Glasgow EuroWalk

The oldest existing house in Glasgow. Built in 1471 by Bishop Muirhead who had previously built St Nicholas' Chapel (to the south of Provands Lordship) in 1456, along with St Nicholas' Hospital which adjoined it.  Bishop Muirhead, as Bishop of Glasgow was appointed to the Council of Regency which ruled Scotland until James III was old enough to take over.  James III was only 9 years old when James II died. Bishop Muirhead was sent as ambassador to arrange the marriage of young James to Margaret, princess of Denmark, which took place in 1469.  At the same time, he helped negotiate the cession of the Orkney and Shetland Islands from Norway to Scotland. More info:  https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA05012&t=2 Provand's Lordship Photo: J.Wilson Can also see some of this and further Norwegian links on the Scottish diaspora tapestry: http://www.scottishdiasporatapestry.org/norway   Previous Back to Route Next

Chopin played a concert in 1848 in the Merchants' Hall - which at that time was situated in the building later known as the Sheriff Court on the corner of Hutcheson and Ingram streets.  The date was September 27, and anyone who was anybody was there. The cream of west of Scotland society and the aristocracy turned out for the occasion, including the Duchess of Argyll, countless countesses, lords, ladies, and baronesses. The occasion was extremely well-documented. Diarists, commentators, and all the papers were there. The Herald recorded the nineteenth-century equivalent of a city-centre traffic jam as the ''large concourse of carriages began to draw up in Hutcheson Street and the streets adjoining''  The matinée musicale given by Chopin on the 27th of September 1848 in the Merchants? Hall, Glasgow, attracted many a music-lover. The organizer of the concert - John Muir Wood - was told that "so many private carriages had never been seen at any concert in the town...

La Pasionaria” (“The Passion Flower”) sculpture by Dan Dooley (http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/) La Pasionaria was Dolores Ibárruri, a Spanish Republican politician, communist, and prominent anti-fascist propagandist during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939.  Her phrase "Better to Die on your feet than live forever on your knees" is carved on the plaque. La Pasionaria served as inspiration for sculptor Arthur Dooley in 1974, when various trade unions and Labour movement supporters funded the memorial. It is a memorial to British citizens who served in the brigades during the war. Photo: J. Wilson On the plinth it says: " 2,100 VOLUNTEERS WENT FROM BRITAIN; 534 WERE KILLED, 65 OF WHOM CAME FROM GLASGOW".  These volunteers  from across Europe went to Spain to join the brigades and help in the fight against a fascist insurgency, all sadly in vain as the fascists rose to power under the leadership of Francisco Franco. An interesting blog about some of this ...

A story of two families and a Scottish born German Hero involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler ... Lismore House, overlooking the River Kelvin - photo by R. Rawles Lismore House on Kelvin Drive is a Grade B listed detached house which was certainly occupied by a "Mrs Kiep" as she is listed on the Address book below. Two German brothers, with the name of Kiep, set up "Carl Kiep & Brother" in Glasgow, importing timber. Lismore House Photos by A.Rawles Lismore House overlooks a bend in the Kelvin River. The house still contains many period  features, including marble fireplaces, German light fittings, wood panelling and carvings.  The other house connected with the family (early 1900s) is at 4 Hughenden Terrace. 115 Kelvin Drive (glasgowwestaddress.co.uk) The River Kelvin from Lismore House I have attempted an excerpt of a family tree for the two families involved ...  ( Note : I am not entirely sure of the spellings of the names !) Johann Nikolaus Kiep was t...

