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 The coat of arms of Glasgow as featured in the City Council's logo
The coat of arms of Glasgow as featured in the City Council's logo
The coat of arms commemorates Glasgow's patron saint, Kentigern, more often known as Saint Mungo, and includes four emblems — a bird, a tree, a bell, and a fish, specifically a salmon with a ring in its mouth. The emblems represent miracles supposed to have been performed by Mungo and are listed in the following traditional rhyme:
Here's the bird that never flew
Here's the tree that never grew
Here's the bell that never rang
Here's the fish that never swam
The supporters are two salmon bearing rings, and the shield bearing the four motifs is surmounted by a castle (or sometimes a helm) above which is St Mungo himself.
The motto of the city, taken from a sermon preached by Mungo, is Let Glasgow Flourish, a shortened version of Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the word and the praising of thy name. The motto was more recently commemorated in a song called "Mother Glasgow" by Michael Marra, and popularised by Hue and Cry, a musical group from the nearby town of Coatbridge.
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Glasgow's population, peaked in the 1930s with a population of 1,088,000 people, and for over 50 years was over 1 million people. However, after the peak of the 1930s, the population started to decline, partly due to relocation to the 'new towns' in clearings of the poverty-stricken inner city areas like the Gorbals. It addition, successive boundary changes reduced the official city boundaries (and hence official populations) making direct comparisions difficult as the city expands beyond the local council boundaries.
See Also: Historical Population Data
Due to council boundary changes since the last census in 1991, Greater Glasgow has four distinct definitions for the population of Glasgow in the 2001 census: the smallest is the new Glasgow City Council Area (which lost the district of Rutherglen to South Lanarkshire, the slightly larger City of Glasgow Locality Area (formerly Glasgow District Council Area), the Greater Glasgow Health Board area (covered by the local NHS Trust), and the Greater Glasgow Metropolitan Settlement Area (including surrounding localities).
Location
Population
Area
(km²)
Density
(/km²)
Area
(mi²)
Density
(/mi²)
Glasgow City Council
577,869
175.49
3293
67.75
8,528
City of Glasgow locality
629,501
162.10
3883
62.58
10,058
Greater Glasgow Health Board
867,150
555.27
1562
214.38
4,044
Greater Glasgow Settlement Area
1,168,270
368.46
3171
142.26
8,212
Source 2001 Census
Since the 2001 census, the population decline has stalled and it is currently forecast to remain the same (the current population forecast for 2004 the City of Glasgow area is 577,680) [1].
Compared to Inner London (22,438 people per sq mile), Glasgow has less than half the current population density of the Capital (8,528), however in 1931, the density was 16,011 highlighting the 'clearances' of the inner city to the suburbs and new towns [2].
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Glasgow was historically based around Glasgow Cathedral, the old High Street and down to the River Clyde via Glasgow Cross.
City Centre
The City Centre is bounded by the High Street to the East, the River Clyde to the South and the M8 motorway to the West and North which cut a swathe through the Charing Cross and Anderston areas in the 1960s.
 Buchanan Street looking southward.
Buchanan Street looking southward.
Shopping & Theatre District
The City Centre is based on a grid system of streets on the north bank of the River Clyde. The heart of the city is George Square, site of many of Glasgow's public statues and the Glasgow City Chambers, home of Glasgow City Council. To the south and west are the shopping precincts of Argyle, Sauchiehall and Buchanan Streets. The main shopping malls are Buchanan Galleries and the St Enoch Centre, as well as the more specialised, designer malls; Princes Square and the Italian Centre. The London-based department stores, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols are planning to open in the city, further strengthening Glasgow's already impressive retail portfolio, which forms the UK's largest and most economically important commerce and retail sector after London's West End. The layout of the shopping district of Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street and Argyle Street has been termed the "Golden Z" and in October 2005 retail locations in the area were sought after to the extent that Buchanan Street was reported to have the 7th highest shop rental fees in the world [3].
The city centre is home to Glasgow's main cultural venues: The Theatre Royal (home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet), The Pavilion, The King's Theatre, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow Film Theatre, RSAMD, GoMA, Mitchell Library, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, and The Lighthouse Museum of Architecture, Design and the City. The city centre is also home to two of Glasgow's three universities: Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University.
It also boasts the World's tallest cinema, the 18 screen Cineworld (formerly the UGC Cinema) in Renfrew Street.
Merchant City
To the east is the commercial and residential district of Merchant City, which was formerly the residential district of the wealthy City Merchants in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Latterly, due to growing industrial pollution levels, the area fell out of favour with residents, who mostly moved to the newly developed West End and Southside districts.
