Glasgow is home to some of the most stunning architecture you can find in Scotland - ranging from the sixth century all the way to Victorian-era, today we wanted to look at some of the most beautiful buildings in Glasgow, exploring their history and design.
Just as you can tell the history of a tree by counting it’s rings, you can count the history and culture of a city through it’s longest standing and proudest buildings - and Glasgow is in no short supply of stupendous and awe-inspiring structures. Designed by legendary architects like Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson both having made their mark on the landscape of the city.
From the ancient religious Glasgow Cathedral to the one-of-a-kind Venetian-Victorian inspired Templeton on the Green - these 12 structures should give an insight into the city of Glasgow when they were built.
Whether the city was in the midst of the merchant boom from Atlantic trade, or under a thick cloud of smog as workers toiled away upon the Clyde - architecture has always been appreciated by the people of Glasgow.
9. Templeton’s Carpet Factory (1892)
Templeton’s Carpet Factory (or Templeton on the Green as it is now known) was a purpose-built carpet factory which looks incredibly different to the industrial estate carpet factory’s we have today.It was meant to display opulence, which was a tricky thing to get right in reserved Victorian Society who preferred the imposing majesty of Gothic Revival architecture. After repeated design proposals had been rejected by the Glasgow Corporation, Templeton hired the famous architect William Leiper to produce a design that would be so grand it could not possibly be rejected, so William Leiper modelled the building on the Doge’s Palace in Venice, which was constructed in the alternative Venetian Gothic style. | Contributed
10. Pollok House
Pollok House is found in the heart of Pollok Country Park with the house being built in 1752. It was given to the city in 1966 by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald whose family had owned the estate for almost 700 years. | © Glasgow Life / Paul Watt Photography
11. Cottiers
The building which is now occupied by Cottiers was opened in November 1866 and was designed in a Neo-Gothic style. It served as a functional church until 1984 before it was eventually sold and converted into a theatre, arts centre and bar and restaurant. | Cottiers
12. Glasgow School of Art
The building is considered to be Glasgow born architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece and is recognised as one of the most influential buildings constructed in Britain. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell