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Glasgow University

 

Established in 1451 by Bishop William Turnbull, the university spent the first 400 years of its life in the east end of the city originally by the cathedral then off the High Street. As the industrial revolution developed, Glasgow would be coined the 2nd city of the empire by Queen Victoria. The city and the surrounding area around the university gradually became more and more unpleasant with the smog and pollution. Therefore, when the opportunity came to move to the west end, the countryside at the time, it would prove to be extremely timely.. However, it was not plain sailing as the sale of the land to Glasgow, Airdrie & Monklands Railway company fell through eventually taking litigation by the university to fund the move and even then they had to raise money to complete it  through public subscriptions and donations.

 

Once there though, the Scottish-French Gothic building by Sir George Gilbert Scott was impressive. It was the second largest and oldest Neo-Gothic/Gothic Revival piece of architecture in the UK behind the Houses of Parliament, built ten years previously. Controversially though, there was no competition held for architects to bid and given that at the time the city had a  number of talented architects including Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson the design did not go down well with everyone especially Frank Wordsall declaring it ‘sham medievalism’.

 

Sadly, Gilbert Scott died before completion and his son would finish it adding the 278 feet Gilbert Scott Tower which is now home to a Peregrine Falcon’s reflecting the range of wildlife which can be found in this area next to Kelvingrove Park. This can be best appreciated from the southside of the campus where you can see the missing statues. Now, the architect would like you to believe these were stolen during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. However, we know this is a 19th century building and the university ran out of money! So, you decide.

 

Back inside the confines of the building flanked by the east and west quadrangles sit the majestic cloisters. Meaning a covered area in a college with colonnades to a quadrangle with its archways of fluted columns and ribbed vaults, Harry Potter vibes aplenty going on here. Although, this is where Albert Einstein came for a cigarette break during his guest lecture on the History of the General Theory of Relativity in 1933. He would receive an honorary degree here having turned down a few because he felt like he was walking in the footsteps of his academic heroes Adam Smith, James Watt and Lord Kelvin of Largs who attend this institution in some capacity.

 

Above the cloisters sits Bute Hall named after the Marquis of Bute who in 1877 donated £3 million pounds to the university. Strangely, shipping magnate Charles Randolph gifted £5 million for the smaller Randolph Hall although this was bequeathed which may account for that. Art work include George Sharkey’s three square gyratory structure where large kinetic structures with moving parts was his thing. An American artist, he spent time growing up in Helensburgh as his father was a manager at the Singer Factory as well as being an engineer and clockmaker. Across the cloisters, there is Jephson Robb’s piece of art Alma Mater commemorating all the philanthropists over the years including the public which is the reason this area is open to all 24/7.

 

In my next blog, I’ll write about the famous alumni who have attended the university over the years from UK Prime Ministers to Nobel Prize winners.