This award-winning public green space is ostensibly a patiently nurtured garden on the site of what was once an old tram depot. But it’s far more than that. Working to promote peace, learning and intercultural dialogue, the garden holds events and activities that allow people of all beliefs and backgrounds to come together.
This superb, four-floor science museum crams in a cornucopia of brilliant educational exhibits, many of them interactive. Deep space, human biology and climate action are all covered – there’s even a state-of-the-art, full-dome planetarium. It’s heaven for energetic kids, and just as entertaining for anyone with a curious mind.
This Victorian flat, once the residence of a house-proud local by the name of Miss Agnes Toward, has been kept as it looked a century earlier, making it a fascinating time capsule of Glasgow life as it used to be. Retaining everything from working gaslights and age-old household items to a scrubbed, coal-fired kitchen range, it gives a captivating look into the past.
The red T of the Tennent’s Lager logo illuminates the majority of bar counters across the country, making the brand’s Wellpark Brewery a kind of pub-goers’ pilgrimage site. Behind-the-scenes tours let you look more closely at how the beer gets brewed, as well as tracing the history, the packaging, and even the TV adverts of this ubiquitous Scottish brand.
In a city as multi-layered as Glasgow, you don’t need to look far for a memorable meal, a belting night out, or a good excuse to spend money. Some of the city’s restaurants are as good as you’ll find anywhere in Scotland, and much the same can be said about its drinking holes and performance venues. As for its shopping, you can expect to leave town with heavier bags than you arrived with.
There’s nowhere else in Glasgow quite like this wood-panelled café-restaurant, which played a formative role in the regeneration of the Merchant City area. Opened by a photographer in the late 70s, and occupying the offices of a former cheese market, it remains a place rich in atmosphere, thanks to its design furniture and all-bases-covered menus. Unusually, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
A familiar presence on Ashton Lane – and in the Good Food Guide – since 1971, this classy restaurant offers far more than its name would suggest. Expect tasting menus, wine flights and unusual dishes such as monkfish bourguignon, or steamed duck egg with truffle custard. There are strong vegetarian options, and the upstairs brasserie has a smaller menu of its own.
Is it a bar? Is it a church? Is it a theatre? Is it a restaurant? Improbably, it’s all of the above. Cottiers sits in what was once a parish church, but these days the multi-space venue is somewhere you can order a cocktail, watch a live show, or sit down to a serious feed. It’s named after 19th-century designer Daniel Cottier, whose stained glassworks still decorate the interior.
This canalside café gazes out across the cobbles and forms part of the original 1851 Speirs Wharf building – but puts a decidedly modern spin on its brunches, lunches and cocktails. Expect beautifully presented dishes founded on fresh, local produce.
Catering for fashion-conscious Glaswegians since the 90s, this longstanding second-hand clothing emporium specialises in retro and vintage items, with space too for jewellery and accessories. The store is so ingrained in the city’s clothes-shopping scene that it even has its own gift vouchers.
A leafy haven in the thrum of the city, Aperçu has won countless admirers thanks to its pleasingly diverse range of plants and flowers, and an obsession with all things horticultural. Pots, terrariums and elegant handmade goods are also sold. Look for the sage-green frontage.
Archaeological evidence suggests that our prehistoric forebears were familiar with the lands now occupied by Glasgow. However, the city’s story begins in earnest with St Kentigern, better known as St Mungo, a sixth-century Christian missionary renowned for his energetic preaching style. Sometime around the year 543, he built a simple church on the banks of the Clyde (Glasgow Cathedral now stands on the same site).
From these humble religious beginnings, the settlement grew incrementally over the next few centuries. In around 1285 the first bridge was built across the Clyde, and 1451 saw the founding of the University of Glasgow. As the local population grew, the burgeoning city became not just an academic and ecclesiastical hub but a key base for industry, international trade, and shipbuilding.
Buoyed by demand for everything from coal to cotton, Glasgow became one of the richest cities in Europe, its population outstripping that of Edinburgh by 1821. It played a vital shipbuilding role in the World Wars, but by the 1960s its yards and wharves were in steady decline. These fortunes were reversed when Glasgow was named European City of Culture in 1990, helping to transform some of its run-down areas, and a further boon came in 2014, when it hosted the Commonwealth Games. The arrival of COP26 in 2021 cemented its status as a global city.
Hidden Scotland Magazine Issue 3
Hidden Scotland Magazine Issue 2
After the successful launch of the first Hidden Scotland magazine in September, we’re proud to say we have just launched its successor: our Spring/Summer 2021 issue.
