This morning, collected guest at Carlton George Hotel, central Glasgow. It was raining, so we elected to join the double deck tour bus for our tour of Glasgow.

First stop at which we alighted was for Glasgow Cathedral. This is an impressive, Gothic edifice dating from the 12th century on a site of religious significance dating back to the 5th century. The earliest part of the present building dates from 12th century with main period of building starting around AD 1240.

Here is the tomb of St. Kentigern ( aka St Mungo), patron saint of Glasgow.


This is the Blackadder Aisle, part of the lower church.


Rain prevented us from visiting the nearby Necropolis (City of the Dead). Because of the public holiday both Provand's Lordship and the St. Mungo Religious Museum were closed, which was disappointing. However, we jumped back on the tour bus and travelled down to Glasgow Green via Glasgow Cross and St. Andrew's in the Square.

Glasgow Green is awash with history. This is where inventor, James Watt had inspiration for improving the steam engine which proved a major contributor to the Industrial Revolution. This was also a site for public executions and military activity during the Jacobite uprising.

This is the (teracotta) fountain known as the Doulton Fountain which dates from Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of 1887.



This image shows the Templeton Carpet Factory with its unusual design based on the Doge's Palace in Venice. In the foreground are poles along which were strung lines to dry the laundry of the local populace in bygone days.

We walked over to the nearby River Clyde and watched some ladies sculling (in the rain).

After refreshments we rejoined the tour bus and travelled along to the Science Centre.We crossed the Clyde via a footbridge and photographed the Waverley, a paddle steamer which still provides trips up and down the Clyde and out to Arran and West Coast. Image below is of the Waverley.Here is a view which includes the Waverley, 'Armadillo' conference centre, Finnieston Crane, and 'Squinty' Bridge.
We then re-joined the bus and alighted next at Glasgow University, a very old establishment dating back to the 15th century. Here is an entrance to the University which dates from medieval times and transferred to present site from previous location. By this time the rain had begun to ease.

After the University, we walked down to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. Here we enjoyed a spot of lunch (Haggis!) and then viewed the Charles Rennie Mackintosh section which includes this piece of furniture from the Hill House.

Here is the entrance to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery.

We rejoined the tour bus and alighted in central Glasgow.Here we viewed some more of Mackintosh's work: Glasgow School of Art and Willow Tea Rooms.

This image shows entrance to the School of Art.
This is the Mackintosh designed Willow Tea Rooms in Sauchiehall Street.
Finally, after a visit to the nearby shopping centre, the tour finished at the hotel in George Square. We covered a lot of ground in the one day, notwithstanding closures of some venues due to the public holiday.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:03 PM  0 comments

This evening, I have selected the Glasgow landmark Finnieston Crane as my blog theme.

This now Category 'A' listed magnificent pice of engineering dates from 1932 when it was constructed by Cowans Sheldon & Company of Carlisle, England at cost about GBP52,000.

During Glasgow's heyday as major ship builder the crane was used to lift heavy items into new build ships and also items such as locomotives onto ships for export.

The crane is of the cantilever category and extends to 195 feet in height.

The name Finnieston is a misnomer as the crane is actually sited on Stobcross Quay.

The crane is now rarely used for lifting but forms an integral part of the Glasgow skyline.


Elsewhere today:

• I have busy with tour related work. Helping guests from the U.S. find sheepdog trials to watch and also fish and clay shoot.
• Posted information on Macvean family history to my separate GlasgowAncestry blog.
• Glasgow weather mild and overcast with just a hint of rain.
  

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 2:16 PM  0 comments

This morning started damp and wet with a good layer of snow and more snow forecast. I had the idea of going into Glasgow Centre to obtain some images of George Square covered in snow, but such was not be as upon arrival there was no snow to be seen. However, took the opportunity to walk around and take some interesting pictures of Glasgow which are discussed below.

