University of Glasgow
University Gardens will eventually lead into University Avenue - the main thoroughfare which bisects the university campus. In front of you will be the University's spectacular Main Building, designed in Gothic Revival style by Sir George Gilbert Scott (the man who also designed London's St Pancras railway station). The building has an interesting visitor's centre (open all year round) which is free. The main building sits atop a drumlin from which it is possible to get a fantastic view of the city, which is worth making the effort.
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In Search of Raintown
Fans of the Glasgow band Deacon Blue have often made the pilgrimage to the top of the Granite Staircase to recreate the cover photograph of their famous 1987 album Raintown. Sadly, neither of the two cover photos from the album is now possible to reconstruct. Two decades have seen Kelvingrove Park's trees grow to obscure the view of the Clyde and the Finnieston Crane from the top of the Granite Staircase. Equally, the rear cover shot of the M8 motorway approach onto the Kingston Bridge (adjacent to the Mitchell Library) was taken from a disused bridge upon which an office building has now been constructed.
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Walking down from the university main building you will arrive into Kelvingrove Park, and the magnificent Kelvin Way, a tree lined avenue, almost Parisian in its gaiety which marks the western boundary of the park. Walking down Kelvin Way, and looking up to your left you will see the buildings of Park Circus atop a steep hill. The pavements (sidewalks) on Kelvin Way are very uneven due to the tree roots underneath, so difficult for anyone with mobility problems.
This area of Georgian townhouses (laid out in a radial pattern similar to the English city of Bath) has made the transition from originally being an upmarket residential area to a prestigious office district for mainly legal and consultancy firms. In recent years, there have been moves to encourage the companies back into the city centre and return the buildings to residential use. If you make the effort to walk through Kelvingrove Park, go up to this area as it is worth descending down the grand Granite Staircase which will bring you down on to the western reaches of Sauchiehall Street.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Glasgow
