Side

Glasgow's South Side, the largest area of the city, sprawls out south of the Clyde, and outwith the local council's jurisdiction, covering areas including the Gorbals, Shawlands, Strathbungo, Mount Florida, Pollokshaws, Nitshill, Pollokshields, Queen's Park, Ibrox, Cessnock, Govan, Mansewood, Arden, Darnley, Pollok, Croftfoot, Cathcart, Busby, Clarkston, Giffnock, Thornliebank, Netherlee and Newton Mearns.

Although predominantly residential, the area does have several notable public buildings. Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Scotland Street School Museum and House for an Art Lover; the world famous Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park; the National Football Stadium Hampden Park in Mount Florida, (home of Queens Park F.C.) and Ibrox Stadium, (home of Glasgow Rangers FC). 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 Hagg's Castle. The South Side is also home to Pollok Country Park, which is Glasgow’s largest park and the only country park within the city boundaries.

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 great 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

North Glasgow extends out from the north of the city centre towards the affluent suburbs of Bearsden, Milngavie, Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch and Lenzie in East Dunbartonshire. However, it 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, managed by the Glasgow Housing Association. In parts of the north of the city, such as Springburn, there are many high-rise tower blocks. These buildings were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and were viewed as the answer to Glasgow’s inner-city slum problems, but are now widely discredited as being poorly built and unsuited to traditional urban living, and are held responsible by many for the social alienation that exists in the poorest parts of the city today, an alienation unmatched by any other council area in Western Europe.

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, and despite some initial racial tensions between all the different racial and religious groups involved, there has been widespread praise about how this diverse new community has been able to integrate successfully.

A huge part of the economic life of Glasgow was once located in Springburn, where the engineering works 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 engineering group Alstom's railway maintenance facility in the area is all that is left of the industry in Springburn.

Architecture

Very little of medieval Glasgow remains, the two main landmarks from this period being the 14th century Provand's Lordship and Glasgow Cathedral. The vast majority of the city as seen today dates from the 19th century. As a result, Glasgow has an impressive heritage of Victorian architecture - the Glasgow City Chambers, the main building of the University of Glasgow, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and the Glasgow School of Art, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, being outstanding examples. Another architect who had a great and enduring impact on the city's appearance was Alexander Thomson, who produced a distinctive architecture based on fundamentalist classicism that gave him the nickname "Greek". He was described as a "quiet, stay-at-home Victorian behind whose buttoned-up facade there seethed a kind of stylistic corsair who plundered the past for the greater glory of the present".

The buildings reflect the wealth and self confidence of the residents of the "Second City of the Empire". Glasgow generated immense wealth from trade and the industries that developed from the Industrial Revolution. The shipyards, marine engineering, steel making, and heavy industry all contributed to the growth of the city. At one time the expression "Clydebuilt" was synonymous with quality and engineering excellence. The Templeton's carpet factory on Glasgow Green was designed to resemble the Doge's Palace in Venice. The allusions to another great trading city, seem appropriate.

Many of the city's most impressive buildings were built with red or blond sandstone, but during the industrial era those colours disappeared under a pervasive black layer of soot and pollutants from the furnaces.

Tenements were built to house the workers who had migrated from Ireland and the Scottish Highlands in order to feed the local demand for labour; these tenements were often overcrowded and unsanitary, and many developed into the infamous Glasgow slums, the Gorbals area being one of the most notorious.

In recent years many of these buildings have been cleaned and restored to their original appearance. Others were demolished to make way for large, barrack-like housing estates, and high-rise flats in tower blocks. The latter were built in large numbers during the 1960s and early 1970s; Glasgow has a higher concentration of high-rise buildings than any other city in the British Isles. At 31 storeys, the Red Road Flats in the north of the city were for many years the highest residential buildings in Europe. These housing estates, known as "schemes", are widely regarded as unsuccessful: many, such as Castlemilk, were just dormitories well away from the centre of the city with no amenities ("deserts wi' windaes" [deserts with windows], as Billy Connolly put it), and their establishment led to the split up of long established community relationships. Some of the high-rise developments were poorly designed and cheaply built and became magnets for crime. Over time some have become as bad as the slum areas that they replaced, though at the time of construction they were largely welcomed. On 7 March, 2003, the Glasgow Housing Association took ownership of the housing stock from the city council, and has begun a programme of demolishing the worst of the tower blocks. Still, Glasgow's skyline is largely dominated by 1960s high rise flats.

Modern buildings in Glasgow include the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and along the banks of the Clyde are the Glasgow Science Centre and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, whose Clyde Auditorium was designed by Sir Norman Foster, and is affectionately known as the "Armadillo". Zaha Hadid has won a competition to design the new Museum of Transport, which will move to the waterfront. Shopping centres include the Buchanan Galleries, the glass pyramid of the St Enoch Centre, and the upmarket Princes' Square.

Given the history of high rises in Glasgow, the council's policy of allowing new tall buildings has attracted some controversy. The 39-storey Elphinstone Place mixed-use skyscraper in Charing Cross, will be the tallest building in Scotland, and was scheduled to begin construction in mid 2006.^[21] Much development is taking place along the banks of the Clyde. Glasgow Harbour, which neighbours Partick is one of the largest residential developments. The second phase was unfavourably compared to the Red Road Flats,^[22] but was granted planning permission.

Culture

See also: Culture in Glasgow

The city has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities, from curling to opera, ballet and from football to art appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport, religion, and