St Martin's in the Square or St. Andrew's in the Field?

No this photo is not George Square. And that is not Sir Walter Scott on top of that column.
And yes that is Big Ben in the background.




It is of course Trafalgar Square in London and that is Lord Neslon up there in the sunshine.
(The sunshine may also give away that it not Glasgow!)

I was lucky enough last week to get a weekend down in London to visit some family and got to do the whole tourist thing. This time in another city at least!!

I love to visit London and I love Trafalgar Square. Makes me think we should get fountains in George Square in Glasgow. Although can imagine the problems it may cause on a typical Saturday night!! :-)

But apart from that what has this to do with Glasgow...



Well the goal of my search was at the end of the rainbow. The white church in the corner of Trafalgar Square behind the fountains...

This is St. Martin's in the Field. The particular building was designed by James Gibbs and was built between 1721 and 1726. It really is a most striking building. This beautiful design is much admired and has been copied many times around the world. Does it look familiar?

Here is a previous photo I took of St. Andrew's in the Square in Glasgow. It was built between 1739 and 1757 and yes it was indeed inspired by St. Martin's in London. You can see some slight differences on the spire and decorations but there is no mistaking the similarity.

So there you have it, our own little bit of London right here in the heart of Glasgow.

Well they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! And I reckon James Gibbs would be very proud to see this version of his design so beautifully preserved in another city.

Be well, be happy!!

You took something perfect and painted it red?

I've mentioned before that I work close to the "Three Heids" statues at the side of the M8 motorway. I love these sculptures. I've come to like their "moods" as they look different on grey rainy days or bright sunny days and their playful covering of snow in winter.
They even got Red Noses put on them for Comic Relief!!

But since the very first time I met them I have wondered about the rust on the rear of the containers that they are mounted on.

Is this what the sculptor David Mach intended? I've pondered if they were actually meant to rust over time? Was it part of the art? Some kind of statement about industrial decay?


Well found out the answer this week. They have just been needing a coat of paint all these years.


Don't get me wrong they do look better all spruced up. But somehow I'm disappointed that it was something more symbolic than bad maintenance.


Anyway, now used to seeing them with their new coats on. But hope you like this wee photo of them being sorted. I just liked the image of only the first one painted and the workman having a wee break with his paper.


Be well, be happy!!

That's another fine mess you got me into Stanley...

Had a disappointment this week in that the Pope actually drove right past my place of work and I was so busy never even got a photo of him to post up.

Major event in Glasgow and nothing to say for it here. :(

Reminded me of the time I missed getting a photo of Prince Charles by 5 minutes. I'm never going to make it in the Paparazzi.

But this weekend help make up somewhat for that disappointment....

It was Doors Open Day in the city. This started back in 1990 when Glasgow was the European City of Culture. Many of the city's buildings that you don't normally have public access throw down those barriers and welcome you in for a sneak peek. There are now about 100 venues involved so can't possibly do them all but I chose a few I really wanted to see "The Day" and headed out...

A number of you may recognise this ship and it is on top of the first building I went to visit today. This ship has fascinated me since I was a child. Always wondered what it was for. Then I found out it was the symbol of the Merchants House of Glasgow. Now I was curious to see inside. And today I did...

The building on the north west corner of George Square is the third building to be the merchants house. The first was built around 1600 in the Bridgegate and then rebuilt about 1659. This is the steeple you see to this day in the Bridgegate. In 1843 a new hall was opened in Hutcheson Street. The Merchants Guild moved to the building in George Square in 1877.

As you ascend the marble staircase to the 1st floor offices you see these wonderful stained glass windows. They depict the granting of the "Letter of Guildry" to the Merchants Guild in1605. I particularly liked the lower corner with the boy and the dog.


My photos can not do justice to the splendour of the rooms and halls of this building. The main hall is beautifully pannelled.

Some beautiful detail up at the ceiling. This is the symbol of the Merchants House. The ship on top of the world which is the same as the one on the roof. There in the middle is the familiar St. Mungo with his usual tree, fish, bird and bell. And the motto of the house "TOTTIES REDUNTIS EODEM" ("SO OFTEN RETURNING TO THE SAME PLACE").

