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 Glasgow Cathedral Castle Street Tel: 0141 552 6891  Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art Royal Exchange Square Tel: 0141 229 1996  Provand's Lordship "oldest house in Glasgow" Castle Street Tel: 0141 552 8819 |
Glasgow's History
    
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Standing on the River Clyde,
Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and its roots can be traced back
to the Stone Age. Celtic druids were among the first settlers but
it was the Romans who gave the city the earlier name of Cathures.
Glasgow, or Glas Cu as it once was, means 'dear green place'. The Christian missionary, St Ninian passed through Glasgow but little else is known regarding the city's religion until the arrival of St Ketigern who established his Christian church on the banks of the Clyde where Glasgow Cathedral now stands. He would later be known as the renowned St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow. By the 12th century Glasgow had a population of around 1500 making it a popular settlement area and was one of Scotland's largest cities by the late 1600's. Easily accessible from Edinburgh, Ireland and the Highlands the natural resources found here along with fishing and coaling industries kept the city in a stable working environment. The great tobacco trade of the 1700's had produced some of Glasgow's and Scotland's first millionaire businessmen. By the 18th century the city's great shipbuilding and locomotive building empires, along with the mass importing of sugar provided wealth previously unheard of. It was throughout the 1900's that Glasgow truly began to flourish, with many stunning buildings, parks, gardens, libraries and galleries beginning to appear on the city's landscape. Thousands descended on Glasgow, including many from the Highlands and Ireland, where the potato famine had caused families to flee their country. This provided a huge source of labour for Glasgow's varied industries and the economy boomed. However, the 20th century was much bleaker, with World War One and massive industrial decline rendering this great city a mere shadow of its former greatness. The Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth 1 and 2 were all ships built within this period as these great shipbuilding decades came to an end. No longer able to compete with the lower cost foreign markets, the glory days of Glasgow's shipbuilding were over. The 1980's and 1990's tell a different story of Glasgow. With numerous housing and business development projects the city began to rise literally from the ashes. The city now boasts numerous art galleries and tourist attractions including the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 and welcomes over 3 million visitors each year. Being named the European City of Culture in 1990 was also a turning point in Glasgow's history, a magnificent success for the city. One of the most visited cities in Europe, Glasgow has one of the UK's largest shopping districts, many tourist attractions and much more. |
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