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For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation).
"Glaswegian" redirects here. For the dialect, see Glasgow patter.
| Glasgow | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu | |
| Scots: Glesca, Glesga | |
|
Glasgow shown within Scotland | |
| AreaAnalyser UV02. Retrieved on 2007-08-04. | 67.76 sq mi (175.5 km²) |
|---|---|
| Population | 580,690 (August 2007)2007 Population Estimates. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. |
| - Density | 8,541.8/sq mi (3,298/km²) |
| Conurbation Population2007 Population Estimates. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. | around 1,750,000 |
| Metro | 2,3 million people |
| Language | English |
| OS grid reference | |
| Council area | Glasgow City Council |
| Lieutenancy area | Glasgow |
| Constituent country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLASGOW |
| Postcode district | G1–G80 |
| Dialling code | 0141 |
| Police | |
| Fire | |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| European Parliament | Scotland |
| 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 | |
| Website: www.glasgow.gov.uk | |
| List of places: UK • Scotland | |
Glasgow (pronounced /ˈglæsgoʊ/) (Glesca/Glesga/Glasgae in Scots or Glaschu in Gaelic meaning "dear green place";) is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. Fully named as the City of Glasgow, it is the most populous of Scotland\'s 32 unitary authority areas. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country\'s west central lowlands, and a person from Glasgow is known as a Glaswegian. Glaswegian is also the name of the local dialect.
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 became one of Europe\'s main hubs 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 engineering and shipbuilding,Glasgow Feature Page. Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.. constructing many revolutionary and famous vessels. Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" in the Victorian era.About Glasgow: The Second City of the Empire - the 19th Century. Glasgow City Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.Fraser, W, H. Second City of The Empire: 1830s to 1914. University of Glasgow. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.McIlvanney, W. Glasgow – city of reality. Scotland - the official online gateway. Retrieved on 2008-01-07. Today it is one of Europe\'s top twenty financial centres and is home to many of Scotland\'s leading businesses.About Glasgow: Factsheets. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew to a population of over one million,Factsheet 4: Population (pdf). Glasgow City Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. and was the fourth-largest city in Europe, after London, Paris and Berlin.Visiting Glasgow: Clyde Bridges. Glasgow City Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. In the 1960s large-scale relocation to new towns and peripheral suburbs, followed by successive boundary changes, have reduced the current population of the City of Glasgow unitary authority area to 580,6902007 Population Estimates. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.. 1,750,5002007 Population Estimates. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. people live in the Greater Glasgow Urban Area based on the 2007 population Estimate. 2007 Population Estimates. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. The entire region surrounding the conurbation covers approximately 2.3 million people, 41% of Scotland\'s population.Minister backs SPT on White Paper. Interchange Issue 7. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (September 2004). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
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Recent years have seen a regeneration of the River Clyde\'s banks. Salmon and other marine life have now returned to the Clyde, which was heavily polluted for decades.
The present site of Glasgow has been used since prehistoric times for settlement due to it being the forded point of the River Clyde furthest downstream, which also provided a natural area for salmon fishing. The origins of Glasgow as an established city derive ultimately from its medieval position as Scotland\'s second largest bishopric. Glasgow increased in importance during the tenth and 11th centuries 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 established by Saint Kentigern in the 6th century. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland, bringing wealth and status to the town. 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 increased the town\'s religious and educational status.
After the Acts of Union in 1707, Scotland gained trading access to the vast markets of the British Empire and Glasgow became prominent in international commerce as a hub of trade to the Americas, especially in the movement of tobacco, cotton and sugar into the deep water port that had been created by city merchants at Port Glasgow. Many of Glasgow\'s streets, including Glassford Street and Buchanan Street, are named after local tobacco traders who grew rich from goods produced in the American Colonies until the American War of Independence (after which the merchants concentrated mainly on the West Indies)Abolition of the Slave Trade. Learning and Teaching Scotland Online. Retrieved on September 26 2007
Daniel Defoe visited the city in the early 18th century and famously opined in his book A tour thro\' the Whole Island of Great Britain, that Glasgow was "the cleanest, most beautiful and best built City in Britain, London excepted". At that time, the city\'s population numbered approximately 12,000, and was yet to undergo the massive changes to the city\'s economy and urban fabric, brought about by the influences of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution.