Merchants House of Glasgow symbology refelcted in every detail on the roof.

And in the Ante room another stunning stained glass window. This time showing the Dean of Guild Court in 1605.

From the Merchants House I headed across George Square. Passed the City Chambers which was also open. But I've already done a tour of these.

And onto another building I have included in another tour but never been inside. The Ramshorn Theatre in Ingram Street.

I love this building. It is a beautifully framed as you look up Candelriggs. There is something strong and elegant about the tower. Another building I never tire of seeing. This was of course once St. David's church as was built in 1824. It was sold to Strathclyde University in 1982 for a fiver and became the theatre for the University. John Anderson, the founder of Strathclyde University (formely Anderson College) is actually burried in the crypt.

If you want to know more go here:
http://www.strath.ac.uk/culture/ramshorn/info/kirk_history.htm

And today got my first chance to go inside...

And was not disappointed when I got there. Absolutely stunning stained glass windows. I didn't count but there are seemingly 32 windows all as beautiful as this. You could spend ages just looking at all the detail in every window. The sun was shining when I got there and made the colours simply come to life.

Glad I took the opportunity to see these hidden gems.

And now on to my final visit of the day. And something special hiding in plain view...

This building in the Trongate is in fact the old Britannia Panoptican theatre. The oldest surviving music hall in the world.

Above the amusement arcade that now occupies the ground floor you can see some lovely detail on the building. Cherubs holding a shield which once again has St. Mungo and his attending fish, bird, bell and tree.

And at the top of the building A.D. MDCCCLVII (1857).

The story of the Britannia is amazing. It opened in 1857 as Campbell's Music Saloon and changed to the Britannia music hall in 1859. Over the next decades many of the big names of the time appeared here including Sir Harry Lauder. The audience were known to be hard to please and often pelted the performers with eggs or rotten fruit. "No turn left unstoned" was the saying. It was bought by Albert Pickard in 1906 and became the Panopticon. "A place to see everything". Pickard added a "zoo" in the basement, a freak show, an American museum...
But life had moved on. In 1920 it was converted into a cinema. The Tron Cinema. And in 1938 it finally closed.

Only to be rediscovered 60 years later. But will get to that bit...

First we will cross the road to the wynd that leads to the entrance door. And here on the wall it the proud sign of the Brits most famous "son". Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame.
Stan's father was the manager of the nearby Metropole theatre and Stan had his debut here as an amateur act in 1906. And the rest is history...

Now up the stairs and into the old music hall. And what an amazing place. This picture doesn't really capture the feel of the palce but the gallery and stage areas are still all there. Although you can see the chipped paint and the bad condition of some of the roof you can really strip that away in your mind and imagine that original music hall audience still sitting in the gallery. There is a genuine magical atmosphere about the place. In all the place I have visited doing this blog this is the one that I felt most connected with the past.

For Doors Open Day there was a great exhibition of clothing, posters, movies etc from 1800's and early 1900's.

And this poster made me smile. Reminded me of anytime when I was a kid and couldn't lift something becuase I wasn't strong enough my dad would kid me on that there was "mare strength in a Woodbine". Woodbine's are known for being strong cigarettes.

You can probably tell how taken I was with the Britannia Panopticon. It is a unique place. They are trying to raise funds to save this theatre. And the enthusiasm of the people who look after it is infectious. How amazing would it be for this old music hall to be back to it's original glory?

I had said that if I won the lottery I would get the Odeon in Renfield Street brought back. But think I've actually found a more deserving cause.

To read more about it go here:

http://www.britanniapanopticon.org/

Hope you enjoyed this wee tour and look out for door's open day next year.

Be well, be happy.

Sitting on the dock of the Brae...

Ok... Glasgow doesn't really have a bay. But was down at Braehead today and went out to the Clydeside to see what was currently parked up at the shipyards across the water.

Bit of the wee boy in me there. Still love seeing the ships. Do guys ever really grow up? :-)

A note on Braehead is that they never real made the fact it was right on the Clyde much of a feature. Shame so much more could have been made of this site.

Anyway...



Here is the view down the Clyde today. It was one of those Glasgow days that was sunny, cloudy and rainy all at the same time. Think Rainshine was how I described it in a previous post.

