Walking Tour 1

The Merchant City & the East End

Start: Central Necropolis.

Finish: Royal Exchange Square.

Time: About 1 to 2 hours.

Best Time: Daytime.

Worst Time: Late at night.

This walk takes in Glasgow's historic heart, whose medieval districts were first lost to the designs of the city's initial "New Town" developments in the 1700s -- the beginnings of the area now known as the Merchant City. But there are hints to the past, and the Merchant City is almost to Glasgow as SoHo is to Manhattan, with loft apartments and trendy bars.

Start the walk at:

1. The Necropolis

As big graveyards go -- with monuments, crypts, and views -- Glasgow's Central Necropolis is difficult to beat. Fashioned on Paris's famous Père Lachaise, it was the third of its kind in Britain, opening in 1833 (after St. James's in Liverpool and London's Kensal Green) although a Jewish burial ground had been established at the base of the hill 3 years earlier. The most sought-after plots of the day were near the monument to John Knox, which had been standing on the hill since 1825.

Cross the bridge to Cathedral Square and:

2. Glasgow Cathedral

The Cathedral is considered one of the best examples of medieval religious architecture in Scotland, although visitors may be disappointed to find there's no evidence of the settlement that once surrounded it. To the north is the sprawling Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Across Castle Street, Provand's Lordship was built in 1471 by Bishop Andrew Muirhead. It miraculously managed to avoid demolition during Glasgow's robust urban renewals of the 19th and 20th centuries. The tall and modern buildings beyond are part of Strathclyde University.

Walk south on High Street to:

3. Glasgow Cross & Tolbooth

Down gently curving High Street, the red sandstone tenements (or apartment buildings) you pass are exemplary of those constructed in the late-Victorian era by the Civic Improvement Trust. After crossing Duke Street comes the College Bar (nearly opposite the High St. railway station), whose name is a reminder that the original Glasgow University campus was nearby here. The historic landmark at Glasgow Cross is the eight-story Tolbooth Steeple completed in 1627, around which traffic up and down High Street snakes today.

At the steeple go east (left) and walk along the:

4. Gallowgate

"Gate" in Scots essentially means "road to" -- but don't worry, the gallows are long gone. The Gallowgate today hints at the working-class nature of the city's East End. If it's a weekend, visit the Barras (or Barrows) market, full of antiques, collectables, junk, and Glasgow character. The old dancing ballroom called Barrowland has become one of the most famous and popular places to see rock bands in Scotland. Also worth noting is the Saracen Head (or as the locals say, Sarry Heid) pub. It has historic connections to an inn of the same name that hosted Johnson and Boswell as well as Wordsworth. Alas, it is only open sporadically these days.

Walk south from Gallowgate, crossing London Road to:

5. Glasgow Green

Running along the River Clyde, this huge stretch of green became a public park in the middle of the 19th century, although paths had been laid and shrubs planted out 100 years earlier. Its landmarks include the People's Palace social history museum and adjoining Winter Garden, Doulton Fountain, and Nelson's Monument. To the east, the influence of the Doges' Palace in Venice is obvious in William Leiper's colorful facade of the old Templeton Carpet Factory (which has a great brewery/bar in it now). The southern side of Glasgow Green offers walks along the river as it begins its upstream meandering and the northwestern flank now features cool modern apartments opened in the late 1990s as the so-called "City for the Future."

Walk west on Greendyke Street, turning right (north) on Turnbull Street to:

6. St. Andrew's Square

Styled after St-Martins-in-the-Field, London, and indeed once surrounded by open space, the impressive sandstone St. Andrew's parish church was completed in 1756. Today, it houses a center for traditional Scottish music and dance. Around the corner, the only remaining bit of 18th-century residential property on Charlotte Street (no. 52) is now available to rent as vacation accommodations from the National Trust for Scotland.

Make your way back to Glasgow Cross and proceed west on the Trongate to:

7. Tron Steeple

The steeple with arches through which pedestrians can walk on the south side of the street called the Trongate dates to 1592, although the original Tron or Laigh Kirk was founded 8 years before Columbus "discovered" the New World, just over a century earlier. The tron was a beam used for weighing goods. The Tron Theatre, which occupies the site today, favors inventive new plays, as well as hosting musical events. The theater's modern bar (facing Chisholm St.) and Victorian-style pub and restaurant are well-known hangouts for creative people.

Cross the Trongate and go north (right) on Candleriggs to Bell Street and the:

8. Merchant Square & City Halls

The old covered markets of Glasgow have been converted into trendy spots. The Cheese Market is now a bar and nightclub, while more of the original character of the old Fruit Market has been retained by the Merchant Square development. A diverse array of bars and restaurants share the communal and cavernous interior space on the cobbles. Just north of it are the renovated City Halls, with acoustically celebrated performance spaces. All around, since the 1980s, warehouses have been turned into loft apartments, while new condos have been constructed more recently.

From the east exit of the Merchant Square, cross Albion Street and:

Take a Break -- In a bit of the old Cheese Market, Café Gandolfi (64 Albion St.; tel. 0141/552-6813) is one of the more popular places in the Merchant City. It is relaxed, friendly, and at times very busy. But with the recent addition of a bar on the top floor, you almost always find space. Food is Scottish and European.

Return to Candleriggs and continue north to Ingram Street and the:

9. Ramshorn Theatre

Yes, it's another former church (the handsome Gothic revival of Thomas Rickman's St. David, built in the 1820s) that has been turned into an arts venue, hosting mainly student productions. Round the side and to the rear, an atmospheric graveyard dates to 1719.

Go west on Ingram Street to John Street and the:

10. Italian Centre

Shopping, anyone? The facade of this mid-19th-century warehouse has been retained while an interior courtyard, upstairs condos, and retail space for flashy clothing shops were created in the late 1980s. The Italian Centre is home now to Emporio Armani, while car-free and cobbled John Street is where outdoor dining and drinking are possible. At the corner of Ingram and John streets is Hutcheson's Hall, designed by David Hamilton in 1802 to combine French neoclassical with English baroque. It has a part-time gift shop run by the National Trust of Scotland.

Walk north on John Street, turn left (west) on Cochrane Street, and continue to:

11. George Square

The city's main civic plaza, dating to 1782, was altered somewhat controversially in recent years, when most of the lawn and permanent trees were removed. It was repaved in a red, spongy, asphalt-like material, though the color is oddly appropriate, as this is the historic focal point of labor and left-wing demonstrations. Glasgow City Chambers, designed by William Young in 1882 as the seat of municipal authority, rise majestically at the eastern side of George Square. Facing the western end of the plaza are attractive Victorian and Edwardian-era buildings, which were originally uniform in height. Inside Queen Street railway station, the arching iron roof over the high-level platforms is impressive, but the exterior that faces the square is an eyesore. The square's statues include Robert Burns (whose plinth includes reliefs depicting a few of his tales), the bulky Cenotaph (honoring war casualties), the seated figure of Scottish engineering pioneer James Watt, and the towering monument to Sir Walter Scott.

Leave George Square from the southwest corner and go south on Queen Street to:

12. Royal Exchange Square

Invariably, the statue of the Duke of Wellington in front of the city's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in Royal Exchange Square will be wearing an orange traffic cone on his head. The pile he guards was originally built in 1778 as a mansion on what was then farmland. In 1832, architect David Hamilton converted the building into the Royal Exchange. He added an imposing classical portico to the front and a matching "newsroom" to the back. The building sits squarely in the middle of the square, surrounded by cafes with outdoor seating and shops.