In its subsequent industrial era, Glasgow produced textiles, engineered goods and steel, which were exported. The opening of the Monkland Canal in 1791, facilitated access to the Iron-ore and Coal mines in Lanarkshire. After extensive engineering projects to dredge and deepen the Clyde, Shipbuilding became a major industry on the upper stretches of the river, 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. Glasgow\'s population had surpassed that of Edinburgh by 1821. 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, like the Loch Katrine aqueduct and Subway, were being funded by its wealth.
The 20th century witnessed both decline and renewal in the city. After World War I, the city suffered from the impact of the Post-World War I recession and from the later Great Depression, this also led to a rise of radical socialism and the "Red Clydeside" movement. The city had recovered by the outbreak of the Second World War and grew through the post-war boom that lasted through the 1950s. However by the 1960s, a lack of investment and innovation led to growing overseas competition in countries like Japan and Germany which weakened the once pre-eminent position of many of the city\'s industries. As a result of this, Glasgow entered a long running period of relative economic decline, leading to high unemployment, urban decay, population decline, welfare dependancy and poor health for the city\'s inhabitants. There were active attempts at regeneration of the city, when the Glasgow Corporation published its controversial Bruce Report, which set out a comprehensive series of initiatives aimed at turning round the decline of the city. There are also accusations that the Scottish Office had deliberately attempted to undermine Glasgow\'s economic and political influence in post-war Scotland by preventing the creation of new industries and creating the new towns of Cumbernauld, Glenrothes, Irvine, Livingston and East Kilbride, dispersed across the Scottish Lowlands, in order to halve the city\'s population base.Staples, John (2002-09-05). Secret plot to strip Glasgow of influence. The Scotsman. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
However, by the 1990s, there had been a significant resurgence in Glasgow\'s economic fortunes; the city found a new role as a European centre for business services and finance and benefited from an increase in tourism and inward investment. The latter is largely due to the legacy of the city\'s status as European City of Culture in 1990, and attempts to diversify the city\'s economy. This economic revival has continued and the ongoing regeneration of inner-city areas has led to more affluent people moving back to live in the centre of Glasgow, fuelling allegations of gentrification.
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 Kentigern (also known as Saint Mungo), 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 Green or the dear green place).
The coat of arms of the City of Glasgow as granted in 1866.
The coat of arms of the City of Glasgow, as granted to the royal burgh by the Lord Lyon on 25 October, 1866.Urquhart, R.M. (1973) Scottish Burgh and County Heraldry. London. Heraldry Today. ISBN 978-0900455247. It incorporates a number of symbols and emblems associated with the life of Glasgow\'s patron saint, Kentigern (often known as Saint 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:
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", which was written by Dundonian singer/songwriter Michael Marra, but 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 6 February, 1975, and by the present area council on 25 March, 1996. The only change made on each occasion was in the type of coronet over the arms.Urquhart, R.M. (1979). Scottish Civic Heraldry. London. Heraldry Today. ISBN 978-0900455261.Urquhart, R.M. [1979] (2001). Scottish Civic Heraldry, 2nd edition, Swindon: School Library Association. ISBN 978-0900649233.
Since the Representation of the People Act 1918, Glasgow has increasingly supported Left-wing ideas and politics. The city council has been controlled by the Labour Party for 30 years, since the decline of the Progressives. The left-wing support emanates from the city\'s legacy as an industrial powerhouse, and the relative poverty of many Glaswegian constituencies and wards. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and German Revolution, the city\'s frequent strikes and Militant organisations caused serious alarm at Westminster, with one uprising in January 1919 prompting the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George to deploy 10,000 troops and tanks onto the city\'s streets. A huge demonstration in the city\'s George Square on 31 January ended in violence after the Riot Act was read.
Industrial action at the shipyards gave rise to the "Red Clydeside" epithet. During the 1930s, Glasgow was the main base of the Independent Labour Party. Towards the end of the 20th century it became a centre of the struggle against the poll tax, and then the main base of the Scottish Socialist Party, a far left party in Scotland.
