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!!