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens have been on this current site, adjacent to the River Kelvin, since  1839 when they moved from a site west of Sauchiehall Street. They opened in 1842.  The Kibble Palace glasshouse (see photograph below) was originally a private conservatory located at Coulport on Loch Long. It was moved to its present site in 1873 and was first used as a concert hall and meeting place, hosting celebrated speakers such as Gladstone and Disraeli.  Photos by J.Wilson (Glasow Loves EU) The Kibble Palace and the magnolia tree in the foreground was bred in Paris ! The statues in Kibble Palace include ones by: the Italian Antonio Rossetti statue The Nubian Slave: http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=rossetti_a# the Italian sculptor Scipio Tadolini whose sculpture "Eve" can be seen:  http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=tadolini_s# .  Also "Ruth" by Giovanni Ciniselli  http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.ph...

The first and grandest red sandstone tenement in the city, A fitting tribute to tenement living, which is found commonly in Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as in USA in New York as well as in Berlin, Poland, Prague etc  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenement  and  http://peoplelovespaces.net/articles/24 Charing Cross Mansions was built in 1889-91, and was a modified version of JJ Burnet's French Renaissance-style entry in the City Chambers Competition of 1880.   Photos: J. Wilson The new design included a grand clock at the centre, with sculptures surrounding it, inspired by Michelangelo . The two reclining figures at the top represent Commerce and Industry. There are also four figures representing the seasons and if you look closely at the clockface there are the signs of the zodiac - find out more here:   http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_images.php?sub=charing_cross . The Glasgow Coat of Arms can also be seen. Some old photographs to see what Charing...

The European Commission commented in 2019: "As the UK’s top cultural and creative city, Glasgow is home to world-class museums, galleries, family-friendly attractions and an edgy contemporary art scene that shows the city at its energetic finest."  And surely the top Museum venue in Glasgow is Kelvingrove Museum, which was constructed as the Palace of Fine Arts for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 and designed by English architect Sir John William Simpson using red sandstone in Spanish Baroque style .  One of the external sculpted figures was carved by the Italian sculptor Aristide Luigi Fabbrucci (1859 - 1903) http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=fabbrucci_a# . And another, representing "Religion" was carved by Johan Keller, born in the Hague, Netherlands and who became professor of Sculpture at Glasgow School of Art : http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=keller_j# Within the museum itself, probably the most well known an...

The design of Wellington Church on University Avenue was reputedly based on that of La Madeleine in Paris. Wellington Church Photo: J. Wilson Map Reference: Eurowalk 5: Around Kelvingrove

The Willow Tea Rooms Photos : J Wilson At 97 Buchanan Street. this tea room was one of a number of buildings in Glasgow that were designed by Glasgow's famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The building also features work by Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh.  Upon the death of architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson in 1875, a travelling scholarship was founded in his name and awarded every three years for the study of ancient classical architecture. In 1890, Charles Rennie Mackintosh was awarded this scholarship and embarked on a sketching tour to Italy. Other Mackintosh buildings to visit in the City: In the town centre there is Mackintosh at the Willow on Sauchiehall Street, The Lighthouse building off Buchanan Street and the site of Glasgow School of Art but sadly it has currently burned down in a recent fire, but the location may be of interest nonetheless. and in the West End there is the Mackintosh House. On Maryhill Road there is the Mackintosh Church And in Bellahouston P...

This war memorial is the work of Sculptor Ernest George Gillick ( 1874 – 1951)   and architect, John James Burnet and was erected in 1924. Photo: J Wilson Ernest Gillick, the sculptor was born in Bradford, the son of a local tailor and, aged 11, he left the city and went to Nottingham, where he was apprenticed to a lace designer. He then attended Nottingham School of Art, where he studied under the sculptor, Oliver Shepphard.  At Nottingham he won a scholarship that enabled him to study in London at the Royal College of Art, where he was tutored by the French sculptor, Edouard Lanteri, who helped Ernest obtain a traveling scholarship in 1902 to Italy and Paris. Europe where he gained inspiration for future work. Ernest’s work in the 1930s included sculptures on the memorial to The Missing, at the Vis-en-Artois war cemetery, France. https://www.notjusthockney.info/gillick-ernest-george/ John James Burnet is also mentioned on our tours regardi...