Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

John Knox Monument, Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland

Today, I escorted two guests on a short architecture themed tour of Glasgow.

We commenced with the famous necropolis near Glasgow Cathedral. Here there are some 50,000 burials dating from around the 1830s onwards. Many of the memorials commemorate the ‘great and good’ of Victorian Glasgow which at the time ranked as the second city of the British Empire and was home to wealthy business people.

Above is an image of the John Knox memorial which dates from 1825 and thus pre-dates the Necropolis. Knox was a 16th century Protestant reformer.

Here is an image of one aspect of the Necropolis.

Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland

Here is a typically elaborate mausoleum.

Monteath Mausoleum, Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland

Here is a view of Glasgow’s 13th century Cathedral taken from the Necropolis.

Glasgow Cathedral, Castle Street, Scotland

Next we drove across ther river to the Gorbals to view the interesting architecture (mainly domestic) which has replaced a once very deprived area.

After the Gorbals we drove round to visit Govan, an old shipbuilding area on the Clyde. Here we went to the water’s edge to view the scenery which included the Tall Ship ‘Glenlee’  moored opposite.

Tall Ship, Glenlee, Glasgow

Next we visited Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece, House for an Art Lover.

House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, Scotland

En-route to drop-off at Kelvingrove  we encountered this demolition in process at Govan.

Demolition in progress, Govan, Glasgow

Overall. a good day aided by bright, sunny weather.

Clubhouse, Hampden Bowling Club, Glasgow

This evening I am posting information on the historic development of football ( soccer) in Glasgow.

It is apparent that Scotland was at the forefront of the development of football, with Glasgow playing a prominent role. The game was the sport of the working classes and easy to arrange at modest cost. Today, Glasgow is home to the two top teams in Scotland both of which have won honours at the European level in the past. In essence, therefore, Glasgow’s role in the football continues at a high level.

The image above shows the clubhouse at Hampden Bowling Club. This structure may have originated as a very early football building and subsequently relocated to its current site. Conversely, the bowling green may have originated as a football pitch with the clubhouse remaining in situ.

The image below is of Cathkin Park. This was formerly the home of the now defunct Third Lanark club (1903-1967) but may have been the venue for the first international football match in the world (between England and Scotland). The extended oval is a feature of the Scottish game.

Cathkin Park, Glasgow, Scotland

The pitch below is that of Lesser Hampden. The white building in the  middle distance may be the world’s oldest football structure.

Lesser Hampden, Glasgow, Scotland

The next two images show Scotland’s National Football Stadium, at Hampden, Glasgow.

Hampden Football Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland

Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland

Here is the stadium of Celtic F.C. in Glasgow’s east end. Celtic has a strong following in the Roman Catholic community. The club was  founded by a Catholic priest in 1888.

Celtic Football Club, Parkhead, Glasgow

Celtic Football Stadium, Parkhead, Glasgow

The following two images show Rangers Football Club stadium. This club is based near Govan and has  a strong following in the Protestant comunity. It was founded in 1872.

Rangers Football Stadium, Ibrox, Glasgow

Rangers Football Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland

Today, football (soccer) remains strongly supported in Glasgow.

Pitch at Rangers F.C., Glasgow

 This morning I joined a tour of Rangers F.C.  at Ibrox, near Govan, Glasgow. Historically, Rangers has been supported by members of the Protestant community whilst the club’s arch-rival Celtic is on the Catholic side of the  city’s sectarian divide. These two Glasgow clubs dominate Scottish football and are collectively known as the ‘Old Firm’. Despite the competition the two clubs have a symbiotic relationship which proves mutually beneficial and helps propel the game forward.

A brief history of Rangers F.C.:

• Founded with very modest beginnings in 1872 on Glasgow Green.
• From Glasgow Green the club moved to Burnbank then Kinning Park in 1876.
• On August 20th 1887 the first stadium at Ibrox (Govan) was opened but due to the team’s increasing popularity this proved inadequate.
• The club moved to its present site in 1899 which has capacity for 51,000.

A brief summary of Rangers achievements on the pitch:

• Won 54 league championships.
• Won 27 Scottish League Cup titles.
• Won Scottish cup 33 times.
• Reached UEFA final in 1961.
• Won European Cup Winners Cup in 1972.

Here are some images from today’s tour:-

Trophy Room

Tropy Cabinet at Rangers F.C., Glasgow

 Members Club room

Members Club at Rangers F.C., Glasgow

 Blue Room (used by Directors)

Detail from Blue Room at Rangers F.C., Glasgow

 Players changing room.

Players Changing Room at Rangers F.C., Glasgow

 Players Tactics Board

Players' Tactics Board, Rangers F.C., Glasgow

 View of Ibrox Stadium

Rangers F.C. Football Stadium, Ibrox, Glasgow

 Memorial to fan fatalities at Ibrox, 92 died in two major disasters.

Memorial to Crowd Disaster Victims, Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow

 Entrance tunnel to the pitch.

Players Entrance Tunnel, Rangers F.C., Glasgow

Overall, a worthwhile tour which I would recommend to others.