The Glasgow electoral region of the Scottish Parliament covers the Glasgow City council area, the Rutherglen area of the South Lanarkshire and a small eastern portion of Renfrewshire. It elects ten of the parliament\'s 73 first past the post constituency members and seven of the 56 additional members. Both kinds of member are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The system of election is designed to produce a form of proportional representation.
The first past the post seats were created in 1999 with the names and boundaries of then existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies. In 2005, however, the number of Westminster Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Scotland was cut to 59, with new constituencies being formed, while the existing number of MSPs was retained at Holyrood.
The ten Scottish Parliament constituencies in the Glasgow electoral region are:-
Following reform of constituencies of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Parliament (Westminster) in 2005, which reduced the number of Scottish Members of Parliament (MPs), the current Westminster constituencies representing Glasgow are:-
Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland.
Rain at Glasgow Necropolis.
Weather in Glasgow is not typical of the weather in the rest of Scotland for several reasons. Glasgow benefits from a mild south western position; the Gulf Stream currents flow up the Clyde estuary from the Atlantic warming the area. 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.
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) can vary considerably between mild and wet weather or warm and sunny. The winds are generally westerly, due to the warm Gulf Stream. The warmest month is usually July, the daily high averaging 20 °C (68 °F). (Highest recorded temperature 31.2 °C/88 °F 4 August 1975.) Despite some infrequent clear or dry days, winters in Glasgow are normally damp and cold. (Lowest recorded temperature −19.9 °C/−4 °F 29 December 1995.). However, the Gulf Stream ensures that Glasgow stays warmer than other cities at the same latitude such as Moscow. Winds and rainfall are often fairly chilling and strong, like the rest of western Scotland. Severe snowfalls melt within days and rarely lie in the city centre. December, January and February are the wettest months of the year, but can often be sunny and clear.
| Weather averages for Glasgow | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Average high °C | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 7 | |
| Average low °C | -3 | -3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3 | -1 | |
| Precipitation mm | 86.9 | 79 | 74.4 | 46.5 | 33.5 | 38.6 | 49.5 | 52.6 | 56.6 | 84.8 | 66.5 | 74.9 | |
| Average high °F | 43 | 45 | 46 | 52 | 59 | 63 | 68 | 64 | 61 | 54 | 48 | 45 | |
| Average low °F | 27 | 27 | 36 | 37 | 43 | 48 | 52 | 52 | 46 | 43 | 37 | 30 | |
| Precipitation inch | 3.42 | 3.11 | 2.93 | 1.83 | 1.32 | 1.52 | 1.95 | 2.07 | 2.23 | 3.34 | 2.62 | 2.95 | |
| Source: weather.com Glasgow Weather. The Weather Channel. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 2007-10-09 | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: msn weather MSN Weather - Yearly, Monthly Temperature and Precipitation Averages and Records for Glasgow, Scotland.. Microsoft. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 2007-10-09 | |||||||||||||
The population of the Glasgow City Council area peaked in the 1950s at 1,200,000 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 around 400 square miles (1,000 km²) 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 districts of Rutherglen and Cambuslang to South Lanarkshire in 1996) and the Greater Glasgow Urban Area which includes the conurbation around the city.
Since the 1840s to present day, massive numbers Irish immigrants have settled and contributed immensely in the city. Numerous Scottish Highlanders also migrated to the city as a result of the Highland Clearances. Both Highlanders and Irish but Irish particularly contributed to the explosive growth of Roman Catholicism in the city.Industrial Revolution: 1770s to 1830sIrish Immigrants and Scottish Society in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
In the early 20th century, many Lithuanian asylum seekers began to settle in Glasgow and at its height in the 1950s there were around 10,000 in the Glasgow area.The Guardian (2006-01-23). Lithuanians in Glasgow. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. Many Italian-Scots also settled in Glasgow, originating from areas like Frosinone and Lucca at this time, many originally working as "Hokey Pokey" menGray, Alastair; Moffat, William [1985] (1989). "Departures and Arrivals", A History of Scotland, Rev ed. edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 39. ISBN 978-0199170630. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. . In the 1960s and \'70s, many Asian-Scots also settled in Glasgow, mainly in the Pollokshields area as well as Cantonese immigrants, many of whom settled in the Garnethill area of the city. 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.
