History of Glasgow

Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was originally a small salmon-fishing village at a crossing point on the River Clyde and has a history stretching back almost two thousand years.
Celtic druids were among the first identifiable religious tribes to inhabit the area. It's likely they would have traded with the Romans who, circa 80AD, had a trading post in Cathures, the earlier name for Glasgow. In 143AD the Romans erected the turf-built Antonine Wall stretching from the Clyde to the Forth to separate Caledonia to the north from Britannia to the south, but the wall was soon abandoned.
Glasgow has been shaped by Battles, World Wide Trade and Heavy Industry to become a truly International City.

 Provands Lordship

At Provand's Lordship you can step back into Glasgow's past in the only house to survive from the medieval city. Now open to the public, Provand's Lordship has been extensively restored to give a real flavour of life in medieval Glasgow.

The house was built in 1471 as part of St Nicholas's Hospital by Andrew Muirhead, Bishop of Glasgow, and you can still see the bishop's coat of arms on the eastern side of the south gable. It later became the town residence of one of the canons of the cathedral chapter. This clergyman is thought to have drawn his income from the rents and taxes of Balernock, and was known as the 'Lord of the Prebend of Balernock', later corrupted to 'Lord of Provan'. The house takes its name from this title. All the other medieval buildings that once surrounded the cathedral had been demolished by the beginning of the twentieth century, and it was only through the work of the Provand's Lordship Society that the house was saved from the same fate.

Behind the house is the St Nicholas garden, built in 1997. It is a medical herb garden, containing medicinal plants in use in the fifteenth century, designed to reflect the original purpose of the house.

Shipbuilding

The River Clyde has long been one of the world`s greatest shipbuilding centres and over the last two centuries over 35,000 ships have been launched from its many shipyards. Indeed, just before the First World War, Clydeside yards produced one-third of the British output of ships. Many models of the ships built on the Clyde are on display at the Transport Museum in the Kelvin Hall. The 'Clydebuilt' Maritime Heritage Centre, at Braehead on the south side of the Clyde, takes you on a journey through 300-years in the life of the world famous river.

Glasgow Green

One of the oldest and most historic parks in Scotland, Glasgow Green has been the site of many events. Ranging from Glasgow Fair, markets and circuses to public speeches and demonstrations.

Glasgow Necropolis

The Necropolis stands on a hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral, just a short walk across the Bridge of Sighs. The monument to John Knox, which was erected in 1825, dominates the hill. The cemetery itself, like several in Edinburgh, was modelled on Père-Lachaise in Paris. According to David Williams' 'The Glasgow Guide', "a total of 50,000 burials have taken place here, with 3500 tombs being built".

 Old Firm

The name Old Firm (sometimes called the Auld Firm) is a collective term for the Glaswegian football clubs, RANGERS and CELTIC. Its modern usage is generally as a neutral shorthand for the two clubs, for example when describing their derby matches. Its origin, however, is as a pejorative term to imply that the two clubs are running the scene, together, against the wishes of the other clubs in Scotland. The term is derived from the lucrative nature of contests between the two, and the suspicion that the clubs have colluded to ensure their profitability, at the expense of other teams. The two clubs are easily the most successful in Scotland, having won between them 63 Scottish Cups and 91 League championships (as of 2006)

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