Glasgow is a city with a long and storied history. Its tales are best told through its striking architecture and landmarks, which continue to impress record-breaking numbers of visitors to the city. So, where is best to go when you wish to see Glasgow’s roots? We have a few ideas for you.
Provand’s Lordship
If you have a hankering for a history lesson, perhaps the best place to start is the inimitable Provand’s Lordship. A medieval house that’s now a museum, this amazing piece of architecture has been in existence since 1471, making it the oldest dwelling in the entire city, and one of only four remaining buildings dating back to this period.
Furnished with a smattering of 17th century Scottish furniture, a selection of royal portraits, and the most beautiful exposed brickwork, it is a place that has a distinct identity. To make your trip really authentic, go for small details like taking along old-fashioned snus (which is high-quality snuff) from taxfreesnus.com, so you can make like the antiquated aristocrats of the Merchant City.
The Necropolis
You might also want to pay a visit to the city’s necropolis, a Victorian cemetery where you will find a series of exquisite headstones and archaic inscriptions. Offering some of the most fascinating and raw insights into the history of the city, it contains the remains of around 50,000 men, women, and children, along with a myriad of monuments and statues that help to bring this bygone era to life.
People’s Palace and Winter Gardens
The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens were envisioned as a way to tell the true history of the city. Revealing stories that stretch back as far as 1750, the museum gives visitors the chance to delve into a treasure trove of artefacts, prints, photographs, films, paintings, and interactive displays, so that the lives of those who once peopled its streets are conjured in full and vivid technicolour.
The Tall Ship
The Tall Ship is one of our favourite picks on this list. Located at the Riverside Museum, she is also and more correctly known as the barque Glenlee, one of only five remaining Clyde-built ships still on the water. Inside, she is the most fascinating of time capsules, sharing some enthralling insights into maritime history (most pertinently, the tales of Glasgow’s once bustling shipyards).
Glasgow Cathedral
Believed to stand on the site where Saint Mungo, patron saint of the city, built his own place of worship, Glasgow Cathedral’s hallowed halls offer some of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in existence. It’s rooted in the oldest part of Glasgow and remains a building that is linked to the city’s past and present.