Explore the City Chambers with our new digital tour!

The City Chambers is one of the most prestigious buildings in Glasgow. It’s a place where famous visitors are welcomed, and where big events such as civic receptions and award ceremonies are held. However, many Glaswegians have never been inside, or are unaware that free public tours take place every day. Our new online learning resource, ‘Our City Chambers’, aimed mainly at primary school aged children, enables them to explore the building in a way that is accessible, engaging and fun, even if they aren’t able to visit in person. Explore the resource here

It features animations of key rooms within the building, including the Banqueting Hall and Council Chambers. It also shows areas that are not always accessible to the public, such as the Councillors’ Corridor, the Lord Provost’s Office and the Portrait Gallery. It covers the architecture, design and social history of the Chambers, identifying the materials and the traditional skills and techniques employed in its construction and decoration. It also demonstrates how the building is still a functioning workplace for the council, and the role it plays in providing key public services to the people of Glasgow.

We worked closely with the design team at SUUM studio to create this resource. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to them and to the staff at the City Chambers for their support and insights during the project. Children at St Mungo’s Primary School participated in a series of workshops in the development stages of the project, including a visit to the Chambers. Their perspectives on the building and the city of Glasgow were inspiring and joyful, and were instrumental in shaping the final resource.

A free printed resource to accompany the website has also been produced. It is available to pick up from the City Chambers and from GCHT’s office at 54 Bell Street in the Merchant City. A downloadable PDF will also be added here in due course.

We’d love to see some pictures of you visiting the Chambers – you can show them to us on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages – use the hashtag #ourcitychambers

Gallus Glasgow Learning Resources for schools

Our Gallus Glasgow Inter- Disciplinary Learning Resources are now available online. Click on any of the images below to download, and print if required.

The resources, developed and written by educators, are based on the family characters from our Gallus Glasgow animation. Each contains activities for learners alongside relevant curriculum links. They also provide information on suitable Glasgow Museums workshops, available free to all Glasgow City Council schools.

Kids Trail Toolkit

Our Kids Heritage Trails have been so popular that we’ve decided to develop a toolkit to help you create your own! So if you fancy making a trail and learning a little bit about the heritage of your local area along the way, just click the image below!

The toolkit is full of advice, ideas and resources to help you.

Need a hand with the design? Access our kids trail template on Canva. Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Teachers can access additional resources such as lesson plans, infographics, posters, video, and more by signing up with your education email address or upload proof of your teaching certification.

We’d love to see pictures of you enjoying our trails or creating your own – you can show them to us on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages – use the hashtag #glasgowkidstrails.

Ghost Signs of Glasgow blog: Tidings from Christmas Past: The Distillers Company, by Kaori Laird

When raising a dram to bring in the bells at Hogmanay this year, spare a thought for the wonderful 1898 James Chalmers designed building at 64 Waterloo Street. The Ghost Sign found here for the Distillers Company Plc. leaves the trace of Wright & Greig Ltd. who were one of biggest whisky traders at the end of the 19th century.

Detail of The Distillers’ Building, found in ‘Victorian City: A Selection of Glasgow's Architecture’, by Frank Wordsdall (published: Richard Drew, Glasgow, 1982).

The company started life as a small trader in Buchanan Street in 1868, before moving to West Campbell Street in 1876. The business grew rapidly in the license trade and before long they had to expand to bigger premises, moving once again to 8 Cadogan Street in 1888. Although their Cadogan Street premises, Cadogan Buildings, which sat on the corner of Wellington Street, was a large building with the company occuping 12,700 square feet and the rest of the building let as offices, Wright & Greig were keen to have their own purpose built premises to house their own cellars, blending and sample rooms, and their own offices.

Picture of The Distillers’ Building in Frank Wordsdall book of Victorian City, published in 1982.