However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, the area has been rejuvenated with luxury city centre apartments and warehouse conversions. Many new cafes and restaurants have opened. The area also contains the old Tolbooth, The Tron Theatre, The Trades Hall, and the City Halls.
The area is also home to Glasgow's growing 'Arts Quarter', based around the Saltmarket and Trongate, and at the heart of the annual Merchant City Festival.
A significant part of Glasgow's 'Gay Quarter' is situated in the Merchant City, predominantly around Virginia Street, and the northern end of Glassford Street, and also hosts events for Glasgow's annual Glasgay! Festival, in November.
Recently the city council defined (and perhaps expanded) the area known as Merchant City as far West as Buchanan Street, marking these boundaries with new, highly stylised metal signage.
Old Glasgow
As the Industrial Revolution and the riches it brought expanded Glasgow's central area westward, the original medieval centre of the city was left behind. This area, commonly known as "Old Glasgow" takes in the eastern fringes of the Merchant City and some of the East End. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of High Street, Gallowgate, Trongate and Saltmarket was the original centre of the city. In the Cross sits the Tolbooth clock tower; all that remains of the original City Chambers, which was destroyed by fire in 1926. Moving northward up High Street towards Rottenrow and Townhead lies the 15th Century Glasgow Cathedral and the Provand's Lordship.
Financial District
To the western edge of the city centre, occupying the areas of Australia Bank">National Australia Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Since the late 1980s, this area of the city centre has seen the construction of many ultra-modern office blocks, a trend which continues into the 21st Century, with a new wave of high rise developments currently on the drawing board.
The West End
 Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is Glasgow's premier museum and art gallery and has one of Europe's great civic art collections.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is Glasgow's premier museum and art gallery and has one of Europe's great civic art collections.
Glasgow's West End refers to the bohemian district of cafés, bars, boutique hotels, clubs and restaurants in the hinterland of Oxford, Cambridge and St. Andrews. Much of the city's student population is based in the West End, adding to its cultural vibrancy and unique identity.
The area is also home to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Hunterian Museum, Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena, Henry Wood Hall (home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and the Museum of Transport, which is to be rebuilt on an old dockland site at Glasgow Harbour to a design by Zaha Hadid. The West End Festival, one of Glasgow's biggest festivals, is held annually in June.
Glasgow is Europe's fastest growing conference and events destination, and the SECC is the UK's largest exhibition and conference centre. A major expansion of the SECC facilities at the former Queens Dock by Foster and Partners is currently planned, including a 12,000 seat arena, and a 5 star hotel and entertainments complex.
The area is well served by bus, rail and the Glasgow Subway, which is the easiest way of travelling to the City Centre and the Southside.
The East End
 The People's Palace in Glasgow Green.
The People's Palace in Glasgow Green.
The East End is home to the famous Glasgow Barrowland market, popularly known as 'The Barras', and Barrowland Ballroom music hall, Glasgow Green, and Celtic Park, home of Celtic Football Club . Much of the original sandstone tenements remain in the East End. The East End of Glasgow includes some of the most deprived areas in the UK. Vivid anecdotes of working class life in the East End 1961-1994 are contained in comedienne Janey Godley's autobiography "Handstands in the Dark", particularly the Calton and Shettleston areas.
The Glasgow Necropolis cemetery was created on a hill above the cathedral of St Mungo in 1831 and is Glasgow's equivalent of Paris's Pere Lachaise. Routes curve through the landscape uphill to the tall statue of John Knox (62 metres high) at the summit, with some tombs designed by local architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. The design creates a dramatic skyline of obelisks, pinnacles and statues in memory of Glasgow's wealthier inhabitants. It was described by James Stevens Curl as 'literally a city of the dead'. The main entrance is approached by a bridge over what was the Molendinar Burn towards an impressive set of classical mausolea. The bridge, designed by James Hamilton, is known as the Bridge of Sighs because it formed the route of funeral processions.
The new Scottish National Indoor Sports Arena, a modern replacement for the Kelvin Hall, is planned for Dalmarnock. If the 2014 Commonwealth Games bid is successful, the area will house the Athletes Village, adjacent to the new indoor sports arena.
To the north of the East End lie the two massive gasometers of Provan Gas Works, which stand overlooking Alexandra Park and a major interchange between the M8 and M80 motorways. Often used for displaying large city advertising slogans, the towers have become an unofficial portal into the city for road users arriving from the North and East.
