Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest cathedral on mainland Scotland and is the oldest
building in Glasgow. One of the few Scottish medieval churches to have survived the
Reformation, Glasgow Cathedral is truly magnificent, full of beauty and wonder. The history
of the cathedral is linked with that of the city, and is allegedly located where the patron saint
of Glasgow, Saint Mungo, built his church. Built before the Reformation from the late 12th
century onwards and serving as the seat of the Bishop and later the Archbishop of Glasgow,
the building is a superb example of Scottish Gothic architecture.
Original church was built of wood, and was probably changed over the following five
centuries. The first stone church on the site was consecrated in the presence of King David I in
1136 and occupied the area now covered by the nave (part of the interior bounded on one or
both sides by a row of columns or pillars). In the mid-13thcentury much of the rest of the
cathedral appeared: in particular the upper and lower choirs were added to the east end of the nave. In the 14 th century a tower was built above the
crossing, and two more at the western corners of the nave. In the 19th century major repairs included the removal of the two western towers. Since
that time, there have been no changes in the appearance of the Cathedral and it was left as we see it today.
The most striking part is the Millennium Window in the north wall of the nave. This was officially unveiled by Princess Anne on 3 June 1999. It
was produced by John Clark and is widely recognised as one of the most technically demanding stained glass windows ever produced. A range of
complex traditional techniques were employed including multiple layer etching, painting and silverstaining.
The cathedral has been host to number of congregations and continues as a place of active Christian worship, hosting a Church of Scotland
congregation. The building itself is in the ownership of The Crown, is maintained by Historic Scotland, and is a popular destination for tourists.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, with one of Europe’s great civic art collections
is Scotland’s number one visitor attraction, it’s definitely worth seeing. Kelvingrove
Museum is the most visited Museum in Scotland and the 6th most visited Museum in the
UK. The Museum is open 7 days a week from 10.00 to 17.00. (on Fridays and Sundays from
11.00). Admission is free.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is located in the West End of the city, on the
banks of the River Kelvin. It is situated near the main campus of the University of Glasgow.
The gallery was designed by Sir John W. Simpson and E.J. Milner Allen and opened in 1901,
as the Palace of Fine Arts for the Glasgow International Exhibition held in that year. It is built
in a Spanish Baroque style, follows the Glaswegian tradition of using Locharbriggs red
sandstone. After the major refurbishment and restoration in 2003, Kelvingrove Art Gallery
and Museum was re-opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 11 July 2006.
This impressive building is the main museum in the city, housing a vast collection of paintings and sculptures, Scottish arms and armor, medieval
swords, crossbows, dueling weapons, silver, ceramics, clothing, furniture, and much more besides. The fantastic art collection includes masterpieces
by famous artists; Rembrandt, Rubens, Botticelli, Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Monet, Turner, Whistler. On the first floor there are new education focused
facilities, including the History Discovery Centre, the Study Centre, and the Multimedia Object Cinema. The exhibition halls concentrate mainly on
Natural History, Zoology, Archaeology, History and Fine Arts.
Kelvingrove has a range of facilities you’d expect from a world class museum, and is the highlight of any trip to Glasgow. The Gallery is available
to hire for corporate and private events. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has earned the reputation of being Scotland’s most popular free visitor
attraction, which is fully justified, as a fabulous day out for the whole family is guaranteed.
Glasgow's Riverside Museum
Glasgow's magnificent Riverside Museum opened to the public in the Summer of
2011 and is justifiably popular.
The Riverside Museum is home to Scotland's Museum of Transport and Travel and
the iconic building provides a fitting home for its superb collections. The Museum of
Transport was previously housed in Kelvin Hall, opposite the Kelvingrove Museum, but
nowadays It stands on the north bank of the River Clyde in what is becoming known as
Glasgow Harbour, immediately to the east of where the Clyde is joined by the River Kelvin.
One of the particularly nice things about the new museum is that the neighbouring
Pointhouse Quay is now the permanent home of "The Tall Ship", the Glenlee.
The Riverside Museum building was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and
engineers Buro Happold. The architect describes the building as "a sectional extrusion open at both ends." The shape of the cross section is reminiscent
of a jagged wave, and you can think of the form of the building as symbolising the recreation of Glasgow's links with its riverfront. The Riverside
Museum took four years to build and fit out, and cost a total of £74m. Glasgow City Council contributed £50.9m towards this total cost, with a further
£18.1m coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The remaining £5m was raised through a public appeal.
The museum covers a floor area of 11.000m2, with an exhibition area of 7.000m2. The Riverside Museum’s collection comprises about 21,000
objects related to various means of transportation, including boats, automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, horse-drawn carriages, trolley cars, steam
locomotives, streetcars, skateboards, and bicycles. A selection of nearly 3,000 iconic pieces from the collection is displayed in thematic sections,
together with reconstructions, scale models, and 90 touch screen panels with videos, texts and images. The permanent exhibition also pays special
attention to Glasgow’s shipbuilding history, whose origins date back to the 15th century.
The program of events and activities of the Riverside Museum includes guided tours, education programs for adults and children, temporary
exhibitions, and special events.
Glasgow Science Centre
It is one of Scotland's most popular paid-for visitor attractions.
Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located in the Clyde Waterfront
Regeneration area on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth II opened Glasgow Science Centre on 5 July 2001. It is a
purpose-built science centre composed of three principal buildings: Science
Mall, Glasgow Tower and an IMAX cinema.
1. The Science Mall is the largest of the three main buildings. In
architectural terms it represents the canted hull of a ship.
Internally, there are three floors of over 250 science-learning
exhibits. On Floor 1, amongst the many interactive exhibits that
demonstrate scientific principles, visitors can access a Science
Show Theatre and the Glasgow Science Centre Planetarium. On Floor 2, visitors can explore opportunities in STEM careers in the My
World of Work Live interactive exhibition space. There is also The Lab, primarily used as an educational workshop space. On Floor 3 you
can visit an exhibition about human health and wellbeing in the 21st century, called BodyWorks. Visitors are invited to consider their
bodies, health and lifestyle from a new perspective through 115 interactive exhibits, research capsules and live laboratory experiences.
2. The Glasgow Tower was designed to be the tallest freely-rotating tower in the world.
3. The IMAX cinema was the first IMAX cinema to be built in Scotland. The single auditorium seats 370 in front of a rectangular screen
measuring 80 feet (24 m) by 60 feet (18 m) and has the capability to show 3D films as well as standard 2D films in IMAX format. It opened
to the public in October 2000, and premiered the first film, entitled "Dolphins", several months prior to the opening of the two other
buildings.
Glasgow Science Centre is a science-lover's heaven, filled with incredible activities, education centers and fantastic exhibits for adults, kids and
toddlers alike.
Interesting Facts about Glasgow
1. Cineworld Glasgow is the tallest cinema in the world
Cineworld Glasgow is a cinema on Renfrew Street, located in the north-east of the city centre. It is adjacent to Buchanan Bus Station and the Glasgow
Royal Concert Hall. The cinema was built on the site of The Glasgow Apollo (1973–1985), which was formerly Green's Playhouse (1927–1973). After
the Apollo closed in 1985, the cinema was opened as the UGC Cinema in September 2001. In 2005, it became part of the Cineworld chain. At over 60
m high, and with an entry in the Guinness Book of Records, Cineworld Glasgow is the world's tallest cinema. Cineworld Glasgow has 18 screens over 6
levels, and can accommodate more than 4,300 people. Its most distinctive feature is the huge glass curtain wall on the east face, which houses a system
of criss-crossing escalators which are lit neon blue at night. However, during the cinema's construction, the building design came under heavy criticism
from the architecture community for its poor design choices and contrast with the surrounding area.
2. The phrase ‘Glasgow kiss’
The Glasgow Kiss may sound like a lovely sweet act of endearment between two adults but in the rest of the world it is something to be feared and
worried about. In English slang, there is such a common expression "Glasgow kiss". Its essence is reduced to a simple but very sharp headbutt in the
face of the opponent, usually resulting in a broken nose. The appearance of this term is due to the fact that some areas of Glasgow have a bad
reputation. Hooligans often resort to this form of violence there. The phrase ‘Glasgow kiss’ is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary. Its earliest
recorded use was in 1982.
3. Glasgow is the only city in Scotland where the metro was built
The Glasgow Subway is an underground medium-capacity rail system line in Glasgow, Scotland. It was opened on 14 December 1896, it is the thirdoldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. The metro line in Glasgow has the shape of
an oval with a circumference of 10.4 km and consists of two single-track tunnels with a diameter of 3.35 m and an average depth of about 10 meters.
There are only 15 underground stations on the line.
The Glasgow Subway has a funny nickname. It’s "The Clockwork Orange". This nickname was coined because the trains in the metro are orange in
color. Actually, the "Clockwork Orange" nickname is often used in tourist guidebooks and local literature, it is virtually unused by locals.