Observing life in Glasgow, Scotland, the UK, Europe and Worldwide; be they movies, tv, travels, food or eccentricities. . .
Look at these photos, superb! No, it’s not in New York, or even in Europe, but here in the West End of Glasgow. Ziques, a newly refurbished café / restaurant, is now fully equipped with an outside terrace, that also(!) faces the Sun (when it actually shines in this part of the world).
CB
Continuing from a few weeks ago, we’ll look at the central part of Hillhead, and not the circular route around the edges.
The area between the edges is largely part of the University of Glasgow, and is a mixture of tenements, student accommodation, Hillhead High School, and the university itself.
There exists a new type of community garden; good luck to them as the property prices in this area are sky high!
There’s an older look to the tenements, with a mixture of accommodation, as well as offices for the University.
Finally, there is the yooni itself, that has a combination of both traditional and many horrid pieces of brutalist 60s “works of art”!
CB
Continuing the theme that shows off some of the truly stunning, Victorian tenements that we have to offer in Glasgow, I took a walk in the West End (again!) of the city, to the Hyndland quarter.
Thereupon, Kingsborough Gardens, complete with private park, was meandered through. What a world class street! And the hooses (Glasgow slang for “houses”) were amazing!
Equally, there exists a private park in the centre, between both sides of the two lanes; picturesque, subtle, practical – and I just love, the use of the word “proprietors”!
CB
A quick walk about both Partick, near to Partick Train station, and Charing Cross, near Charing Cross station, will have you locate both the Quaker Meeting Rooms and an ancient Quaker cemetery gifted to Glasgow, that has not been used since 1857. An interesting history, can be found here:
https://www.quakerscotland.org/our-history
And as for the cemetery in Partick, please see below, several photos.
CB
Continuing the series on the various, central neighbourhoods in Glasgow.
But . . . did you know, or at least according to a friend who told me years ago, that Glasgow was built on seven hills? No, I didn’t either, and still I am not really sure of these, but they could be (starting from the city centre):
Garnethill
Park Circus
Hillhead
Yorkhill
Dowanhill
Partickhill
Broomhill
If you have been following this blog, I’ve already looked at the Park Circus area, and for the next two entries, will now look at the Hillhead area.
This area is just to the east of Byres Road (the centre of the universe for West Endies and Glasgow University students!). And in the past, we had our own Lord. Whoa!
This area looks east to the Woodlands / Kelvinbridge area, and features the River Kelvin, that is probably the dividing line between the two areas. Whilst to the west, there’s the Dowanhill area.
There’s a proliferation of both tenements, cafes and students (if that’s your scene) from Hillhead’s own University of Glasgow. On the north side, is both Kelvindale and North Woodlands.
If ever in Glasgow, just walk, and walk, and meander about. It’s very good at what it does. The first series of photographs is a circular route around the area’s edges; Byres Road, Great Western Road, Bank Street (just west of the River Kelvin & Kelvinbridge) and back on University Avenue through the University, to Byres Road.
CB
Nestled between the West End of Glasgow, the City Centre and the Park District, Woodlands has a feel for everyone, be they student, first time buyer, Hipster, working classer, etc.
For the map below, I basically started in the upper left-hand corner, and meandered counter-clockwise, heading East, and then came back, north-westerly, past the Tesco Express.
As stated before, there is a distinctive taste to Woodlands, no doubt contributed to by the many types who occupy it. Years ago, when I resided here, and to be blunt it hasn’t really changed except for the house prices, there was a large Asian (Indian, Pakistani) population, along with students from the nearby Glasgow University, and cheap pubs.
Many are still here, but there has been an obvious proliferation of cafes and coffee places now, yet there is an always nice, and an unpretentious feel to it. It almost has a don’t blink you’ll miss it look, as you head up to Hillhead (more later in the blog), and then onto Byres Road – West End ground zero!
Highlights would be anything from the Al-Furqan Mosque on Carrington Street, to the Woodlands Community Garden on West Princes Street, to my favourite, The Arlington Baths Club; a Victorian swimming pool.
I did a tour a few years ago, found them to be a very open, private club.
CB
Owing to the continuing lockdown, and the inability to travel, what better than to show Glasgow off! Good idea, but where do we start?
A gem, that is neither in the West End (maybe!) or in the City Centre, and that to most, will merely be circumvented in either direction (east or west), on their travails to both said places.
We started with a very brief walk that took us up, but not to the very top, of the circus, and along by the old Scottish Football Association headquarters, now luxury flats.
But even here, and with the views towards the west of Glasgow, it was still most impressive; both architecturally and vista. More later.
CB
Curious Bystander 