The Southside
 The Burrell Collection is one of the city's top cultural attractions.
The Burrell Collection is one of the city's top cultural attractions.
Glasgow's Southside, sprawls out south of the Clyde to the upmarket suburbs of Giffnock and Newton Mearns, covering areas including The Gorbals, Shawlands, Pollokshaws, Nitshill, Pollokshields, and Queens Park.
Although predominantly residential, the area does have several notable public buildings. Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Scotland Street School Museum, the world famous Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park, the National Football Stadium Hampden Park in Mount Florida and Ibrox Stadium, home of Rangers. Pacific Quay on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the SECC, is home to the Glasgow Science Centre and the new Headquarters for BBC Scotland, and SMG which are relocating there to a new purpose built digital media campus.
In addition, several new bridges spanning the River Clyde are currently planned or under construction, including The Finnieston Bridge and 'Neptune's Way' in Tradeston.
The Southside also includes many great parks, including Linn Park, Queens Park and Bellahouston Park, and several golf clubs, including the championship course at Haggs Castle.
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 GoMA is the second most visited contemporary art gallery in the United Kingdom outside London
The city has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities, from curling to opera and from football to art appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport, religion, and modern art. The city even has the largest public reference library in Europe in the form of the Mitchell Library.
Theatres, Museums and Galleries
Glasgow is home to a variety of theatres including The Kings Theatre, Theatre Royal and the Citizens Theatre and is home to many municipal museums and art galleries, the most famous being the Burrell Collection, GoMA and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Festivals and Exhibitions
See also: Glasgow Festivals
The city has hosted many exhibtions over the years, including being the European Capital of Culture 1990, National City of Sport 1995-1999, UK City of Architecture and Design 1999 and European Capital of Sport 2003.
Music Scene
Glasgow has one of the most exciting music scenes throughout the whole of Europe, with a plethora of live music pubs, clubs and venues.
Some favourite venues are the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut where Oasis were spotted and signed by Glaswegian record mogul Alan McGee. Another favourite is The Barrowlands, a historic ballroom, converted into a mecca of live music.
Famous exports include:
Simple Minds
Jimmy Somerville
Aztec Camera
Wet Wet Wet
Average White Band
Teenage Fanclub
Del Amitri
Deacon Blue
Orange Juice
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Primal Scream
Texas
Travis
Stealers Wheel
Belle & Sebastian
Mark Knopfler
Mogwai
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Snow Patrol
Franz Ferdinand
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 Glasgow Cathedral marks the site where St. Mungo built his church and established Glasgow
Glasgow Cathedral marks the site where St. Mungo built his church and established Glasgow
The city is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic community with diverse religions. The Central Mosque in the Gorbals district is the largest mosque in Scotland.
Cathedrals
The city has four cathedrals:
Glasgow Cathedral (Church of Scotland)
St. Andrew's Cathedral (Roman Catholic)
St. Mary's Cathedral (Scottish Episcopal)
St. Luke's Cathedral (Greek Orthodox)
Other prominent churches and religious buildings
Caledonia Road Church - designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson
Queen's Cross Church - home of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society
St Andrew's Church
St. George's Tron Church
St. Vincent Street Free Church - designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson
Renfield - St. Stephen's Church
Wellington Church
Glasgow Central Mosque
Glasgow also has the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art which is the only religious multi-faith museum in the world.
In addition, a new Sikh Temple is planned for Glasgow's Charing Cross District, due to open in 2007.
Religious rivalry
See Also: Religious rivalry in Glasgow
Some sectarian rivalry still exists among certain elements of the population. Nowadays this is largely limited to the sporting rivalry between the supporters of Celtic and Rangers. The majority of Rangers supporters are nominally Protestant, while the majority of Celtic supporters are nominally Catholic.
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See Also: Glasgow Patter
Glaswegian, otherwise known as The Glasgow Patter is a local, anglicised variety of Scots.
Glaswegian is a rich and vital living dialect which gives a true reflection of the city with all its virtues and vices. It is more than an alternative pronunciation; words also change their meaning, e.g. "away" can mean "leaving" as in A'm awa, an instruction to stop being a nuisance as in awa wi ye, or "drunk" or "demented" as in he's awa wi it. Cannae means "can't". Pieces refers to "sandwiches". Ginger is a generic term for carbonated soft drink, generally in a glass bottle (A boatal a' ginger). Then there are words whose meaning has no obvious relationship to that in standard English: coupon means "face", via "to punch a ticket coupon".
