In a city such as Glasgow, we're constantly hearing tales of days gone by - and some of the city's village have some fascinating ones.
Just a few years ago, we discovered a long-lost Aztec manuscript that had lain in Glasgow for over 200 years. The circumstances as to how it ended up at the Hunterian Museum remain a mystery.
Here at Glasgow Live, we got to thinking of the city's village history and sifted through Aileen Smart's books Villages of Glasgow (Volumes 1 and 2), a book which describes in detail the development of villages that now form part of the city, both north and south of the River Clyde.
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These villages, such as Anderston, Partick, Maryhill, Parkhead, the Gorbals, Govanhill, Govan and Pollokshaws, had many a tale to tell prior to being incorporated into Glasgow at different points in time.
Here are 30 fascinating facts about Glasgow's villages that we found which might leave you surprised:
1. Cathcart became dry in 1921, meaning thirsty locals had to take the tram to the Queen’s Park Cafe on Victoria Road to whet their whistles.
2. The Gorbals was originally known as Little Govan, in order to distinguish it from ‘Meikle Govan’ - the Govan of today. It began life as a village in the parish of Govan, disjoining in 1771.
3. Over a period of 30 years, 50,000 lodgers spent the night under Molly Gillespie’s roof - an Irish woman who kept a lodge house of 13 beds which were full every night in the Gorbals.
4. Despite being built in 1888, Govan Old Parish church is a site of great antiquity, with the church known to be at least the fourth such church that has been built on the same site.
5. Govanhill began life as a small colliers’ village built by a native of Tyneside, WIlliam Dixon, for his workers at the Little Govan Colliery. The little village was known locally as ‘The Fireworks’. Then in the 1860s it became known as ‘No Man’s Land’ because it wasn’t populous enough to be granted burgh status and became isolated between Glasgow and the burgh of Crosshill, with no power to run its own affairs.
6. The Gorbals was ahead of Glasgow with the Gorbals Gravitation Water Company, which brought water to the area a decade before water from Loch Katrine to quench the thirst of Glasgow residents. The Gorbals Gravitation Water Company brought water to the area and other southside districts from the Brook Burn and other streams and lochs in Renfrewshire over six miles away.
7. When a common moor was established in Pollokshaws for the town’s folk to grace cattle near to what is now Haggs Road, next to the moor was a piece of land set aside for ‘the Good Man’s Croft’ aka the Devil and his followers, who held their revels there. Setting the land aside saw ‘the folk of the Shaws’ behave according to ancient custom.
8. Partick or ‘Pertneck’ was the Royal Residence of King Hydderch of Strathclyde and his Queen Languoreth, the lady on whose behalf St Mungo performed his miracle of the salmon and the ring. It would also become the country residence of the Bishop of Glasgow.
9. One of the earliest residents of Finnieston was a man named John Smith, who started the first circulating library in the Glasgow area - the firm which later became John Smith & Sons in 1751.
10. Grace Street in Anderston is named after Grace Geddes, the late daughter of John Geddes, colonel of the Anderston Volunteers (or ‘Sweeps'), who died tragically after her ballgown caught fire. Originally running between Stobcross and Finnieston Street, it was transferred in the '70s.
11. A local prophecy was fulfilled when Anderston was absorbed into Glasgow in 1846, 22 years after it became a burgh. It was said then that it ‘came wi a Houldsworth and it’ll gang wi’ a Houldsworth’ in reference to first Provost Henry Houldsworth, who owned a cotton mill on Cheapside Street. When it was absorbed into Glasgow his son John became the burgh’s last ever Provost.
12. Anderston Brewery, which started in the 1760s in the area where Central Quay is now near the Clyde, was so successful it paid 1/9th of all the excise duties in Scotland in the 1790s. It was drunk by Londoners as ‘London Porter’ in the false notion it was brewed in the city.
13. The world famous Cunard Line shipping company began life following a meeting between Samuel Cunard and Scots George Burns and Robert Napier at Lancefield House in Anderston in 1839. Napier supplied the ships built in a Govan yard, Burns persuaded Glasgow men to put up most of the capital and Cunard obtained the contract to carry American mail twice a month between Liverpool and Halifax/Boston.
14. One of the most luxurious steam yachts ever built on the Clyde, the Aegusa, was built for an Italian owner and later renamed the Erin by tea magnate Thomas Lipton. It was so big that it had a 200-foot long dining room that could seat 700 people at the table.