Here is an aspect of Central Station, Glasgow's largest, which dates from 1876-79 with a viaduct added in 1901-6.

This is a gateway to the Merchant City, once an area where tobacco merchants reigned supreme in the 18th century and now home to upscale shops such as Armani and Ralph Lauren. Many of the buildings date back to the 18th century and are attributed to famous architects such as Robert Adam.

Former bank building designed by Elliot and Black in 1820s and 1830s.


Inside Gallery of Modern Art. This building is of architectural interest as was once a mansion house built by the wealthy trader William Cunninghame in the late 18th century.

Another display in the Gallery.
Duke of Wellington Statue which is located outside the Gallery of Modern art. This was erected by Baron Marochetti in October 1844.

One of the twelve statues in George Square. Whilst walking on Glasgow Green in 1765 James Watt had the inspiration to improve the efficiency of the newly developed steam engine by using a separate condenser and a steam jacket.


This is Glasgow City Chambers ( City Hall) which houses the largest local government authority in Scotland. This is a grand building dating from 1888 which reflects Glasgow's status at the time as second city of the British Empire.

Statue of Robert Peel. He was Prime Minister 1834-5 and instituted the modern police force. He was also Rector of Glasgow University from 1836-8.

Atop this very high plinth is a statue of Sir Walter Scott, famous novelist of the late 18th/early 19th century . He wrote the Waverley Novels, Kenilworth and much more. The plinth was originally designed for a statue of King George III but this monarch lost favour with the Glasgow elite due to a combination of intermittent madness and loss of the American colonies which impacted severely on the trade of the Glasgow tobacco merchants.

The following two pics show Queen Street Station which is noted for its fine, flat arched roof and dates from 1842.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 12:28 PM  0 comments

This morning, I went off to join a tour of Hampden Park, Scotland's national football (soccer) stadium. As there were no other visitors I had the benefit of a personal tour.

Hampden Park is a strange set up, it is actually owned by a Glasgow amateur team, albeit of long pedigree, called Queen's Park F.C. which still plays at the stadium. Queen's Park FC . the oldest football club in Scotland, was founded in 1867 and set the foundation for the modern Scottish game of football. Football legend, Sir Alex Ferguson actually started his career with Queen's Park in 1958-60.

Although owned by Queen's Park, the stadium is leased to the Scottish Football Association who use the facility for games at national level. Because of the high quality facilities, UEFA have approved the stadium for European finals which are not necessarily connected with Scotland.

Hampden park was extensively refurbished in 1999 at cost of GBP63M. Apart from football, the stadium is also used for conferences and concerts.

The stadium is set in a natural bowl with result that the pitch is some 30 ft (10 metres) below the nearby street level. Maximum seating capacity is 52,000.

Queen's Park FC has had a stadium on the site since 1903.

Hampden is very well presented, offering both tours of the stadium and access to the Scottish Football Museum under the same roof. Scotland has been at the forefront of football (soccer) evolution. Glasgow hosted the first international match in 1872 and in 1873 the Scottish Football Association was formed.

The name 'Hampden' has a strange origin. It comes from a nearby street name which in turn was derived from John Hampden, a notable player in the English civil war who died fighting for the parliamentarians in 1643.

Hampden has no less than 12 changing rooms. Here is the main visitors changing room.


Baths for after match 'therapy'. Which is the Early Bath?

Indoor practice pitch used for pre-match warming up.

Practice goal with facility for measuring speed of the shot.

This is where the teams line up before entering the stadium. Beyond the two double doors is the pitch.

After passing through the doors, this is the vista presented to the teams. See also this video clip.

Overall, a worthwhile tour. Will now be better prepared for football (soccer) themed tours of Glasgow.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 10:03 AM  0 comments

Today, I am posting an interesting video showing the central Glasgow skyline. Before addressing that I was kept busy:

• Glasgow Weather: Mild, overcast but dry. Not bad for time of year.
  