A speaker of Glaswegian might refer to those originating from the Scottish Highlands and the Western Isles as teuchters, while they would reciprocate by referring to Glaswegians as the keelies or weegies. A (rather old-fashioned) Glaswegian insult is hieland, which means "awkward" and is Scots for "Highland". Example: that wean's got an awful hieland wey o haudin that knife meaning "that child has a very awkward way of holding that knife".
The TV series Chewin' the Fat and Rab C. Nesbitt capture the humour of the Glaswegian patois and sensibilities while Billy Connolly has done a lot to make Glaswegian humour known to the rest of the world.
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Glasgow is the largest economy in Scotland and is at the hub of the metropolitan area of West Central Scotland which has a total population of over 2.6 million. The city itself sustains more than 410,000 jobs in over 12,000 companies. Over 53,000 jobs have been created in the city since 1995 - a growth rate of 16%. [7] The city now outstrips most of its European counterparts and rivals most North American cities in terms of growth. 25% of the residents in the Greater Glasgow area commute to the city every day. Manufacturing industries such as shipbuilding and heavy engineering have been gradually replaced by a modern mixed economy, supported by public and private investment and a flexible, skilled workforce.
Glasgow's economy is now dominated by key service sector industries such as financial and business services, communications, biosciences, optoelectronics, software design, creative industries, healthcare, retail and tourism. Between 1998 to 2001, the city's burgeoning financial services sector grew at a rate of 30%.
 Shipbuilding, although diminished from its heights in the early 20th century, still forms a significant part of Glasgow's manufacturing base.
Shipbuilding, although diminished from its heights in the early 20th century, still forms a significant part of Glasgow's manufacturing base.
The city retains a strong link to the manufacturing sector which forms the fourth largest manufacturing centre in the UK, accounting for well over 60% of Scotland's manufactured exports, with particular strengths in shipbuilding, engineering, food and drink, printing, publishing, chemicals and textiles as well as new growth sectors such as Australia Bank">National Australia Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS, AXA, Norwich Union, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays Bank and Lloyds TSB. These names rub shoulders with more well established firms operating in the city, which represent more traditional sectors of Glasgow's economy, including; Diageo, William Grant & Sons, Pernod Ricard, AG Barr, Tennent Caledonian Breweries, Whyte & Mackay, House of Fraser, Hilton Group, Jacobs & Turner, MacFarlane Group, HarperCollins, John Menzies, BAE Systems, Thales, Alstom, Linn, Rolls-Royce Aero Engines, Albion Automotive, British Energy, Scottish Power, Thus, Centrica, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Caledonian MacBrayne, Stagecoach Group, First Group, Loganair, Flyglobespan, Zoom Airlines, Air Scotland, BAA, Imperial Chemical Industries, Armitage Shanks, Weir Group, Arup, AMEC, and Aggreko Engineering. Glasgow-based Scottish Power is one of three Scottish companies to be included on the Fortune Global 500 rankings.
Over the last two decades Glasgow has radically improved to become an attractive city to live, work and play. Major corporate developments have helped promote its reputation as a leading centre for business and commerce.[8]
Glasgow is the third most popular foreign tourist destination in the UK, after London the UK capital. The city also has the UK's largest and most economically important commerce and retail district after London's West End. Glasgow is one of Europe's top 20 financial centres and is home to many of Britain's leading businesses. Glasgow today forms an important part of the British economy.
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 Glasgow Central Station is the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line
Glasgow Central Station is the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line
See Also: Transport in Glasgow
Glasgow has a large urban transportation system, mostly managed by Strathclyde Passenger Transport, the only Passenger Transport Executive in Scotland. SPT, is formed and financed out of the seven unitary authorities in the Greater Glasgow area including Glasgow City Council. It has responsibility for local train services, the subway, certain ferries and buses.
The city has many bus services, almost all provided by private operators since bus deregulation in 1986, however SPT fund services where there is public need but no service. SPT also own and run the principal bus station in Glasgow, Buchanan Bus Station, which is a terminus point for many long distance intercity coach services as well as local journeys. A number of controversial 'bus corridors' have been invested in by Glasgow City Council focusing on main bus routes with real time information, and bus priority measures at a significant cost. The Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE), formerly the municipal transport operator, is as a result of bus deregulation now privately owned by First Group, who operate a vast bus network in Glasgow including its twelve core 24 hour 365 days a year services. Other large operators in Glasgow are Arriva and Stagecoach with a number of smaller operators catering to individual districts including First Stop Travel and many others.
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