Top 9 Facts about George Square in Glasgow

By Suicasmo – Wikimedia

Top 9 Facts about George Square in Glasgow

George Square is an iconic centrepiece of Glasgow that has been featured in popular films.

This Square is the main public square in the city and among six others. It was named after King George III.

Other Squares in Glasgow include Cathedral Square, St Andrew’s Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Square, and Blythswood Square on Blythswood Hill.

The Square was built in 1781 but took more than two decades to complete.

Several historical and architectural wonders remain to be monumental.

The city chambers also known as the municipal chambers have been at the square since 1883.

There are important collection of statues and monuments at the Square such as Robert Burns, James Watt, Sir Robert Peel and Sir Walter Scott.

1. The north side of the square has buildings from the 19^th century

The Northside of the Square is the Queen Street Station, the Millennium Hotel built in the 1840s, and George House.

George house was built in 1979 to provide extra office space for Glasgow City Council.

The Merchants House building for the guildry was formed in 1603 to establish the rights, duties and privileges of the merchants and craftsmen of Glasgow.

This building also houses the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce that was founded in 1783.

It was designed by John Burnet and opened in 1874. Two additional storeys were added a century later by his son JJ Burnet.

2. An empty tomb lies on the east side of George Square

By dave souza – Wikimedia

There is an empty tomb at the square that was erected in honour of people whose remains were interred elsewhere.

The tomb was designed by Sir John James Burnet to commemorate Glaswegians killed in World War I.

It was built in 1921 and the unveiling happened in 1924 by Field Marshal Earl Haig.

There is also another monument that is 80 feet tall celebrating the life of Walter Scott who was an author.

The Square has several statues including the only known equestrian statues of Young Queen Victoria. These statues were sculpted by Carlo Marlochetti.

3. Several events have been held at George Square

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

This square has been the scene of public meetings, political gatherings, protests, celebrations, ceremonies, parades and concerts.

The most famous political gathering that happened here was in 1919. This was during the Black Friday rally seeking to improve the working condition of factory workers.

That rally saw more than 90,000 people show up filling up the square and the surrounding streets.

Unfortunately, there was violence between the protesters and the police.

The square later provided a home to political hustings and meetings.

Other popular protests held at this square include the Poll tax and Iraq War.

It hosts annual Remembrance Day parades and has become the venue for the city’s extensive Hogmanay celebrations.

4. Queen Street was named after Queen Charlotte

A painting of King George III with his consort Queen Charlotte and their six eldest children, by Johan Zoffany, 1770 – Wikimedia

Queen Charlotte was the queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland from her marriage to King George III.

They got married on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801.

After the unification of the two kingdoms she became the queen of the United Kingdom until she died in 1818.

She was a patron of the arts and an amateur botanist who helped expand Kew Gardens.

Her husband’s frequent bouts of physical and mental illness became permanent in later life.

This resulted in their eldest son George’s appointment as Prince Regent in 1811.

Cow Lone, a road impassable in wet weather, was renamed Queen street after Queen Charlotte in 1766.

5. Respectable families lived at George Square

By Arcaist – Wikimedia

Between 1787 and the 1820 Georgian terraces were built around the perimeter of George’s square.

The west side of the square had a three-storey high block of six tenements with three entrances to turnpike stairs at the back for the upper flats.

These apartments were the residences of many respectable families.

The design was highly criticized for looking like a soldier’s barracks or a cotton mill.

On the east side, was a two-storey high terrace with a double flight of steps to the second storey.

All this was occupied in 1807 by a hotel known as the George Hotel.

6. Stewart Murray was commissioned to upscale the Square

In 1825 Stewart Murray, the curator and landscape architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sandyford, was instructed to upgrade the square.

He added winding walks, trees and shrubs and fenced the Square with an iron railing.

Flowers were added and planted in tents. He set aside the centre of the Square to pay homage to Sir Walter Scott, a prolific writer.

7. Glasgow house was demolished and a railway terminus built in its place

Before the demolition, James Ewing bought Glasgow House in 1815. Its ground was later known as the Queen Street Park.

There were tall trees around the mansion that attracted many crows earning it the name Craw Ewing.

In 1838 James Ewing sold Glasgow House to the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.

The new owners demolished it and built their terminus in its grounds.

It opened in 1842 and was later named the Queen Street Station. The main entrance was an extension of Queen Street.

This led to the conversion of several houses nearby into accommodation for travellers.

8. Townhouses around the Square were converted into Hotels

At around 1855 townhouses on the north side of the square were converted into The Royal, The Crown and The Queen’s Hotel.

In 1866, after the two tenements at the south end were demolished, the Cranstons moved to the Crown Hotel on the north side of the square.

New buildings were erected and turned into business blocks, factories and apartments.

Further developments followed in 1874 to 1876 by a matching extension taking up the central third of the block.

9. Glasgow City Chambers has been in use since 1889

By dave souza – Wikimedia

The grand City Chambers also knew as the Municipal Buildings has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996.

Before this, it housed the municipal government in the city since 1889.

It is located on the eastern side of the city’s George Square. Joseph Swan`s panoramic engraving of 1829 shows the early development of the square and its surrounding buildings.