Glasgow has went through many different historical eras - and the evidence of that heritage can get lost a lot easier than you think - so today we’re taking a look around the city for some of Glasgow’s history that’s hidden in plain sight.
Glasgow’s been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years, so we can’t be expected to remember absolutely everything - but a lot of the stuff we’ve forgotten about is a lot more interesting than you might think.
Earlier this year we ran a story on some of the old factories, warehouses, former churches and post-industrial spaces of Glasgow that are now used for an all-together different purpose. You can read that article here!
Take a look below as we explore Glasgow’s hidden history.
Earlier this year we ran a story on some of the old factories, warehouses, former churches and post-industrial spaces of Glasgow that are now used for an all-together different purpose. You can read that article here!
5. Pavement skylights
Pavement lights were first developed in the 19th century, as using gas lighting in confined cellars often filled with flammable objects / liquids is inadvisable - it was also pretty expensive in those days, so most of the pavement lights you see around Glasgow are at least a century old. They declined in use with the birth of inexpensive electric lighting after Thomas Edison came on to the scene and introduced commercial electric lighting solutions (lightbulbs) - which only became cheaper as Britain entered the 20th century.
6. Bricked-up tenement windows
There's a common rumour that the window tax brought in these bricked-up tenement windows you see around Glasgow. Though for poorer residents residing in tenement buildings - it wouldn’t be worth blocking off a window to your property to only save a few shillings a year. The legislation was repealed in 1851, so many of Glasgow’s newer properties that feature blocked windows were never faced with the charge. In actuality, the bricked up ‘fake windows’ were common practice for Georgian and Victorian architecture - and were used to maintain the buildings’ symmetrical facades. It wasn’t exclusive to Glasgow either - as many vertical flights of bricked up windows can be seen in Edinburgh as well. Many of these fake vertical windows actually house chimney flues.
7. Why are Glasgow's tenements two different colours?
Throughout the 18th and 19th century, blonde sandstone was quarried in and around Glasgow, with the majority of the local sandstone used coming from Bishopbriggs and Giffnock quarries pre-1890. After the railway network had been established in Glasgow and across Scotland in 1890 it suddenly became a lot easier (and cheaper) to bring in sandstone from outside the city. The red sandstone you can see around Glasgow was quarried from Dumfries and Ayrshire and was used in construction of new buildings around the city from the beginning of the 20th century.
8. Roman ruins and artefacts
The Hunterian holds the largest and most significant collection of Roman artefacts in Scotland. The Roman collection in the Hunterian Museum dates back to the late 17th century, when the third Marquis of Montrose presented a stone made by the Twentieth Legion, found at Old Kilpatrick at the western side of the Antonine Wall, to the Old College of the University of Glasgow. These donations were followed by donations from landowners who found other Roman artefacts on their property in the 18th and 19th century. It also holds artefacts that were found during the construction of the Forth and Clyde Canal. Of the nineteen known 'distance slabs' found along the Antonine Wall - seventeen of them can be found in the Hunterian. You can also peruse the internationally famous collection of Roman Coins held by the founder of the Hunterian, William Hunter. There's also a selection of Roman tombstones and altars.
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.