| Location | Population | Area | Density | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow City Council | 578,790 | 67.76 sq mi (175 km²) | 8,541.8/sq mi (3,298/km²) | |
| Greater Glasgow Urban AreaGraham Pointer. Focus on People and Migration. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. | 1,168,270 | 142.27 sq mi (368 km²) | 8,212.9/sq mi (3,171/km²) | |
| Source: Scotland\'s Census Results Onlinewww.scrol.gov.uk/. 2001 Census. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. | ||||
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. This area is defined as having 10% and over of residents travelling into Glasgow to work, and has no fixed boundaries.Review of Scotland\'s Cities - Transport within the City and the City-Region. Scottish Executive. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
Compared to Inner London, which has 23,441 inhabitants per square mile (9,051/km²).Southeast England Population by Area from 1891. Demographia. Wendell Cox Consultancy. Retrieved on 2007-12-12., Scotland\'s major city has less than half the current population density of the English capital—8,603 inhabitants per square mile (3,322/km²) However, in 1931 the population density was 16,166 inhabitants per square mile (6,242/km²), highlighting the subsequent \'clearances\' to the suburbs and new towns that were built to empty one of Europe\'s most densely populated citiesGlasgow: Population & Density 1891-2001. Demographia. Wendell Cox Consultancy. Retrieved on 2007-12-12..
HMS Daring was built in Glasgow and launched in 2006. Although diminished from its early 20th century heights, Glasgow remains the hub of the UK\'s Shipbuilding industry.
Glasgow has the largest economy in Scotland and is at the hub of the metropolitan area of West Central Scotland. The city also has the third largest GDP Per Capita in the UK, after London and EdinburghMacDonnell, Hamish. "Edinburgh UK\'s second most prosperous city", The Scotsman, 2005-03-03. Retrieved on 2007-12-30. . The city itself sustains more than 410,000 jobs in over 12,000 companies. Over 153,000 jobs have been created in the city since 2000 - a growth rate of 32%.Seenan, Gerrard. "Jobs boom on Clyde reverses decline", The Guardian, 2005-09-17. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. Glasgow\'s annual economic growth rate of 4.4% is now second only to that of London. In 2005 alone over 17,000 new jobs were created, and 2006 saw private-sector investment in the city reaching £4.2 billion pounds, an increase of 22% in a single year.Let Glasgow Flourish. Scotland.org (April 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-09. The city has outstripped many of its European rivals in terms of economic growth. 55% of the residents in the Greater Glasgow area commute to the city every day. Once dominant manufacturing industries such as shipbuilding and heavy engineering have been gradually replaced in importance by a mixed economy.Glasgow and Surrounding Areas. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
Glasgow\'s economy has seen significant growth of tertiary sector industries such as financial and business services, communications, biosciences, creative industries, healthcare, higher education, retail and tourism. Between 1998 and 2001, the city\'s financial services sector grew at a rate of 30%, making considerable gains on Edinburgh, which has historically been the centre of the Scottish financial sector.Glasgow’s financial services economy. International Financial Services District Glasgow. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.Edinburgh\'s Ranking. Retrieved on 2007-07-09. Glasgow is the second most popular foreign tourist destination in Scotland and its largest retail centre. Glasgow is also one of Europe\'s sixteen largest financial centres.
The city retains a strong link to the manufacturing sector which forms the fourth largest manufacturing centre in the UK, accounting for well over 60% of Scotland\'s manufactured exports, with particular strengths in shipbuilding, engineering, food and drink, printing, publishing, chemicals and textiles as well as new growth sectors such as optoelectronics, software development and biotechnology. Glasgow forms the western part of the Silicon Glen high tech sector of Scotland. A growing number of Blue Chip financial sector companies have significant operations or headquarters in the city.
However, large-scale social deprivation remains a problem. A report published in 2007 stated that the gap between prosperous and deprived areas of the city is wide and appears to have been growing.Glasgow Economic Audit 2007—Summary Report (pdf). Glasgow Economic Forum (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.In 2006, 47% of Glasgow\'s population lived in the most deprived 15% of areas in Scotland,, while 29.4% of the city\'s working-age residents are defined as "economically inactive".Breakthrough Glasgow. The Centre for Social Justice (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2008-02-08. There are estimated to be over 170 gangs in Glasgow—a similar number to London, which is over 6 times bigger.
