Architecture of Glasgow
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{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
File:Teppichfabrik.jpg Templeton's Carpet Factory.]]
The city of Glasgow, Scotland is particularly noted for its 19th-century Victorian architecture, and the early-20th-century "Glasgow Style", as developed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Very little of medieval Glasgow remains, the two main landmarks from this period being the 15th-century Provand's Lordship and 12th-century St. Mungo's Cathedral. St. Mungo's Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk and Glasgow Cathedral, is the oldest building in Glasgow and is an example of Scottish Gothic architecture.
The vast majority of the city as seen today dates from the 19th century. As a result, Glasgow has a heritage of Victorian architecture: the Glasgow City Chambers; the main building of the University of Glasgow, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott; and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, designed by Sir John W. Simpson are examples.
Glasgow Style
File:Glasgow School of Art 52.JPG's Glasgow School of Art.]]
The city is notable for architecture designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928). Mackintosh was an architect and designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and the main exponent of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom, designing Glasgow buildings such as the Glasgow School of Art, Willow Tearooms and the Scotland Street School. Also designed by Mackintosh is the Queen's Cross Church, the only church by the artist to be built.[http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotland_on_tv/video.html?vxSiteId=60fdd544-9c52-4e17-be7e-57a2a2d76992&vxChannel=SeeScot%20Places&vxClipId=1380_SMG1835&vxBitrate=300 Watch video of the church] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605023607/http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotland_on_tv/video.html?vxSiteId=60fdd544-9c52-4e17-be7e-57a2a2d76992&vxChannel=SeeScot%20Places&vxClipId=1380_SMG1835&vxBitrate=300 |date=5 June 2009 }} and Interview with Stuart Robertson, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society Director
Victorian era
File:Holmwood.jpg villa in Cathcart, designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson.]]
Another architect who had an impact on the city's appearance was Alexander Thomson (1817–1875). Thomson produced a style of architecture based on fundamentalist classicism that gave him the nickname "Greek". Examples of Thomson's work can be found over the city,{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20021210054941/http://www.greekthomson.com/Thomson%20Buildings.htm#GLASGOW Thomson Buildings]}} with notable examples including the Holmwood House villa and St. Vincent Street Church.
The buildings reflect the wealth and self-confidence of the residents of the "Second City of the Empire". Glasgow generated wealth from trade and the industries that developed from the Industrial Revolution. The Templeton's carpet factory on Glasgow Green was designed to resemble the Doge's Palace in Venice and epitomises Glaswegians' desire to demonstrate architectural opulence during this era.{{Cite web |url=http://www.princes-regeneration.org/bestpractice/tempcarp.htm |title=Templeton's Carpet Factory, Glasgow - Princes Regeneration |access-date=17 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019191840/http://www.princes-regeneration.org/bestpractice/tempcarp.htm |archive-date=19 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}
File:TenementGlasgowSouthSide.jpg).]]
Many of the city's buildings were built with red or blond sandstone, but during the industrial era those colours disappeared under a pervasive black layer of soot and pollutants from the furnaces, until the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956. In recent years many of these buildings have been cleaned and restored to their original appearance.
=Ecclesiastical architecture=
Many important historicist churches were built in Victorian Glasgow, including the St. Vincent Street Church and the Romanesque Revival Garnethill Synagogue.
Modern era
Modern buildings in Glasgow include the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and along the banks of the Clyde are the Glasgow Science Centre and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, whose Clyde Auditorium was designed by Sir Norman Foster, and is known as the "Armadillo". Zaha Hadid won a competition to design the new Riverside Museum to house the Glasgow Museum of Transport{{cite web|url=http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/museum_of_transport_glasgow.htm|title=Museum of Transport Glasgow|accessdate=2007-12-13|work=Glasgow Architecture| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071222033628/http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/museum_of_transport_glasgow.htm| archivedate= 22 December 2007 | url-status= live}}
Glasgow's historical and modern architectural traditions were celebrated in 1999 when the city was designated UK City of Architecture and Design,[http://www.seeglasgow.com/media-office/features/history/city-of-reinvention Glasgow: Scotland with style - City of Reinvention By Nancy McLardie] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113012733/http://www.seeglasgow.com/media-office/features/history/city-of-reinvention |date=2010-01-13 }} winning the accolade over Liverpool and Edinburgh.[http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/Regeneration.htm Glasgow City Council: Regeneration - into the new Millennium] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526235624/http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/History/Regeneration.htm |date=26 May 2009 }}
Gallery
File:Bridge Street, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. India Buildings. 1876. 04.jpg|India Buildings, Bridge Street (1876), demolished in 2024
File:Bridge Street, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. India Buildings. 1876. 01.jpg|India Buildings (1876), alternative angle
File:The Star Bar, 537-539 Eglinton Street, Glasgow, UK 02.jpg|The Star Bar corner "gushet" pub in the St Andrew's Cross area of the city
References
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External links
- [http://www.clydewaterfront.com/news/expert-articles/scotland%27s-architectural-showcase Clyde Waterfront - Scotland’s Architectural Showcase]
- [http://www.gerryblaikie.com/central.htm Glasgow City Centre]
{{Glasgow}}