Self-guided tour:
Explore our beautiful and historic campus
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1. The Fraser Building
welcome
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Self-guided tour
Welcome to the University of Glasgow. Our
compact main campus combines grand historic
buildings with up-to-the-minute facilities. Your
tour should take approximately one hour.
Begin your tour at:
1. The Fraser Building
This is the first point of contact for Student Services within
the University.
2. Hunterian Art Gallery
Turn left and walk down the hill. On your right you will pass
the:
2. Hunterian Art Gallery
Home to stunning permanent and visiting collections of art,
the gallery is also used for concerts and exhibitions, and
is an excellent resource for educational activities such as
workshops for schools and public lectures.
And:
3. The Mackintosh House
3. The Mackintosh House
A reconstruction of the principal interiors from the Glasgow
home of the renowned Scottish architect and designer
Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
At the bottom of the hill turn right onto:
4. University Gardens
Several of the University’s Arts subjects can be found here
including English, History of Art and Scottish Literature.
4. University Gardens
At the end of the street you will come to one of our two
student unions, the:
5. Queen Margaret Union (QMU)
A popular live music venue which has played host to
Nirvana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Biffy Clyro in its time.
Founded in 1906, it was the “Women’s Union” until 1979.
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Walk down the steps at the QMU and cross diagonally
towards the:
6. Boyd Orr Building
Built in 1972, our second largest building contains several
lecture theatres, seminar rooms and labs, mainly for teaching
Science subjects. It is named after John Boyd Orr, former
graduate, rector and chancellor of the University, who won
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949.
Opposite is the:
7. Sir Alwyn Williams Building
The base for Computing Science and one of our newest
buildings. Sir Alwyn Willams was Principal and Vice
Chancellor from 1976 to 1988. Under his leadership, the
University successfully met the challenges involved in
modernising and developing research and teaching in
computing and new technologies.
6. Boyd Orr Building
Straight ahead is the:
8. Gregory Building
Built in 1980 and home to Earth Sciences and Archaeology, it
was named after John Walker Gregory, Professor of Geology
from 1904 to 1929.
7. Sir Alwyn Williams Building
Pass straight through the Boyd Orr Building and you will
arrive on University Avenue. In front of you is the awardwinning:
9. Wolfson Medical School Building
One of the largest medical schools in Europe, it was
designed by Reiach and Hall and opened in 2002. It won
“Best Public Project” in the Scottish Design Awards 2003.
To your right are two of our important research buildings: the
British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research
Centre and the Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre.
Further to your right is Byres Road, a bustling street with
cafes, bars and restaurants, which is the heart of the thriving
West End.
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8. Gregory Building
Turn left. Cross University Avenue at the pedestrian
crossing and enter the:
10. Botany Gate
Turn right and walk straight towards the:
11. Kelvin Building
Home to Physics and Astronomy, it was originally known as
the Natural Philosophy Building. It was designed by James
Miller and completed in 1906.
Beyond the Kelvin Building, on your right, you will see the:
9. Wolfson Medical School Building
12. Graham Kerr Building
Named after Sir John Graham Kerr who was Regius
Professor of Zoology at the University from 1902 until 1935,
the building is home to the Zoology Museum which is open
to visitors. Regius Professorships are created by a monarch
and approved by the Crown. Glasgow currently has the
highest number of extant Regius chairs at 12.
Turn left before the Kelvin Building and take the left hand
stairs. Follow the path to the right and ascend the stairs on
the left. This will lead you to:
11. Kelvin Building
13. Professors’ Square
The Square was originally built as houses for Professors in
the 1860s. Now it is home to the School of Law and various
services such as Research & Enterprise and Corporate
Communications. Turn right and you will come to No. 11
where Lord Kelvin, the famous physicist and engineer, lived
from 1870 to 1899. This was one of the first houses in the
world to be lit entirely by electricity.
13. Professors’ Square
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Self-guided tour campus map
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Un
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rs
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Ga
rd
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en
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University Avenue
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1. The Fraser Building
2. Hunterian Art Gallery
3. The Mackintosh House
4. University Gardens
5.
6 Queen Margaret Union
arton Way
ary
6. Boyd Orr B2
Building
B10
7. Sir Alwyn Williams Building
8. Gregory Building
9. Wolfson Medical School
Building
10. Botany
B1 Gate
11. Kelvin Building
12. Graham Kerr Building
13. Professors’ Square
14. University Chapel
Gibson Street
Bank Street
Oakfield Aven
Southpark
Fraser Building
Tour begins
St Andrew’s Building
Gibson Street
Southpark Avenue
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Wellington
Church
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Oakfield Avenue
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26
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Kelvin Way
North Front
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South Front
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15. Principal’s Lodging
16. Flagpole
17. Cloisters
18. West Quadrangle
19. East Quadrangle
20. Hunterian Museum
21. Visitor Centre
22. Memorial Gate
23. Pearce Lodge
24. Gilmorehill Centre
25. Glasgow University Union
26. Rankine Building
27. Stevenson Building
28. University Library
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On the other side of the Square you will see the
inter-denominational:
14. University Chapel
This was completed in 1929 as a memorial to the 733
University members who died in World War 1. Their names
are recorded on the tablets at the east end of the Chapel.
