Whether you are a native to the city or visiting for a short period of time, some of Glasgow’s well known streets and place names can have you thinking about where they get their names from.
Some of the places and streets on this list come from either Scots or Gaelic whilst others have a much deeper story to tell with events and figures of the past all playing a part in the Glasgow story.
Here is a list of 14 places and streets which have a particular back story to them that make up the fibre of the city.
1. Byres Road
Byres Road is a popular spot in the West End of the city. It was once a completely separate village to Glasgow known as the ‘Bishop’s Byres’ with the Byres part having likely came from the Scots word for cow shed as the area was fairly rural.
2. Govan
Govan on the southside of the River Clyde is well known for its shipbuilding and arguably football’s greatest ever manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Many assume that the name comes from the Gaelic for ‘township of the blacksmith’. Photo: Alex Livesey
3. Drury Street
Drury Street’s most famous inhabitant is The Horseshoe bar with a pub having been on the site since 1846. Drury Street itself has some history as local legend has it that after two locals became inspired by Drury Lane Theatre in London, they got the name Drury Street printed and hung it on the corner building with it having stuck ever since.
4. Drygate
Drygate has the perfect link to Glasgow Necropolis to which it is located beside. The word ‘dry’ is said to come from an old Germanic or Pagan term for a priest meaning that it is fitting that the road leading to the Necropolis is known as ‘priests’ road’. Photo: Google Maps