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Glasgow History |
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Like so many other
cities in Scotland, Glasgow’s earliest history is
shrouded in mystery, but it's believed that its name derives
from the Celtic Glas-cu, which means ‘the
dear, green place’. It is generally agreed that the city was founded in the 6th century when the first settlers arrived to join Christian missionary Kentigern, known now as St Mungo, who had opened a monastery on the banks of the tiny Molendinar Burn. King William the Lionheart gave the Glasgow an official charter in 1175 but it is another William for which the city is truly famous – William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace, who was born in the village of Elderslie in nearby Renfrewshire. At the start of the 14th century, Wallace and his men trounced the English in a battle that was fought where the top end of High Street is today. In 1451 Glasgow University became the second university to be built in Scotland after St Andrew’s – and the fourth in the UK. Although the town grew in stature after the opening of this prestigious academic institution, it was as a port town that Glasgow began to flourish. The 1707 Treaty of Union with England prepared the way for a growth in overseas trade, especially with the colonies, and Glasgow began importing tobacco, rum, sugar and cotton from the Americas. But with the development of a super-charged steam engine by Greenock-born James Watt in the 18th century, the city turned its attentions to the textile industry and started to build cotton mills – and so the Industrial Revolution began. Glasgow then went on to shipbuilding and by 1835 it was responsible for half the tonnage of steam ships produced in Britain. As with most cities experiencing such a boom in their working class population, housing was built cheaply and inadequately resulting in a proliferation of slums. However, Glasgow did have the best water supply in the UK with pipes from Loch Katrine in the Trossachs, where the city’s water is still piped from today. The late 19th century and early 20th century saw Glasgow become a focal point for culture and architecture with International Exhibition being held at Kelvingrove Park in 1888 before the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum opened in 1901. Glasgow’s underground network opened in 1896 making travel around the city easier than ever before, despite its expanding boundaries. After World War II, the city's population dropped dramatically as people moved away from the hustle and bustle of central Glasgow out to new towns on the outskirts. The unemployment rate was high and morale was low with the city suffering under harsh economic conditions and the industries of old no longer viable. In the 1980s, the city cleaned up its act (and its streets) and set out to reclaim its reputation as the country’s 'Second City'. This led to the opening of numerous attractions including The Burrell Collection, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and Princes Square shopping centre. Today, Glasgow is now Scotland's largest city and was crowned Europe's City of Culture in 1990 and the UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999, which go to show that it is enjoying a successful resurgence. |
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