Glasgow merchant city · Merchant City in Glasgow
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Merchant City in Glasgow
Merchant City in Glasgow
The Merchant City is a sub-district of the City Centre which contains Glasgow's original mediaeval core, and charts its beginnings as an industrial city. The Victorian tobacco lairds and merchants of the 19th century used their wealth from international trade to build the network of streets which formed the basis of the modern city as we see it today. Most of their ornate churches, houses and office buildings have survived to the present day. Trongate is the site of the Tron Theatre (itself a former church), just before the junction of the Trongate, A8 Saltmarket (north/south), Gallowgate and London Road (east/west). This junction is known as Glasgow Cross and marks the original medieval centre of the city. It is dominated by the clock tower of the original City Chambers (destroyed by fire in 1926), and the small hexagonal building known as the Tolbooth. High Street runs directly north from Glasgow Cross and is the main artery of Old Glasgow, leading up to the Cathedral of Saint Mungo (or Glasgow Cathedral), and the Necropolis cemetery – dominated by the statue of John Knox and described by Victorians as a literal “City of The Dead”.
Heading northward along Queen Street, you will enter George Square, the city's notional centre, which is dominated by the city's spectacular City Chambers, the headquarters of Glasgow City Council, the city's local government. On the north side of the square is Queen Street Railway Station, on the east side is the start of the Strathclyde University Campus. The Square itself is populated by several statues of civic leaders and famous figures from history and is often used for outdoor events. Continuing south from George Square, you will find yourself on Ingram Street, which in recent years has become a haven for upmarket designer shops. Heading west along Ingram Street, you will find the magnificent Royal Exchange Square, dominated by the Doric-style Gallery of Modern Art, and the square itself is lined with cafes, restaurants and bars. Beyond the gallery, you will pass Borders bookstore to arrive back on Buchanan Street.
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Glasgow Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.