15. The building of the M8 motorway meant the loss of an old burial ground on North Street known as ‘North and South Woodside’, which was the resting place of many old Partick families and also of Alexander Findlater, an excise officer in Dumfries and friend of Robert Burns. His memorial stone was re-erected in Linn Cemetery.
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16. Crimea Street off the Broomielaw in the city centre is named after painter WIlliam Simpson (born in 1823), who was the world’s first professional war artist. His first assignment was to record the events of the Crimea War, and as such he became known as ‘Crimea Simpson’.
17. Bridgeton is named after Rutherglen Bridge, which was built by the people of Rutherglen in 1776, along with a new road established at Barrowfield to take traffic into Glasgow. It came to be after Magistrates decided the old bridge over the Clyde at the Briggait was in such a state of disrepair that they banned carts going over it in 1765.
18. Walkingshaw Street in Bridgeton is named after a man who famously made a daring escape from Stirling Castle by walking out dressed in his wife’s clothes after a visit. That man was John Walkingshaw, an influential merchant who owned the lands of Barrowfield and who supported the Jacobite Cause in 1715.
19. The Old Saracen Head on the Gallowgate, where its successor (built in the early 20th century) still stands, sits on top of what was the Kirkyard of Little St Mungo’s Chapel, where lepers were buried. Glasgow historian Senex called it a ‘queer idea’ to plant an inn in a kirkyard at the time.
20. Early English travellers to Glasgow made a point of visiting Glasgow Green to see ‘Scotch Washing’ - the sight of hundreds of women and girls working at their tubs and bleaching their linen with their skirts held high as they trampled.
21. The Old Burnt Barns pub stands on a spot where the Old Burn Barns tavern stood in 1679, which was believed to be Glasgow’s oldest public house, at the corner of Ross Street and London Road. It took its name from a fire in 1668, which destroyed a grain shed and barns in the area.
22. In 1838 the council approved a plan to lease Glasgow Green for coal mining to pay off a £100,000 debt it had run up for purchasing the McLellan Galleries and the land for Kelvingrove Park and Queen’s Park. Thankfully the Green was saved from these threats after much opposition.
23. Maryhill had so many licensed premises in 1829 it was calculated to have one for every 59 residents. The drunken scenes shocked and horrified the local landlord that he returned home to Greenock and founded the first Temperance Society in Great Britain.
24. The summit of Ruchill Park is artificial and was created by taking the earth excavated from the foundations of Ruchill Hospital and adding it to the top of the existing hill to form the present viewpoint.
25. Glasgow merchants originally wanted the Forth and Clyde Canal to enter the Clyde in the city and were so displeased that it bypassed the city they drew up alternative plans for a canal from Glasgow Green to the Broomielaw with a dock at Glasgow Green for goods and passengers.
26. The making of soft drinks in Glasgow began in Parkhead as ‘aerated waters’ by Andrew Stout, the landlord of the Black Bull pub in 1760 - Parkhead’s oldest pub. He manufactured his own aerated water and brewed ginger beer from an old weaving shop in the back. The business was taken over in 1887 by A G Barr, who became known for producing Scotland's other national drink, Irn-Bru.
27. Partick was famous for its ducks, which came in their droves to the Kelvin to feed on the grain from the mills. Glaswegians in times gone by descended on Partick on Saturdays to feed on roast duck and green peas washed down with cold punch.
28. An ancient right of way used to exist across the River Kelvin on stepping stones for the purpose of enabling villagers to pass freely to Pointhouse and from there by ferryboat to church at Govan. This ancient right was maintained by a footbridge attached to a railway bridge on the Stobcross Line that went over a viaduct until the 1960s.
29. The first person to be buried on the still-present Quaker Burial Ground on Keith Street in Partick was ‘Quaker Meg’, the wife of local John Purdon, who was gifted he ground in 1711. Much superstition surrounded Meg’s last resting place as quakers were not buried in a Presbyterian graveyard. Villagers believed that if you put your ear to Meg’s grave at midnight and asked "What did you get for your supper tonight Meg?", they would hear her saw “Nuthing”.
30. Partick was originally part of Govan parish and people had to travel across the river by ferry boat to attend church services and baptisms and burials. Plans for a church in Partick in 1769 were rejected, with a church not built there until 1834.
This article was originally published on January 1, 2022.
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