By 1897, the company’s blended whisky, Roderick Dhu, and Shaugrun Irish Whiskey were both a big success, particularly Roderick Dhu, Old Highland Whisky, which garnered the higher profit of the two, due to it being exported globally. Therefore work began on the Waterloo Street premises on which we find the Ghost Sign for the Distillery Building.

Engraving Depicting Rhoderick Dhu: illustrated by Richard Westall, from ‘The Lady of The Lake’, Walter Scott (Published: John Sharpe, London, 1811).
The Distillers’ Building at present with Ghost Sign.

The now B-listed Waterloo Street building is adorned with a statue of Rhoderick Dhu over the door, a historical character lionised in Walter Scott’s famous poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’ published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs, the poem depicts the 16th century character Rhoderick Dhu of Clan Alpine, who led the rebellion of the Highland Clans in an uprising against King James. While over the oriel on the right corner of the building is a statue of a Highland Lass with her malting shovel. There are turret balconies with barley-sugar-columns, all sprouting miniature cannon, originally intended to be occupied by figures of the seasons. The building was designed and built to accommodate large cellars, blending and sample rooms, and offices. The building works cost £11,500 and was a great advertisement for their trade and most profitable product, Roderick Dhu whisky.

Highland lass with her malting shovel, over the oriel on the southeast corner.
Building turret. Balcony meant to have figures of the seasons. Barley-sugar column (or Solomonic column) with miniature cannon.

Wright & Greig later went on to acquire Dallasmore Distillery in Moray in 1899 which they renamed Dallas Dhu (the Distillery is now a museum under the stewardship of Historic Scotland). Unfortunately Wright & Greig’s booming trade didn’t last long. The company finally went into voluntary liquidation in 1919. However, bottles of Wright & Greig’s Special Blended Scotch Whisky, as well as Roderick Dhu, still continue to be produced and exported by Glen Ila Blending Company, and there is also a pub just across the road from the old Distillery Company building named after Rhoderick Dhu!

You might also be interested in...

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Ghost Signs of Glasgow blog: Mapping the Past: Download our Southside Map, by John Veitch

When I signed up to volunteer for the Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, as a Scottish History graduate, my first research assignment was to help research signs in the south side of Glasgow to go on the Ghost Signs of Glasgow Southside map. As I was isolating during the pandemic, the majority of my research began online (no leafing through old papers like Gandalf learning the history of the One Ring for me). Fortunately, as a starting point the team sent me photographs of the signs for the map and a list of helpful websites with online records.

Many of the Ghost Signs of Glasgow social media posts explore the history of the business owner or company whose name is clearly visible on the sign, but the Southside signs I was tasked with were what the team like to call “mystery signs”, these are partial signs with only a few letters uncovered which are barely legible. Later in the pandemic an entire word became visible on one of the signs, unfortunately that word was “GLASGOW” which didn’t help to narrow the search much! 

So, my assignment was to tackle the challenging “mystery signs” with no name visible to search for. My research then had to start – and maybe even end – with the addresses, and the buildings themselves. The National Library of Scotland website contains searchable digitised copies of Post Office directories from 1773 to 1912, so this was a good place to start with only an address to work with. A look on the “street view” feature of Google Maps is also a useful tool for examining the signs in context and how they looked even a few years before. When scrutinizing Google Maps closely I discovered a sign on the adjoining building to the one I was researching reading: “Speirs Place”. According to the Historic Environment Scotland website this adjoining building was Category “B” listed while the end building was merely Category “C”. This made me ponder whether the adjoining building was a later addition, and whether there was a piece of local history to explain why the street name was changed to “Queen Mary Avenue”.

A trawl through several old maps on various websites provided no evidence that the street was elongated or renamed, while the Post Office directories indicated that “Speirs Place” was only ever a name for a building on Queen Mary Avenue. It seems that giving tenement buildings their own names used to be a common practice, but that this practice was later discontinued, understandably, because it was confusing for post office staff. Therefore, I’d found another ghost sign in the process of researching the mystery ghost sign on the building adjacent!

