Cathedral Square, Glasgow

Cathedral Square is a public square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Cathedral Square and precinct is situated adjacent to Glasgow Cathedral on High Street/Castle Street at John Knox Street. Nearby are many famous Glasgow landmarks such as Provand's Lordship, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Necropolis, the ceremonial Barony Hall of Strathclyde University, and the Glasgow Evangelical Church at the Square. It is one of six public squares and precincts in the city centre.

Glasgow Cathedral as viewed from the north side of Cathedral Square.
Glasgow Evangelical Church - in Cathedral Square, Glasgow
King William III & II, of Orange, statue in Cathedral Square, Glasgow, with St Mungo Museum back left.
Postcard view from Cathedral Square, Glasgow of the Royal Infirmary and Glasgow Cathedral
David Livingstone statue, Cathedral Square, Glasgow
Provand's Lordship on Castle Street facing on to the corner of Cathedral Square.
The Bridge of Sighs - looking to Cathedral Square, Glasgow
Glasgow Cathedral from the Bridge Of Sighs
John Knox memorial statue on the top of the Necropolis, Glasgow

Prior to the 1870s the post-medieval clutter of congested dwellings and workshops, on the remaining debris of the long-gone Bishop's Castle, where Castle Street is today,[1] hampered access to the Infirmary, with its small Infirmary Square, and Cathedral. The new City Improvement Trust, under architect and city superintendent John Carrick,[2] started to clear the hovels near Glasgow Cross and erect new tenements up the High Street and Castle Street. A new road, John Knox Street, was opened, curving its way past the Necropolis entrances and down to Duke Street, close to Wellpark Brewery at the Drygate. The street covered over the Molendinar Burn. Cathedral Square Gardens opened in 1879 was formed by Carrick[2] and landscaped by Duncan McMillan. In 1890 a decorative fountain, the Steven Fountain, was placed in the centre,[3] the same year as the Doulton Fountain in Glasgow Green. As well as being a restful place the square has been used for political gatherings.[4][5]

Buildings of the area

Prominent buildings of the area[6][7] include:

  • Glasgow Evangelical Church, 1880, Category A listed building with its elegant Italian facade and handsome classical interiors designed by architect John Honeyman of Honeyman and Keppie,[8] as Cathedral Square United Presbyterian/Barony North Church[9][10][11]
  • Discharged Prisoners Aid Society (now Cathedral House Hotel), 1896, red sandstone building designed by architects Campbell Douglas and Morison[12][13]
  • Barony Hall, 1889, category A listed red sandstone building designed by Sir John James Burnet[14][15] as the New Barony Church, with its interior loosely modelled on Gerona Cathedral.
  • Provand's Lordship, oldest dwellings in Glasgow, Category A listed.[16]
  • Glasgow Royal Infirmary reconstructed from 1914, architect James Miller,[17] and onwards. On the site of the Robert Adam building of 1794[18]
  • Glasgow Cathedral, the oldest building in Glasgow, from the late 12c onwards. Category A listed.[19]
  • Necropolis garden cemetery opened in 1833 on the Merchants' Park above the Cathedral.[20]
  • St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art and Friends Visitor Centre, opened in 1993, designed by architect Ian Begg,[21][22] sitting in the centre of the Victorian square.

Statues of the area

There are various statues and monuments in the area [23][24] including:

  • King William (joint monarch with his wife Queen Mary) from 1688. From the foundry of Can't & Lindsay, 1735. At Glasgow Cross until 1923.
  • Rev Dr Norman McLeod, minister of the Barony.[25] Sculptor John Mossman, 1881.
  • David Livingstone, physician, missionary, explorer. Sculptor John Mossman, 1879. At George Square until 1956.
  • James Arthur, clothing manufacturer and philanthropist.[26][27] Sculptor George Anderson Lawson, 1893.
  • James Lumsden, stationery manufacturer, Lord Provost, and Royal Infirmary treasurer.[28] Sculptor John Mossman, 1862.
  • James White, chemicals manufacturer and philanthropist[29] Sculptor Francis Leslie, 1890.
  • Queen Victoria, monarch from 1837 to 1901. Sculptor Albert Hemstock Hodge, 1914.
  • John Knox, theologian, minister, reformer. Designer T Hamilton, carver Robert Forrest, 1825.[30]

In the late 1890s the sprawling Duke Street Prison planned to open a new entrance and building at the edge of the square. The plans caused "indignation meetings" and a successful campaign to save the green space. Counter arguments appeared in local newspapers including an anonymous poem in the Glasgow Evening Post.: "We love it, and who shall dare. To chide us for loving Cathedral Square? We’ve cherished it long as a sacred place, We’ve shown it to strangers of every race. 'Tis bound by a thousand ties to our hearts, And we add to its treasures in fits and starts. Would you learn the spell? St. Mungo dwelt there, a sacred space Cathedral Square!"[31]

References
  1. "Castle Street". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  2. "John Carrick". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  3. Glasgow Evening Post 27 August 1890
  4. The Second City, by Charles Oakley, published 1975
  5. Glasgow, Irene Maver, published 2000.
  6. Architecture of Glasgow, by Andor Gomme and David Walker, published 1966
  7. The Buildings of Scotland : Glasgow, by Elizabeth Williamson and other, published 1990
  8. "John Honeyman". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  9. "Cathedral Square UP Church". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  10. Historic Environment Scotland. "Glasgow, 14 - 20 Cathedral Square, Barony North Church (142138)". Canmore. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  11. "About us - Glasgow Evangelical Church". www.glasgowevangelicalchurch.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  12. "TheGlasgowStory: Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  13. "Campbell Douglas & Morrison". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  14. "Barony Parish Church". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  15. "(Sir) John James Burnet". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  16. "Provand's Lordship 1843". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  17. "James Miller". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  18. "Royal Infirmary". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  19. "Glasgow Cathedral". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  20. "Merchants' Park". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  21. "St Mungo Museum". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  22. "Ian McKerron Begg". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  23. "Glasgow - City of Sculpture - Home Page". www.glasgowsculpture.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  24. The Buildings of Scotland: Glasgow, by Elizabeth Williamson and others, published 1990
  25. "Rev Norman MacLeod". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  26. "James Arthur". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  27. "Jane Arthur". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  28. "James Lumsden". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  29. "James White". www.theglasgowstory.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  30. Historic Environment Scotland. "The Necropolis (Garden and Designated Landscape) (GDL00366)". Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  31. Glasgow Evening Post 25 April 1889. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001965/18890425/053/0004

55.8628°N 4.2361°W / 55.8628; -4.2361

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