Was happy to see some of those menacing grey shapes of warships on the Clyde. This is of course the Scotstoun yards on the north side of the Clyde.






First up with this patrol boat. CG51. Scarborough it said on her stern.

Quick look up of the mighty internet told me that she is a patrol vessel for the Trindad and Tobago navy. She was built in Glasgow and is just completing her sea trials.



Next down the river we have 2 Type 45 destroyers. If you follow this blog you will remember me going to see Defender being launched last year. Was one of these my ship?



These are actually her sisters, Diamond and Dragon. Fanstastic and dangerous looking machines.

And then a wee surprise. While we were standing this ship headed past on it's way to the sea. The "AASLI". A Norwegian ship. And is that a digger on it's deck?

As she sailed past a small crowd of people gathered. Some like myself taking photos. Funny to think that a boat on the Clyde should be such a novelty but it is. Actually makes you realise that this river is not very wide and must have been amazing in days past to see so many ships sail right up into the city.



Anyway just though would share these pictures with you.



Be well, be happy!!!

I'm on my way from misery to happiness today...

Wow.

Simply wow.

This post is a bit different as it is about the Scotland vs Liechtenstein match at Hampden.
Quite simply that is the most bonkers match I have ever been at.

Has the agony and ectasy of supporting Scotland ever been more accutely demonstrated?


Anyway here is the story...


Decided to take my son to the game. It was his first ever match and thought he would enjoy the experience. We were playing Liechtenstein. A country with a population less than the capacity of Hampden. The "minnows" of the group. So set off with my Jimmy wig, Scotland scard and flag hoping for a few goals.



Love the walk down to the game. Down Battlefield Road. The tartan army in full colour.

The pipers playing. The gathering of the clans.
Can't help but feel patriotic.

This is Scotland!!!

Inside Hampden and the boys are out warming up. Here is Miller, Boyd and Weir going through their paces. Weir is a particular hero for me as he gives me hope that there is still an outside chance I can get a call up for Scotland. After this match my chances may have improved ... but we will get to that bit...

Fire drill??

Before the team had actually left the field the spinklers came on. Now it had been lashing earlier in the day so doubt the grass was that thirsty. And interesting to hear Roughy on the radio tonight mentioning this as well. Later in the match when a few Scotland players landed on their arses and every ball knocked forward skidded off the surface I pondered whether all this water was a good idea. But makes a good photo!! :-)

Then it was time to announce the teams. Every Scotland player got the usual huge Hampden cheer. If you know me then you will know why this one get an extra wee cheer from me :-)

The lineup sounded fine. Faddie was back, Boyd was up front, Hutton would be flying down the wing. This was going to be good.

The fireworks blasted off and as the smoke cleared the crowd was in full voice. Flags unfurled. Cmon Scotland!!!

Time for the national anthems and then a bit of a surprise for the assembled Tartan Army.
The anthem for Liechenstein is "God save the Queen"?
No but it does have the same tune. And this produced a few boos from the crowd.

Very wrong thing to do and hope the people of Liechtenstein were not offended. Wee bit of cross cultural confusion there.

Then up stepped our very own Amy Macdonald to lead the crowd in "Flower of Scotland".

I'm a big fan of Amy's music. And she did the team proud getting the crowd going.
As it was to turn out it may have been better if she had been given a place in the starting 11 and one of the team had done the singing... but as I said we will get to that bit...

Then a very emotional moment when there was a minute of applause to mark the anniversary of the death of Jock Stein. I remember vividly that night in Cardiff when he died. Was such a shock.

A true Scottish legend. And the volume of noise from the Hampden crowd showed that he is very much not forgotten.

And then the game kicked off. Now I'm not going to give a kick by kick account. I'll leave that to Graham Speirs. And not going to criticise the players here. I am a big fan of all of the Scotland players. And I know that they are proud to play for their country. But this was not a good day at the office...

As the minutes ticked away and very few passes hit there mark. As players collided or fell on their arses the crowd got restless. A few boos rang out here and there.

And this was played out until half time when still at 0-0 the team walked off, none too happy, with the sound of a booing Hampden crowd.