I had a bit more good luck when researching another ghost sign, on the corner of Allison Street and Garturk Street. Again, this was one of the challenging “mystery signs”. The few legible letters read “ROC”, suggesting the word “GROCER”. According to records it suggests this was the sign for Margaret King’s grocery, listed in the Post Office directories at that address from 1892-1910. As there are a number of grocers listed at this location it seems this shop has always been a grocery store since the building itself was constructed.

The directories also provided some intriguing clues, for those interested in following a family’s history: after 1910, the shop and the home address belonged to John King, though the shop is still listed as Mrs King’s – therefore this suggests that her son inherited the family business. Other clues suggest that Mrs King used to live above the shop at 21 Garturk Street, and also inherited another shop elsewhere on Allison Street from a husband named Edward before moving to the shop below her flat. There are a number of other grocers named King listed as operating in the same area over the years- could these have been relatives? Although these rabbit-holes take us further away from the sign in question, I found it interesting to speculate about this family’s story, and how they would have been familiar faces within the community.

Helping to research the mystery ghost signs for the Ghost Signs of Glasgow Southside Map was a challenging journey in more ways than one, but mapping the stories of the lives of the people who once lived and worked around this part of Glasgow was a delight, and hopefully provides an insightful look into the past for those that choose to use the maps for their own self-guided adventure!

You can now download and print the Ghost Signs of Glasgow Southside Walking Map here

You might also be interested in...

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Ghost Signs of Glasgow blog: J Davidson & Co- A Short Ghost Sign with a Long History, by Billy Cowan

In 1979 a warehouse tenant at 9 Bath Street in Glasgow’s city centre ceased trading and their small company sign that had adjourned the sandstone side wall since 1947 was painted over. As late as 1998 (picture below) paint still covered the sign, though the Scottish weather had eventually started to peel away the paint and uncover the original sign. Had it not, we may never have known about J Davidson & Co, auctioneers and appraisers who started life back in 1846.

In 1846 John Davidson opened a new business as an Auctioneer and appraiser at 62 Argyle Street. He was from a family of coffee and spice merchants and lived at 123 (Walmer Place) Hospital Street in the Gorbals. Trade must have been good as the following year the Auctioneer moved further along the Street to Turners Court at 87 Argyle Street, where they stayed until June 1858. 

This section of Argyle Street, from the Trongate and along Queen Street, had quite a number of auctioneers and appraisers at that time. Argyle Street itself was lined by “courts” on both side of the street, Turners Court was one of eight of these. The area was described by Andrew Aird in his book, ‘Glimpses of old Glasgow’: “At 87 Argyle Street was Turners Court, street-like in its buildings and industries of various descriptions with dwelling houses of a superior class.”

An advert for J. Davidson & Co. found in the 1856/57 Post Office Directory, shown below, allows an insight into the company and the work they undertook.

On Saturday 12th June 1858 adverts in the local press advised of the company moving to 42 Argyle Street opposite the famous “Bucks Head” Hotel. The advertisement below is from the Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertiser.

They stayed here until 1877, and due to the many changes taking place in Argyle Street with older buildings being replaced, and the train line expansion from the St Enoch train station they moved across the road to number 43 and then to number 22 in 1884 where they stayed until 1929. It was during this time at 22 Argyle Street they became more prominent within the city, taking an additional showroom at 13 Queen Street, as evidenced in an advertisement from the Fife Free Press & Kirkcaldy Guardian from Saturday April 3rd 1909.

A mark of the respectability J. Davidson & Co Autioneers had garnered by this time is that the Scottish branch of the British Red Cross Society chose J. Davidson & Co to host their fundraising “Free Gift” sale, on Thursday 28th June 1917.