The western façade of Templeton\'s Carpet Factory.
Very little of medieval Glasgow remains, the two main landmarks from this period being the 14th century Provand\'s Lordship and St. Mungo\'s 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 are outstanding examples. A hidden gem of Glasgow, also designed by Mackintosh is the Queen\'s Cross Church, the only church by the renowned artist to be built.Watch video of the churchand Interview with Stuart Robertson, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society Director
Another architect who had an 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".
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 City of Glasgow. Books from Scotland. Retrieved on 2007-12-12. The Templeton\'s carpet factory on Glasgow Green was designed to resemble the Doge\'s Palace in Venice.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh\'s Glasgow School of Art.
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, until the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956. In recent years many of these buildings have been cleaned and restored to their original appearance.
Glasgow\'s skyline is largely dominated by 1960s high-rise flats built to replace the decaying Tenement buildings originally built for workers who migrated from Ireland and the Scottish Highlands in order to feed the local demand for labour. These tenements were often overcrowded and unsanitary. Many developed into the infamous Glasgow slums, such as the notorious Gorbals and where demolished to make way for large peripheral housing estates and high-rise flats in tower blocks. Glasgow has a higher concentration of high-rise buildings than any other city in the British Isles. 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, such as shops and public houses, ("deserts wi\' windaes" [deserts with windows], as Billy Connolly once put it). The majority of the high-rise flats were poorly designed and cheaply built and became magnets for crime. Over time some have become as decrepit as the slum areas they replaced, though they were largely welcomed at the time of construction. The Glasgow Housing Association took ownership of the housing stock from the city council on 7 March 2003, and has begun a £96 million clearance and demolition programme to clear and demolish most of the high-rise flats.Glasgow announces a revolution in house-building
The Glasgow Science Centre.
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 won a competition to design the new Museum of Transport, which will move to the waterfront.Museum of Transport Glasgow. Glasgow Architecture. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
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.Elphinstone Place: Glasgow. Glasgow Architecture. Retrieved on 2007-12-13. Much development is taking place along the banks of the Clyde. Glasgow Harbour, which neighbours Partick, is one of the largest residential developments.
Glasgow was historically based around Glasgow Cathedral, the old High Street and down to the River Clyde via Glasgow Cross.
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 Townhead, Charing Cross and Anderston areas in the 1960s.
Buchanan Street looking southward.
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 high street shopping precincts of Argyle, Sauchiehall and Buchanan Streets, the last featuring more upmarket retailers. The main shopping centres are Buchanan Galleries and the St. Enoch Centre, with the up-market Princes Square and the Italian Centre specialising in designer labels. The London-based department store Selfridges has purchased a potential development site in the city and another upmarket retail chain Harvey Nichols is also thought to be planning a store in the city, further strengthening Glasgow\'s retail portfolio, which forms the UK\'s second largest and most economically important retail sector after Central London.Retail Ranking from ExperianTop of the Shops - Gerald Eve Publishes Prime Retail 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".
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, Gallery of Modern Art (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 eighteen-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, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow School of Art and Glasgow Caledonian University.
The Tolbooth Steeple dominates Glasgow Cross.
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. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of High Street, Gallowgate, Trongate and Saltmarket was the original centre of the city, symbolised by its Mercat cross. Glasgow Cross encompasses 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.
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 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 LGBT 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.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is Glasgow\'s premier museum and art gallery, housing one of Europe\'s great civic art collections.
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, 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 West End is home to some of the wealthiest addresses in Scotland, and includes the upmarket residential areas of Hillhead, Dowanhill, Kelvingrove, Kelvinside, Hyndland, and, to an increasing extent, Partick. However, the name is increasingly being used to refer to any area to the west of Charing Cross. This includes areas such as Scotstoun, Jordanhill, 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 from miles around, sitting atop Gilmorehill. The university itself is the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world, after Oxford, Cambridge and
