Glasgow: History and heritage…
Hip and happening; from its days as a trade and ship building centre on the banks of the River Clyde, Glasgow has prospered and bloomed and is now the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the UK. History and heritage is huge here; Victorian and art nouveau buildings, green spaces, modern shopping malls, markets - quite an eclectic mix but it works. Culture vultures flock to Glasgow for the art galleries, museums and theatres, foodies come for the huge variety of scrumptious delights, and shopaholics come here because Glasgow has the biggest retail centre outside the West End of London.
The city centre is an architectural jewel with Mackintosh’s Lighthouse, Glasgow School of Art, the art deco Glasgow Film Theatre and the copper domed Mitchell Library. Modern examples include the SVS Conference Centre and the striking Novotel Glasgow Centre, but travellers coming in to Glasgow Central Station have a beautiful Victorian landmark to feast their eyes upon, with the adjoining elegant Principal Grand Central Hotel.
Away from the city centre, the South is a district of leafy parks and lush gardens, a wonderful setting for MacDonald Crutherland House with its purpose built conference centre. Big fields mean plenty of room to kick a ball about and this is where you’ll find Rangers Football Club and Hampden Stadium. Not just for sports fans though, oh no; the O2 ABC and the Classic Grand host some big names in the music industry, whilst Glasgow Science Centre and the Planetarium pull in the crowds.
The East is home to the city’s markets; hundreds of busy stalls amidst the oldest buildings in the city, including the glorious medieval cathedral, and Porvand’s Lordship, built in 1471. The North retains its industrial heritage; old mills and warehouses along the Forth and Clyde Canal, but it’s also big on sports – particularly watersports, and it’s where Firhill Stadium is, home to Partick Thistle FC.
Though smaller, the West district certainly has a lot to shout about; apparently it’s one of the hippest places in the UK, big on the vintage scene, arts and culture, food, and leafy parks – in other words it’s got the lot. Of note are the Botanic Gardens and the stunning Victorian glasshouse, Kibble Palace. Venue wise this part of the city punches high with the SSE Hydro and SEC Armadillo both within the Scottish Event Campus.