Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
commercial center. Both are laid out in a grid system, so navigation is reasonably
easy along primary arteries such as Buchanan Street, Argyle Street, Bath Street,
Sauchiehall Street, and St. Vincent Street. Stretches of a few of these are traffic-free
and full of pedestrians.
The city's salubrious and leafy West End is just a short journey from central
Glasgow, on the other side of the M8. The late Georgian terraces of Woodlands Hill,
rising to Park Circus, afford excellent views. Nearby, the tower of the University of
Glasgow dominates the skyline. For the West End and Glasgow in general, Byres
Road is a primary social and entertainment destination, full of restaurants, cafes,
bars, and shops.
The city's Southside sprawls from the River Clyde and is largely residential. The
commercial heart of the Southside is Shawlands, which offers an increasing number
of good restaurants, and nearby Queens Park is a hilly classic of Victorian planning.
Glasgow's East End is slowly redeveloping after the boom of its industrial heyday
went bust. Visitors to one primary East End artery, the Gallowgate, should visit the
flea-market stalls of the Barras at the weekend. A few neighborhoods, such as Den-
nistoun, which is east down Duke Street from the Cathedral area, are gradually
drawing young, creative types who can no longer afford apartments in the West End
or on the Southside: A renaissance is simmering.
Glasgow Neighborhoods in Brief
13
CITY CENTER
Cathedral (Townhead)
This is where St.
Mungo apparently settled in
A
.
D
. 543 and
built his little church in what's now the
northeastern corner of the city center.
Glasgow Cathedral
was once surrounded by
a variety of prebendal manses (residences),
and the so-called Bishop's Castle stood
between the Cathedral's west facade and
the Provand's Lordship, which still exists
largely in its original form. East of the Cathe-
dral is one of Britain's largest Victorian
cemeteries, Glasgow's Central Necropolis.
Merchant City
The city's first New Town
development—today southeast of the city's
core—Merchant City extends from the bou-
levard called the Trongate and Argyle Street
in the south to George Street in the north.
As the medieval lanes and alleys off High
Street were regarded as festering sores, the
affluent moved to develop areas to the west.
Merchant's warehouses largely replaced the
houses, and everyone was shifted out. Ironi-
cally, now the district has become one of the
few inner-city areas of Glasgow where peo-
ple reside in any density.
Finding an Address
Glasgow was built in various sections
over the years, and some historic dis-
tricts, such as the infamous Gorbals,
south of the city center, have been torn
down in the name of slum clearance:
Streets have been completely reconfig-
ured to accommodate modern traffic
flows. Other neighborhoods have fallen
prey to freeway development. Luckily
for visitors, the city center is primarily
laid out on a grid, which makes it easier
to navigate.
Get a detailed map of Glasgow
before setting out. Always find the near-
est cross street, and then look for your
location from there. If it's a hotel or res-
taurant, the sign of an establishment is
often more prominent than the number.