But what is this...? a Scotland striker through 1 on 1 with the keeper. No... this was part of the half time entertainment. Score against the keeper in 10 seconds and win a trip to see Scotland play in Liechtenstein. After the first half performance a guy near me enquired what was the 2nd prize?

As it turned out only 1 of the contestants scored and he gambled to take the kick again. Winner takes all. If he scored all the contestants got to go. He missed. Looked like it was going to be one of those nights.

And then the teams reappeared. The crowd that had booed the team off got right behind them with a deafening roar as the game began.

The all of a sudden a ball down the left, a cross not blocked, a Liechtenstein striker in the box. Why is no one stopping him?

Almost in slow motion the ball leaves his foot and curves around the diving Alan McGregor. The net bulges. NOOOOOOOOOO!!! The crowd groans. Head in hands.

This was bad.

Yet when Scotland kicked off again the crowd roared again. Cmon Scotland!!

But the minutes ticked by. The crowd became subdued. You could hear indivdual shouts.

Every Liechtenstein attack viewed with dread. Surely not 2-0?

Then Scotland began to press more. Fletcher got a cracking shot on target that the keeper parried away. The crowd felt hope. The volume started to crank up again. Cmon Scotland!!

And then it happened. A break down the wing. Robson put in the cross. It came back out. Kenny Miller came to meet it. A blur. The ball bouncing down into the net.

And all hell broke lose in the stadium!!!

What a goal!!

We were right back in it!!

SCOTLAND!! SCOTLAND!! SCOTLAND!!!

But the time drew on. Scotland pressing more and more. Liechtenstein tackles getting more cynical and the time wasting more ridiculous. Which is a shame as they had played well. Had played some of the best passing moves of the game and their goal was a cracker.

The referees decisions became more and more frustrating for the fans.

A chorus indicating the overall opinion of the ref echoing around the stadium. I covered my sons ears!! :-)

Craig Levein, the Scotland manager, was out in the technical area instructing the team. Time was running out. It still said 1-1 on the board.

90 minutes was over. Injury time. Minimum of 5 minutes said the board. But there had been loads partly with Wallace having his bad injury. We still had time.

A few fans started to drift away but the vast majority stayed.

A corner kick won.

Last chance...

Cmon Scotland!!

The ball sweeps in. A scrum of players. The net bulges!!

HAMPDEN ERUPTS!!!!

WE'VE DONE IT!!!

The players run into the crowd.
Every is screaming and cheering and bouncing.

McManus has scored with a brilliant header!!

The players get herded back to kick off the game again. One kick and the whistle blows. Game over. No one had sat down, we were all still dancing. I don't even have a photo of the final score on the board as was too busy jumping up and down!!

As players and managers left the field, Craig Levein must at this moment have felt the most relieved man in Scotland!!

We expected to leave Hampden on a low. Our qualification chances in tatters. Yet we had won!!
Maybe this is why it is the beautiful game?

On the radio in the car as we made our way out of the traffic jam that is the south side after a game, Ewen and Roughy were telling us that Lithuania had won in the Czech Republic!!

We were top of the group!!

The Proclaimers started singing "I'm on my way from misery to happiness today..."

Never has a more appropriate song been chosen.

Like I said at the start... Bonkers!!!

I do wish Craig and the boys all the best for the campaign ahead. Bad day at the office. We all have them. This one ended well though. Now go on and do us proud!!

Scotland is right behind you!!

Though it did produce a night in Glasgow that will be remembered for a very long time!!

Be well, be happy!!

P.S. Anyone have a spare ticket for the Scotland vs Spain game? :-)

Glasgow "The Night"

Glasgow is a fantastic city during the day. But at night when so many of the buildings are all lit up it becomes a little bit more magical.

Like all cities it does also have a bit of an edge. I have witnessed a few drunken fights over the years. The "combatants" being dragged apart to the cries of "just leave it, he's no worth it".

However on the whole the beautifully lit up buildings give a backdrop to an exciting, energetic, fun city.
I had the chance over the last few months to take a few photos of Glasgow at night and thought I would share them here.


Firstly we start down at the Clyde. This shot is looking across from the SECC towards the new BBC building reflecting in the water. There is something hypnotic about lights dancing on water.
The 2 red lights in the sky behind are the lights on the Glasgow tower at the Science Centre.