The sale of items donated from generous Glaswegians raised over £246, which is the equivalent of almost £18, 200 in today’s money. One notable donation to the auction is item 96 – 12 pairs of ladies Glace Persian 1 bar Slippers from Messrs. Bayne and Duckett, the longstanding boot and shoe retailer.

By 1929 J. Davidson & Co moved once again, this time to 182 Trongate, and then in 1947 to 9 Bath Street which is where we find our Ghost Sign, on the side of Albert Chambers. This free renaissance commercial building with shops on the ground floor was designed by Bruce and Hay and built in 1901. The warehouse space at the back of the building was still classed as Bath Street, not an alley or lane and not an extension of East Bath Lane, located opposite. The elevation plan of the side of the building shows the chamber’s grandeur, with a sliding gated entrance to the warehouse courtyard, and a door to its side for the office entrance at 9 Bath Street for J Davidson & Co. where we find the small Ghost Sign which advises customers on Bath Street that J Davidson & Co were located “first right”.

 The below picture “Then and Now” picture of the street shows the entrance door “first right” with the wooden sign above the door reading ‘J Davidson & Co, Auctioneers’

A photograph from 1969 shows the access to the auctioneer’s warehouse, the courtyard still has the wonderful ceramic brick atrium, and the flashings from the glass roof that once covered the courtyard are still visible. However the buildings on the left and rear were demolished for the “improvements” to the area associated with the Buchanan Gallery build. 

J. Davidson & Co Auctioneers remained in the warehouse at 9 Bath Street until it stopped trading in 1989. Having operated in Glasgow for over 130 years it was then quickly forgotten, until time and weather revealed the old ghost sign once again! The warehouse now forms part of the crazy golf outlet “Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf” with several of the golf holes in the very site where the J. Davidson & Co. office and warehouses were. 

Images Credits

Newspaper clippings, post office directory, Building Plan courtesy of The Mitchell Library Archives.

Black and white photographs Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore)

Colour pictures by the author

You might also be interested in...

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Live podcast recording: “Preserving historic hospitals: the Royal Infirmary”- Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary in conversation with Niall Murphy

Wednesday 24th August 2022 | 7pm to 8.30pm | Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary Museum, old Royal Infirmary Entrance in Cathedral Square. Disabled access via main hospital entrance off Castle Street.

Join us for an exclusive live recording event of a new episode of GCHT’s very own podcast, ‘If Glasgow’s Walls Could Talk, Series 2’.

‘If Glasgow’s Walls Could Talk’  explores the relationships between the city’s historic buildings and places and its communities. Each episode focuses on a specific area or type of building, not only from a historical and architectural point of view, but also from the perspective of the community.  The informal yet informative style of the podcast has engaged a wide range of listeners, with over 4000 downloads since the launch of the first series in October 2021.

This event will consist of a live recording of a new episode about the rich heritage of historic hospitals in Glasgow, with a focus on the Royal Infirmary. You will have the chance to listen to GCHT Deputy Director Niall Murphy interviewing Dr Hilary Wilson and Dr Kate Stevens, both Trustees of Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary  is a charity established in May 2020 with the aim of celebrating the history of Glasgow’s oldest hospital. The Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary Museum was founded in May 2022.  

Glasgow Royal Infirmary hospital opened its doors in 1794 and has a fascinating history with multiple discoveries made within its walls. Many of these have had an impact worldwide, such as the setting up of the first X ray Department in the world, Joseph Lister’s discovery of antiseptic, William Macewen’s first successful brain surgery, and Rebecca Strong’s revolutionary nursing training.

The charity has a commitment to sustainability and has a gardening project at the hospital, with four beehives and plans for a ‘health, heritage and honey’ trail.

Booking essential

£7 per person, concessions £5

[ESPRESSO_TICKET_SELECTOR event_id=21370]

Please note: Payment is taken via PayPal but you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay online. 

