Glasgow

George Square

Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest city and it is packed full of style and culture, thanks to its blend of internationally acclaimed museums and galleries, stunning architecture, vibrant nightlife, fabulous shopping and great restaurants and drinking spots, parks and facilities, history and universities and colleges that make it a top tourist desitination and a place that many people want to live and work.

The Titan Crane

Glasgow is almost unrecognisable from a city once dominated by heavy industry. From the late 1960s, Glasgow suffered a slump caused by competition in industries like ship building. The River Clyde, which once saw the construction of renowned Cunard shipping line vessels such as the QE2 and the Royal Yacht Britannia, was a shadow of its former self. If you walked these same quay sides today, the only thing you would recognise is the water. Architecturally bold structures like the Glasgow Science Centre, IMAX Cinema, Glasgow Tower, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) and the Clyde Arc and Tradeston Bridges have altered the waterfront skyline with striking effect. New business districts with modern residential and office space have replaced empty yards and have been linked to the bustling centre by pedestrian paths and cycle ways. A new lifestyle has been introduced to the river, through quality hotels and retail malls such as the Braehead Shopping Centre. The construction of the five-mile extension of the M74 and another new road known as the East End Regeneration Route will change the physical look of the communities and create new jobs and new homes. Glasgow is set to be one of the best examples of urban regeneration in the world.

The Clyde Arc

The coming of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 is set to stimulate further development of the Clyde waterway. This includes the building of a £125 million national arena at the SECC and a National Indoor Arena and Velodrome and Athletes’ Village in the east of Glasgow. The lasting legacy of the games will be the facilities that will be created for the general public, world class facilities that any city would be proud of.

Not only has the recent transformation made Glasgow a place to rediscover, modern industries on the Clyde waterfront are driving growth. The most noteworthy examples are the International Financial Services District (IFSD) at Broomielaw and the Digital Media Quarter on Pacific Quay. Since the beginning of the £1 billion, ten-year project to create a financial services hub in Glasgow, the derelict dockside of Broomielaw has become home to 15,000 new jobs and some of the biggest blue chip financial companies on the planet. Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, National Australia Group, esure, BNP Paribas and Aon are now located in a 1 square km stretch between St Vincent Street and the River Clyde. One in thirteen employees in Glasgow now work in financial services. The success of the district has contributed significantly to a 32% growth rate in jobs city-wide since 2000. In recent years, along the waterfront, there has been over 18,000 new jobs created, 8500 new homes built and 320,000 square metres of commercial space constructed. The improved road access led to the development of a digital media quarter, with the BBC relocating in 2007 to a new £188 million Headquarters on Prince’s Dock, equipped with the latest digital technology and visitor facilities.

Red Road Flats, Balornock

Continued investment sees the demolition of some of the poorest housing in the city, often the high rise flats that dominate the skyline of areas such as Pollok and Easterhouse, to make way for better quality social housing and private homes and businesses. Over the next few years, the historical communities of Bridgeton, Dalmarnock, Parkhead, Rutherglen and Shawfield are going to undergo massive change, with investment on a scale never seen before. Glasgow was famous for its tenement buildings, sandstone buildings which housed many families in often cramped conditions over many floors, but which have now largely been redeveloped into desirable living accomodation.

Cafe culture in Merchant City

Glasgow has many parts. The City Centre is a shopper’s paradise, with large malls and department stores all built in a grid pattern. This is also where the cultural hot spots are, such as The Theatre Royal, home of the Scottish Opera, The King’s Theatre, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the world’s tallest cinema, Cineworld, to name but a few. Another area that has seen redevelopment is the once commerial district of the Merchant City. Once filled with merchants in the 18th and 19th centuries, now it is full of warehouse conversions, quality hotels and apartments, cafes and restaurants, such as Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant.

In the West End you can find the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a truly inspiring collection of civic art. This is also where the new Museum of Transport is being built designed by world famous architect, Zaha Hadid.

The East End is the home of the Barrowland market, ballroom, Celtic Football Club and the People’s Palace in Glasgow Green.

The Forth and Clyde Canal passes through parts of the city and has been recently regenerated, providing links between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The city features many festivals, such as the Jazz festival, the Glasgow Film Festival and the World Pipe Band Championships. It’s vibrant music scene, with venues all over the city, has seen many world famous acts play in the city.

University of Glasgow

Education plays a huge part of Glasgow. The University of Strathclyde, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow School of Art and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama are all based in the city, with many more colleges and schools offering fantastic education opportunities to many thousands of students, both from the UK and from abroad.