| | SELECT
REGION |
Glasgow
-
A Cultural Feast
Glasgow
- Scotland's Second City was the UK's City of Architecture and Design
in 1999 - a celebration of its striking architecture, heritage and culture.
This
is a fitting culmination to more than a decade of renewal and regeneration which
has seen not only the opening of a string of culture-orientated visitor attractions
but also its designation as the Cultural Capital of Europe in 1990. Typical
of the city's attractions is the Gallery of Modem Art. Housed in a handsome neo-classical
building in the city centre, the gallery displays some fine examples of Scottish
figurative art, though there is also an eclectic collection from all parts of
the world. The material on each floor reflects one of the four elements of fire,
air, earth or water and there are also a number of interactive exhibits.
The Burrell
Collection, with its collection of textiles, furniture, ceramics
and other objets d'art, is also typical of the city's cultural wealth.
The Art Gallery and Museum in Kelvingrove Park is one of Europe's
finest civic art collections. Opposite is the Museum of Transport,
with a reconstruction of a typical Glasgow street of the 1930s.
Also nearby is the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, where the work
of Charles Rennie Mackintosh is well represented. Close to all of
these attractions is Hotel du Vin at One
Devonshire Gardens - one of Glasgow's top luxury hotels.
The Mackintosh
House within the gallery comprises an accurate reconstruction of
the interiors of one of his former homes. Hill House, one of Mackintoshes
masterpieces is located in Helensburgh, only 30 minutes drive from
the city centre. Glasgow School of Art, perhaps Mackintosh's most
famous work is right in the heart of the city. To the east of the
city centre, located next to Glasgow Cathedral, is the stimulating
St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, presenting the universal
themes of life, death and the hereafter through evocative art associated
with different religious faiths.
Glasgow
is the headquarters of many artistic companies, including Scottish Opera, and
the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, all of which have regular concert programmes
in venues around the city, such as the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the Theatre
Royal.
The Local Angle
Glasgow's
culture is far more than high art. It embraces the heritage of the ordinary citizen
at places like The Tenement House, where a typical city dwelling of the recent
past is open to view.
It also includes the People's Palace, where the social history
of Glasgow is told. Outside the city, the Paisley Museum and Art Gallery portrays
the development of the famous and distinctively patterned Paisley shawl, while
the McLean Museum in Greenock also focuses on social history.
A
little further afield, The New Lanark Visitor Centre is just one of a whole range
of fascinating visitor attractions easily accessible off the main artery of the
M74/A72. Close to the town of Lanark, the River Clyde flows through a wooded,
rocky gorge famed for its outstanding beauty. The river here formerly powered
textile mills in a development controlled by the enlightened industrialist Robert
Owen. The doctrine of Owenism, with its Utopian ideas of workers' welfare, later
became world famous.
Following the River Clyde
Look for signs to the Clyde Valley Tourist Route, which leaves the busy M74 for
an exploration of the interesting towns lying to the south of Glasgow. For example,
close to the upper reaches of the winding river, the handsome town of Biggar has
a wealth of award-winning museums. Chatelherault, minutes from the main M74 near
Hamilton is well worth discovering. The former hunting lodge of the Dukes of Hamilton,
built by the famous Scottish architect William Adam in 1732, has been restored
and now houses a fascinating visitor centre. Nearby
is the Hamilton Mausoleum, noted for Europe's longest echo - 15 seconds! The Carfin
Pilgrimage Centre, which stands in the grounds of the Carfin Grotto, traces the
history and traditions of pilgrimage, focusing particularly on pilgrimage in Scotland.
West of Glasgow, where the Clyde opens out in an ever widening estuary is Inverclyde,
overlooking popular cruising waters with a backdrop of the hills of Argyll. With
dramatic ruined castles, industrial heritage, country parks and interesting towns,
the valley of the River Clyde has plenty of surprises.
Shopping Around
Naturally,
a major city such as Glasgow offers a very wide shopping choice, notably around
Buchanan Street (with the new Buchanan Galleries opening in 1999), Argyle Street
or Sauchiehall Street. In addition, while the St Enoch Centre represents the modern
trend in covered shopping and is one of the largest malls in Europe, Princes Square
adds an elite note, with a sophisticated ambience appropriate for a style-conscious
city. The
area known as the Merchant City -recalling the entrepreneurs who traded with the
Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries - is now a district of small select shops.
Notable here is the Italian Centre, a concentration of bistros and Italian fashion
designer shops in a conversion of a handsome Merchant City building. By contrast,
The Barras near Glasgow Green is part flea market, part entertainment and very
much a part of Glasgow life.
Nightlife
Glasgow is famous for its variety of pubs, wine bars and other places of much
conviviality, where visitors will find Glaswegian hospitality at its best. Many
of the city's pubs offer live entertainment, for example folk or jazz. From wholesome
pub food to more exotic cuisine, Glasgow's restaurant scene is lively and cosmopolitan.
Clubs and nightspots are up-to-date and fashion conscious, often featuring live
bands and state of the art dance music, perhaps that is why the city has been
voted Britain's coolest' in a magazine survey. There is also a thriving and authentic
ceilidh scene - where Scotland's native music can be enjoyed and danced to as
well. For information on the city's entertainment, make sure you call at the city
centre Tourist Information Centre in George Square. Look out especially for major
programmes of musical and artistic events such as Celtic Connections, well-established
on the entertainment calendar.
« back |