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

CPD: Upgrading a Traditional Tenement Building

Interior image of a bay window in a flat with wood fibre insulation added

Thursday 14th July 2022 | 12.30-1.30pm | via Zoom 

In this CPD, Chris Morgan of John Gilbert Architects will be discussing the current works being done to upgrade a traditional Glaswegian tenement building on Niddrie Road to meet the EnerPHit standard. 

The project, commissioned by Southside Housing Association, aims to demonstrate an approach that rigorously tackles energy efficiency and fuel poverty whilst also addressing issues related to health and well-being as well as heritage, building maintenance and management. 

Attendees will get to learn about the works being undertaken, explore the innovative monitoring and 3D scans the team has been doing, and hear what the project means for helping Scotland’s historic housing stock tackle the climate crisis.

Chris Morgan is an architect and a Director at John Gilbert Architects with over 30 years’ experience in ecological design and sustainable development. He has maintained a range of experience from masterplanning and energy infrastructure, through to award-winning and innovative architecture, research and teaching. Previously a Chair of the Scottish Ecological Design Association, Chris is one of only four architects with advanced sustainable architecture accreditation from the RIAS. He is a design review panellist for Architecture + Design Scotland and has certification in Passivhaus design, building biology and permaculture.

The CPD will be recorded and available to all ticket holders after the event.

£15 per person / £10 for students.

[ESPRESSO_TICKET_SELECTOR event_id=21008]

 

All sessions are recognised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) as being capable of contributing to the obligatory CPD requirements of Full Members (see www.ihbc.org.uk)

We are using Zoom to broadcast our live talks. You can join these events as a participant without creating a Zoom account. You do not need to have a webcam or a microphone to join the event as a participant.

We aim to make our events as accessible as possible but if you feel that you might need some additional help, please let us know when you book your ticket or get in touch in advance. We’re open to feedback and would welcome your ideas on how we can improve in this area.

You will receive instructions on joining the event by email. If you haven’t received anything by midday on the day of the event, please check your spam folder and then contact us.

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity and your support is crucial to ensure that our charitable work promoting the understanding, appreciation and conservation of Glasgow’s historic buildings for the benefit of the city’s communities and its visitors continues now, and in the future.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our loyalty scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Support us

Like many other charities, the coronavirus outbreak is having a major impact on our activities, threatening our crucial work to protect, repair and celebrate Glasgow’s rich built heritage. As a result, we expect to lose an important part of our income this year.

We are therefore asking that if you are able to support our conservation and outreach work,
please consider donating to the Trust.

In Person Tour and Talk: Exploring Historic Interiors at Holmwood House **Sold Out**

**Sold Out** Wednesday 6th July 2022 | 6pm to 9pm | Holmwood House | 61-63 Netherlee Rd, Glasgow G44 3YU

Join us for an exciting night in the exclusive venue of Holmwood House, one of the most architecturally significant historic villas in Scotland, owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The night will consists of an in person tour of the house and a lecture on historic interiors and wallpapers.

The one hour in person tour will be led by National Trust for Scotland Visitor Service Manager, Ana Sanchez De la Vega, and will be followed by a fascinating talk about historic interiors and wallpapers, by National Trust for Scotland Curator Emma Inglis. Refreshments will be provided.

Located in the Southside of Glasgow, Holmwood House was designed by Scottish architect Alexander “Greek” Thomson, whose profound influence can still be detected everywhere in the city. This masterfully designed family home has impressed visitors for decades with its carefully curated design, and it is widely regarded as the architect’s finest domestic creation.

Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson first designed the villa for paper magnate James Couper and his wife in 1857–8, and the architect’s penchant for Grecian styling and symmetry is found throughout the villa, where the bold opulent decoration echoes the colours seen in ancient Greek temples.

The tour will focus on the relationship between Thomson, Holmwood House and Glasgow, and give you an opportunity to learn about the legacy of his creative genius.

After the tour you will be invited to join NTS Curator Emma Inglis for a talk on historic interiors. The talk will explore two hundred years of wallpapers and major fashions and influences; from the exquisite Chinese papers of the 1720s to the mass produced patterns of the 1920s.

