Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/110

Rh GLASGOW. 102 GLASGOW. the vils. of Chapelton, Westquarter, and Heads. It is situated near the river Avon and a head-water of the Eotton Calder. It is 8 miles long by 2 broad. The surface is somewhat hilly, but the soil fertile near the river. In the uplands there is a large proportion of moorland, but reclamation goes steadily forward. This par. is in the presb. of Hamilton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The minister has a stipend of 275. The church, standing in the village of Westquarter, was built in 1820. At Chapeltown there is Free Church accommo- dation and a ehapel-of-ease. Here are three parish and several other schools and friendly societies. The prin- cipal landowners are the Earl of Eglinton ; Marshall, of Chapelton ; Alston, of Muirburn ; Jackson, of Halhill ; and Semple, of Heads. There are remains of the old church, built in 1633, with the tomb of Will Gordon, of Earlston, who was shot in 1679. Lime and freestone are quarried, and there are small seams of coal. The roads from Strathaven to Hamilton and East Kilbride traverse the interior. GLASGOW, a city and a royal and parliamentary borough, in the lower div. or ward of co. Lanark, Scot- land, returning two members to parliament. Its name has been variously derived from the Gaelic words signi- fying "a grey smith," or from the Celtic for "a dark ravine," near the cathedral, where its earliest inhabitants are said to have settled, the latter derivation being probably the true one. A portion of the city stands upon each bank of the Clyde ; the chief part of it, how- ever, being situated upon the N. side of the river. It is distant by railway 405,-j miles from London, via Crewe, Lancaster, and Carlisle, which is the most direct route, 42 from Edinburgh, and 22.} from Grcenock ; and it ranks, on account of the extent and importance of its commerce and manufactures, not only as the trading capital of Scotland, but as, perhaps, the second, and certainly the third city, of the United Kingdom. Although the approaches to it, whether by road or rail, are by no means picturesque, still the city itself in many parts of it presents a very handsome and substantial appearance, from the fact that it is entirely built of stone. Many of the houses, especially in the business parts, consist of flats, and are occupied by several distinct families, but those in the more fashionable localities are generally what are termed self-contained. Its municipal and police jurisdiction extends not only over the burgh of Glasgow properly so called, but also over the districts of Hutcheson Town, Gorbals, Lauricston, Tradeston, and Kingston, as far as Govan, on the S. side of the river ; Anderston, Blythswood, and Port-Dundas, on the N. and N.W., and Calton and Bridgeton on the E. All these districts are densely populated, and some of them are almost entirely occupied by artizans and hand-loom weavers. Thus the city, in its entirety, occupies an area of nearly 5 miles from E. to W., by about 2 miles from N. to S. The earliest portion of it is the line of street which passes southwards from the cathedral to the Clyde by way of the High-street and the Salt Market, and from the junction of these two the Gallowgate runs to the eastward, while the Trongate and Argyle-street lead to the western and more fashionable quarters of the city. From this latter street, opposite to St. Enoch's- square, a wide thoroughfare of handsome shops, called Buchanan-street, runs northwards, being also connected with Argyle-street by an arcade. At its junction with St. Vincent-street stands the Western Club. Going either by St. Vincent-street or Sauchiehall-street, the passenger arrives at the W. end of the town, where he finds Blythswood-square, Kewton-place, Woodsido cres- cent and terrace, Claremont-Park gardens and terrace, and the numerous other ranges of sumptuous buildings which form the residences of those opulent merchants and men of business whose sagacity and enterprise have not only rendered Glasgow as prosperous as it is, but have also adorned the city with the most magnificent public and private edifices, and have spared no expense in making this quarter of it a fitting habitation for a class of citizens of their wealth, liberality, and taste. Keturn- ing once more to tho business-like portion of the city, we have Miller-street, Virginia-street, Queen-street, Cochran-street, Ingram-street, and others in the vicinity of the Exchange, consisting of massive piles of buildings, which are either shops, or the offices and warehouses of merchants, manufacturers, bankers, and lawyers. Parallel with Argyle-street are St. Vincent-place (in which stands a bronze equestrian statue of Queen Victoria, by Marochetti), St. Vincent-street, George-street, Begent- street, and Bath-street, all of which run westward. They were formerly inhabited by those wealthy private families who have migrated further westward, and still contain a number of splendid mansions. Tho buildings, how- ever, have lost their status as dwelling-houses, and are now used as various kinds of business chambers and commercial offices. In Queen-street, opposite the E. end of Ingram-street, is the Eoyal Exchange. This noble building was erected in 1829 at a cost of 50,000. It is in the Corinthian style of architecture, is entered by a triple columnar portico, and surmounted by a lantern. It stands in an area, on two sides of which are handsome stone buildings occupied as warehouses, shops, and counting-houses, while in front is a colossal eques- trian bronze statue of the Duke of Wellington, by Maro- chetti, and at the back the Royal Bank, built after tho model of a Greek temple. On each side of the bank an Ionic arch leads into Buchanan-street. The newsroom in the Exchange is 130 feet long by 60 broad, is a remarkably elegant apartment, and is well worthy of inspection by the visitor. Proceeding northwards from the front of the Eoyal Exchange, we come to George- square, in which there are several first-class hotels. In the centre of it stands a Doric column surmounted by a colossal statue of Sir Walter Scott. On the S. side is a bronze statue of Sir John Moore (who was born in the Trongate in 1761), by Flaxman, and in the S.W. corner a seated bronze statue of James Watt, the celebrated engineer, by Sir F. Chantrey. The General Post-office fronts this square on the S. side. Eeturning again down Queen-street, we pass the National Bank, and emerge into that long line of street which bears the designation of the Gallowgate, at its eastern division, then of tho Trongate, and lastly Argyle-street, as it passes west- wards, the whole of them together running in a con- tinuous line of buildings for upwards of 3 miles. A few of the ancient houses yet remain, but almost all of them have been replaced by more modern structures, in which almost every variety of trade and occupation is now carried on. A little way from the foot of Queen-street, on the other side of the way, is Dunlop-street, in which is situated the Theatre Eoyal (another theatre called the Prince's being in West Nile-street); and opposite to it on the left is Miller-street, which was once exclusively occupied by the Virginia merchants, but is now converted into warehouses and offices. Proceeding still eastwards we come to Glassford-street, in which may be noticed the Trades' Hall, and farther on, at the northern end of the street, the Bank of Scotland. The county buildings are situated in Wilson-street, which branches off from Glassford-street, opposite to which, and running down to the Clyde, is one of the most ancient streets in tho city, where even yet some few of the old houses may be seen standing. This is called StockweU-street, and some seventy -five years ago it was a very important thorough- fare, as it formed the principal approach to Glasgow over the old bridge which spanned the river at its foot. The next street, eastward, to Glassford-street, and run- ning parallel to it, is Huteheson-street, in which is the Merchants' Hall, in the inner entrance to which is a marble statue of Mr. Kirkman Finlay, an eminent Glasgow merchant ; and at the upper end of the str< < Hutcheson's Hospital,a building founded by two brother.* who left property for its support on the S. side of tin: river, in the suburb now called Hutcheson Town. It supplies education and maintenance to a certain number of poor boys, and busts of its benevolent founders .ire placed in front of it. Still farther to the E. is Candlerigg- street, in which is the new city hall, an enormous building, capable of containing 4,000 persons, a large and commo- dious bazaar and general market-house, and extensive