More tablets were later added to the east of the stalls
recording the names of the 432 members who died in
World War 2.
Pass No. 11 and the building at the end of the Square is
the:
14. University Chapel
15. Principal’s Lodging
The official residence of the Principal.
Go straight ahead, past the Lodging. On your left you can
see the Lion and Unicorn staircase which was created in
1690 and moved to this site in 1872. Turn to your left:
You are now walking along the south of the Main Building
which is officially named the Gilbert Scott Building after the
architect George Gilbert Scott who designed it in the 19th
century.
Gilbert Scott Building
The University of Glasgow has more listed buildings than any
other university in the UK and the Gilbert Scott Building is the
jewel in our glittering crown.
Stop at the:
16. Flagpole
The perfect place on campus for terrific views of the city.
In front of you is Kelvingrove Park. Glasgow is Gaelic for
‘Dear green place’ and has over 90 parks and formal
gardens with Kelvingrove being one of the most outstanding.
Flowing through the park is the River Kelvin. Various wildlife
can be found along the banks of the River Kelvin and most
recently salmon have returned to swim alongside the brown
trout.
You will also see the stunning architecture of the Kelvingrove
Art Gallery & Museum, Scotland’s leading tourist attraction.
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Kelvingrove Art Gallery &
Museum, as seen from the
Flagpole on the South Front
Enter the Gilbert Scott Building through the door
underneath the University Tower. Go straight ahead
and you will arrive at the famous:
17. Cloisters
These impressive archways have featured in several films
and TV programmes and are often mistaken for Hogwarts
School of Magic!
On either side are the:
18. West Quadrangle
17. The Cloisters
19. East Quadrangle
The Quads are home to various lecture theatres and offices,
and are the location for our graduation receptions.
Walk through the Cloisters and the staircase at the end will
lead you to the:
20. Hunterian Museum
This is Scotland’s oldest public museum and was founded in
1807 by money and collections donated by William Hunter,
one of our most famous alumni and a leading anatomist.
19. East Quadrangle
Opposite the museum is the entrance to the striking Bute
Hall, where our graduation ceremonies are held. The great
hall and its staircase were built with donations made by
the 3rd Marquess of Bute and Charles Randolph, a former
student and later a partner in a leading Clyde shipbuilding
and marine engineering firm.
Turn right and descend the staircase to the:
21. Visitor Centre
The ideal place for University of Glasgow merchandise and
lovely Scottish gifts such as hand-crafted jewellery and
traditional sweets.
20. Hunterian Museum
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Go straight towards the:
22. Memorial Gate
Leading to University Avenue, the gate was presented to
the University by the General Council on 18 June 1952, to
honour 29 outstanding individuals of the University’s first
500 years. A further two names were added in 2001 – the
University’s 550th anniversary.
Turn right, walk down the hill and you will pass:
23. Pearce Lodge
The University was founded in 1451 in the centre of the city.
When it moved to its current site in 1870 the original gateway
and other stonework were brought to this site to create the
lodge, named after Sir William Pearce, a local shipbuilder
who donated funds for the building.
22. Memorial Gate
Continue down the hill to the:
24. Gilmorehill Centre
The home of Theatre, Film & Television Studies is frequently
used for various plays, dance recitals and film festivals.
Cross the street and you will see:
23. Pearce Lodge
25. Glasgow University Union (GUU)
Our oldest union was founded in 1885. It was the “Men’s
Union” until 1980 when women were permitted to
join. The GUU is five-times world debating champion.
Walk up the hill and turn right onto Oakfield Avenue until
you come to the:
26. Rankine Building
Home to Civil Engineering and Electronic & Electrical
Engineering, the building was named after Macquorn
Rankine, former Professor of Civil Engineering and
Mechanics, and opened in 1969.
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24. Gilmorehill Centre
27. Stevenson Building
Our sport and recreation centre. Among its many facilities
are a swimming pool, sauna and steam room; as well as
more than 65 exercise classes every week.
Turn right and walk up Gibson Street. Once you reach the
top turn left and you will see the:
28. University Library
This is one of the best academic libraries in Europe with 12
floors of books, journals, ancient texts, special collections,
CDs and DVDs. It also has one of the longest university
library opening hours in the UK.
25. Glasgow University Union
You will have now found yourself back at the
Fraser Building. We hope you have enjoyed
your tour of our beautiful and historic campus
and we look forward to welcoming you back
soon!
For information on studying at the University of
Glasgow visit:
www.glasgow.ac.uk/undergraduate or
www.glasgow.ac.uk/postgraduate.
27. Stevenson Building
28. University Library
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Recruitment and International Office,
71 Southpark Avenue, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ
Tel. +44 (0)141 330 6062
www.glasgow.ac.uk
© University of Glasgow, October 2012
University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401
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