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The mean streets of Glasgow's Gorbals from yesteryear
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
September 27, 2009
VOL 26 NO 39
Glaswegian glory comes back from the brink
Glasgow, long synonymous with a sense of the downtrodden, has steadily been making its way up the ladder in world culture, writes Lorraine Courtney
George's Square in Glasgow city centre
Franz Ferdinand hail from the city
Royal Exchange Square
Masterpiece: Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow's Gorbals didn't start out poor. The district was laid out at the end of the 18th century by James Laurie, a wealthy merchant keen to establish an elegant residential neighbourhood on what once had been the site of a leper colony. By the mid-19th century, the Gorbals (the name is thought to derive from the Gaelic gort an bhaile meaning "the town's field") was thoroughly middle-class. But its elegance faded when Irish, Highland and European migrants squeezed into the city. Big houses were subdivided. Landlords grew negligent. By the 1920s, it was a full-blown slum.
Then an alcoholic Gorbals baker, with a Highland brogue and drink habit, sat down to write a book. Publisher Longman's was impressed with neither plot nor writing, but was so astonished by Alexander McArthur's revelations about razor gangs, winos, poverty, overcrowding, sickness, defective drains, bedbugs and three-shilling prostitutes that the company asked Kingsley Long, one of its professional readers, to take a look at the manuscripts. The end result was No Mean City, a searing novel whose chief character is Johnnie Stark, son of a violent father and downtrodden mother, who becomes unchallenged "Razor King" of a Gorbals gang. A rough diamond, he was Glasgow personified.
The decline of heavy industry in the second half of the last century did Glasgow few favours, and for decades "gritty" was one of the kinder adjectives applied. Cut to today, and the previously mean streets are alive with the buzz of creativity. New developments are replacing post-industrial rust; the museums and galleries are shining up a newfound sense of pride in the city's heritage, and it is all being reflected in a booming creative arts scene. Being named the European City of Culture for 1990 kickstarted the rebirth of this former shipbuilding capital and revealed how much had changed and just how stunning the skyline is.
Architecture fans will appreciate Glasgow's gracious Victorian buildings, the sinuous Art Nouveau designs of local son Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the sweeping tenemented vistas of areas like Maryhill's Murano Street where my grandfather, John Griffin, grew up. The architecture of Glasgow demands attention and generates immense rewards even for the casual tourist. This brings us to the imprint of two men, the architects Alexander 'Greek' Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The prolific Thomson had a major hand in the Victorian design of mercantile Glasgow, and his Greek revival buildings, often with Egyptian motifs, are prominent in residential districts in the West End and south suburbs. Mackintosh led the Art Nouveau revolt against the stultifying busyness of the Victorian edifice and the dark tightness of its interior space. Both possessed a magnificent sense of art as a playful dialogue with the viewer/user.
Almost 20 years after the European City of Culture accolade catapulted it into the cultural limelight, Glasgow's current arts scene demonstrates that the city's creativity is a continuum. This is highlighted by the news that Glasgow has been awarded the accolade of Unesco City of Music and appointed to its Creative Cities Network. There are 11 cities around the world with equivalent cultural status; Edinburgh is a Unesco city of literature, Berlin is a city of design.
Glasgow's legendary frenetic music scene stretches the entire spectrum from contemporary and classical to Celtic and country. Donovan and Mark Knopfler were born in Maryhill. Musicians hailing from the city include Franz Ferdinand, the Fratellis, Belle and Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub. Glasgow is possibly the best place to play live, say many bands, with fancy clubs, infamous dives, and a smattering of nouveau-folk Gaelic pubs. King Tut's Wah Wah Club is still the main player, where producer Alan McGee first stumbled across Oasis, signing them up in the messy, dank, upstairs dressing room. DJs like Paul N'Jie and Naeem have been pushing the urban sound in Glasgow for years. And now the Mobo awards on 30 September are the perfect chance to showcase the city's credentials.
Glasgow is literally rocking. The Weegies (Glaswegians) themselves are warm and witty folk, as lavish with vowels and the letter R with its kettledrum roll as they are with vinegar on a fish supper. So, Glasgow, city of music? Glasgow, city of cutting-edge arts with a big dollop of brown chippy sauce, more like.
Glasgow essentials: Where to find the city's best
* Where to stay
Saint Jude's (190 Bath Street, +44 141 352 8800, www.saintjudes.com) is a fine little boutique hotel. Its contemporary, "East-meets-West" features calm, zen-like spaces complemented with sleek, sophisticated, ones. No two bedrooms are the same, with each decorated by Glasgow-based design gurus the Curious Group. Nightly room rates start at £115.
* Where to eat
Deep-fried pizza is a reality rather than a punch line in Glasgow. The cafe where Trainspotting's Renton and Spud share a milkshake before speeding is Cafe d'Jaconelli (570 Maryhill Road). Seafood from Scotland's west coast is the main draw at Two Fat Ladies (118a Blythswood Street, +44 141 847 0088) where the kitchen prizes simplicity over fussy food. Hand-dived scallops come seared with Stornoway black pudding, while the monkfish is wrapped in bacon: as complicated as it needs to get when the fish is this fresh.
* What to see
Architect and celebrated local son Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) is as essential to Glasgow's fabric as Gaudi is to Barcelona. As a designer, architect, and artist, he took as much care with the interior as the exterior, right down to the furniture, lighting, and artwork. His masterpiece, the Glasgow School of Art, is not to be missed (167 Renfrew St, +44 141 353 4500, www.gsa.ac.uk). There is also the Willow Tea Rooms (217 Sauchiehall St, +44 141 332 0521, www.willowtearooms.co.uk).
* Shopping
While Merchant City and Princes Square will fulfill the trendiest label lover's requirements, head to the West End if hip independents are more your scene. High above Buchanan Street Che Camille (Floor 6, Argyll Arcade, +44 141 221 9620, www.checamille.com) is a treasure trove of one-of-a-kind hand-tailored garments made to measure.
* Getting there
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies direct from Dublin to Glasgow's Prestwick. Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) operates flights direct from Dublin to Glasgow.
FURTHER INSPIRATION
Glasgow will host the 2009 MOBO Awards at the SECC on 30 September – the first time in the event's 14-year history that it will be held outside London. Visit www.mobo.com for more details and exclusive MOBO content. For further information on visiting Glasgow and great accommodation deals, see www.visitscotland.com/autumnglasgow or call the national booking and information line on +44 845 22 55121. For information on where to stay and what to see in Glasgow visit www.seeglasgow.com.
September 27, 2009
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