Emma Inglis is a curator for the National Trust for Scotland, and works with multi-disciplinary property teams to deliver interpretation projects, interior redecoration schemes, temporary exhibition programming and creative use of collections. She is involved in the research of collections and interiors, with a particular interest in domestic textiles, eighteenth and nineteenth century social history, and decorative interiors.

Booking essential 

Refreshments included in the price 

£18 per person, £14 concession

[ESPRESSO_TICKET_SELECTOR event_id=21009]

Please note: Payment is taken via PayPal but you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay online. 

We are using Zoom to broadcast our on line live talks. You can join these events as a participant without creating a Zoom account. You do not need to have a webcam or a microphone to join the event as a participant.

All events are subtitled. We aim to make our events as accessible as possible but if you feel that you might need some additional help, please let us know when you book your ticket or get in touch in advance. We’re open to feedback and would welcome your ideas on how we can improve in this area.

You will receive instructions on joining the event by email. If you haven’t received anything by midday on the day of the event, please check your spam folder and then contact us.

All events are recorded and everyone who has booked will be sent a link to the recording to watch again after the event. We are a small team and this can take a couple of weeks so please bear with us!

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Support us

Like many other charities, the coronavirus outbreak is having a major impact on our activities, threatening our crucial work to protect, repair and celebrate Glasgow’s rich built heritage. As a result, we expect to lose an important part of our income this year.

We are therefore asking that if you are able to support our conservation and outreach work,
please consider donating to the Trust.

Online Talk: A Bird’s-Eye View of the Development of Glasgow University: The Gilbert Scott Building

Wednesday 22nd June 2022 | 7.30pm BST | via Zoom

Taking Thomas Sulman’s 1864 bird’s-eye view of Glasgow as a starting point, this talk will explore a pivotal period in the history of development of both the city and the University. As Sulman’s balloon drifted above the city, the University was already planning its flight from the congested and polluted High Street site to the then rural Arcadia of Gilmorehill.

Using contemporary 19th-century photographs, engravings and paintings, Nick Haynes will guide us around the extraordinary complex of 17th-, 18th- and 19th- century buildings in the Old College, and set the scene for the construction of Scotland’s largest Gothic building on Gilmorehill.

Nick Haynes is a historic environment consultant, author and amateur photographer, who has recently joined property consultancy Montagu Evans as their Heritage Partner for Scotland. In 2013 he wrote the book Building Knowledge – An Archtectural History of Glasgow University, following the story of the Old College buildings in the High Street, through Gilbert Scott’s great palace of learning on Gilmorehill, to the newer adjoining campus at Hillhead.

Free, booking required, donations welcome. 

[ESPRESSO_TICKET_SELECTOR event_id=20952]

Please note: Payment is taken via PayPal but you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay online. 

We are using Zoom to broadcast our live talks. You can join these events as a participant without creating a Zoom account. You do not need to have a webcam or a microphone to join the event as a participant.

All events are subtitled. We aim to make our events as accessible as possible but if you feel that you might need some additional help, please let us know when you book your ticket or get in touch in advance. We’re open to feedback and would welcome your ideas on how we can improve in this area.

You will receive instructions on joining the event by email. If you haven’t received anything by midday on the day of the event, please check your spam folder and then contact us.

All events are recorded and everyone who has booked will be sent a link to the recording to watch again after the event. We are a small team and this can take a couple of weeks so please bear with us!

You might also be interested in…

Glasgow Historic Environment: A Snapshot – 2019

Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Support us

Like many other charities, the coronavirus outbreak is having a major impact on our activities, threatening our crucial work to protect, repair and celebrate Glasgow’s rich built heritage. As a result, we expect to lose an important part of our income this year.

We are therefore asking that if you are able to support our conservation and outreach work,
please consider donating to the Trust.