• Family History: Posted information on Aitken ancestry to my separate Glasgow Ancestry blog.
• Scotland Tours: (1) Finalised a quote and itinerary for a small group tour for Spanish speakers. (2) Responded to enquiry from Scandinavia for a Scotland Whisky Tour to include Cambeltown and Islay. (3) Various other admin actions on other work in progress re tours.
  
• Received enquiry in from an internship placing from Europe.Looks interesting.

The video clip below (and image above) show interesting views of Glasgow city centre taken from atop the Lighthouse, a Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed building which was originally used by a newspaper company (the Glasgow Herald) but is now a centre for architecture and design. To get the views I had to climb 126 steps of the helical staircase, useful exercise which burned up a few calories! For the less energetic there is a lift to a different viewing platform which is closed in by glass.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 6:36 AM  0 comments

This morning I joined in an escorted tour of Glasgow City Chambers (Town Hall) in order to get a better understanding of the interior decor and design of this important building which was built 1883-1888. This proved of great interest. A truly sumptuous building reflecting the grandeur and confidence of the late Victoria era.

• Architect was William Young, a London based architect born in Paisley and trained in Glasgow.
• Original budget was GBP150,000 compared to final cost of GBP578,232.
• The first four to six feet of the external wall are of red Aberdeenshire granite.
• Entrance arch was influenced by the historical arch of Constantine in Rome.
  

This is the ground floor. The ceilings are decorated with mosaic tiles. Altogether some 1.5m tiles were laid in the ceilings and domes. The pillars are made from grey Aberdeen granite, hand-polished red Scottish granite and topped with dark green marble in Ionic style.



This is the Council Chamber with 79 seats for the Councillors. Decoration is primarily Spanish mahogany. Meetings are held at six weekly intervals.

Lord Provost's Chair. This was donated by Queen Victoria in 1888.

Fire place in Council Chamber.

Glasgow coat of arms.

Banqueting Hall. The chandeliers date from 1885 when they were known as "electroliers".

Wedgwood feature in Upper Gallery.

Video clip of Upper Gallery which features portraits of former Lord Provosts (Mayors) of the City of Glasgow.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 11:22 AM  0 comments

Today, proved very interesting. Continuance of the bitterly cold weather prompted me to cycle off down to Glasgow City to photograph the iced up River Clyde. We are currently experiencing an unusual, extreme weather event producing effects and scenery which I have never before witnessed in Scotland.

On returning home, I tied up some loose ends on a couple of tours I have in the pipeline; one ancestry tour and one round Scotland group tour.

Reverting to my morning sojourn in Glasgow, the various images and videos are explained below.

Red on White. This is the paddle steamer, 'Waverley' iced up at its mooring near the Science Centre.


This shows the iced up Clyde just outside the BBC building.


More red on white! A red jacketed couple out for a stroll with the Squinty Bridge in the background.

This is the new, snow covered, Squiggly Bridge. Glaswegians dream up some interesting unofficial bridge names!


This shot was taken looking upstream towards Glasgow's East End. Appears to be sunset but was actually taken about 11.00am.

Seagulls on a patch of iced up Clyde.

Footbridge over the Clyde.


I had not before noticed this interesting monument on the bank of the Clyde. It is actually a memorial to volunteers from Britain who gave their lives during the Spanish civil war of which 65 emanated from Glasgow. The legend underneath reads " Better to die on your feet than live forever on your knees". Can't argue with that!

Icicles under a bridge.
Ice floes against a bridge.

Here is a collection of interesting video shots. First clip was taken near the City Centre. Second Clip shows the Armadillo Conference Centre, Finnieston Crane, Squinty Bridge, BBC building, Science Centre and Tower, the Waverley, the frozen over Clyde with a glimpse of the Tall Ship. Third video covers similar sites as no 2 albeit from a different viewpoint.

Labels: Glasgow

posted by Nigel Cole @ 8:20 AM  1 comments