Almost the same point but looking up the Clyde now towards the "Squinty" bridge. What a great addition this bridge is to the river. An elegence to the design that probably has to been seen both at night and day to appreciate all it's aspects.

I liked this slightly abstract shot of the "Armadillo" all lit up. Once again this is a fantastic building, like a futuristic silver version of the Sydney opera house during the day. But this strange blue lighting makes it more like a visiting alien spacecraft at night.

Now back into the city centre and a building featured many times during the day on this blog. The Gallery of Modern Art in Royal Exhange Square. It is beautifully and subtley lit up at night and makes an amazing centre piece to the square especially when framed down the length of Ingram street.

A quirky one here but very familiar to all Glasgow night dwellers. The torches burning outside Waxy O'Connor's bar. Been a cool feature in West George Street for many years. This bar we used to jokingly call the "Ewok village" as inside it was like a series of tree houses. A good fun bar but tricky to find anyone in there!!

Another quirky one and something I have looked out ever since I found it these were here. This is Tontine Lane which runs from Bell Street through to the Trongate. It is where the Tontine Building used to stand hence the name. But the lane now houses these two fantastic neon signs. The Mitre bar sign is actually from the old Mitre Bar that was in Brunswick Street. The Empire sign is not an old sign but acutally a work of art from 1997 by Douglas Gordon. Didn't quite capture it here but it is mounted on a mirror which of course then show it the right way round.

If you are down near Glasgow Cross or in Bell Street at night make a point of looking these out.

Further along Bell Street now and the old Fruitmarket building at the corner with Candelrigg. Not a fruitmarket now of course but full of trendy bars and restaurants. Worth taking a walk through as the unique centre with the old cobbled floor and fairy light ceiling makes this a cool place for a beer. But wanted to get this shot of the outside. This building is nice but perhaps not the most stunning during the day but at night she certainly shines.

I love neon signs. Doesn't everyone?

And this is a unmistakeable landmark in Glasgow. The Rogano restaurant in Exchange place. Art deco at it's best.

Now this is one of the most stunning and with the ghostly white lights possibly the creepiest lit buildings in Glasgow. The cathedral. It actually had scaffolding on it when came to take this shot so difficult to get a good one but hope you get the idea. Actually feels slightly ethereal, like a ghost building.

Another contestant for most spectacular lit building. The City Chambers. Stunning. This photo was actually taken in June and it is actually after 11pm. As you can see the sky is still not black. And although it was June there is just something about this building all lit up that makes me think of Christmas not matter what time of year.

Another alley, another sign. This time maybe appropriately the Lighthouse all lit up. Considering this is right next to Buchanan Street which is one of the busiest in Glasgow I am amazed how many people still don't know that this is here. Go looking for it!! You won't be disappointed.

Out towards the West End now. This is a wide ranging post this one!!

And wee bit of playing about with the camera for this one. This is of course the magnificent Kelvingrove art galleries. This building always make me smile when I see it. Reminds me of happy times there as a kid. Makes me happy as it is genuinely a place that I am proud to show off to visitors to the city. At night it is even more special. Love they way they have emphasised features with contrasing red lights.

Art Deco again. And this time in Sauchiehall Street. What was the Beresford Hotel all lit up to show off it's Art Deco grandeur. Reminds me of some of the buildings you see in Miami.

And as it over looks the party and bar area of Sauchie it possibly sees similarities to Miami Beach. Only colder and with less bikinis!! :-)

Another slightly quirky one and again in the West End. Ashton Lane at kicking out time.

I liked how this contrasted with previous photos I have taken here during the day and the fact the lights are on but nobody home.

And finally... the grandest lit up building in Glasgow?

The Mitchell Library.

As I have said before on this blog a building that simply makes me think I'm home.

Probably even more so at night.

Well hope you enjoyed this little tour round Glasgow "The Night".

There are a few buildings I wanted to get bit never got the chance like the university and the botanic gardens. But will post them up later.

Also put a few photos together with some music for a wee advert for Yorkhill once again on You Tube.

If you enjoy then please help in any way you can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TvUICk4urg

As always,

Be well, be happy.