I have lived in a village overlooking Glasgow most of my life but somehow I have managed to bypass the West End a part of Glasgow which once attracted rich merchants who built magnificent mansions and, later, the characteristic terraced houses which are the pride of Glasgow.
I had arranged to meet Anne, a friend of many years, outside Saint Enoch’s underground station in the heart of Glasgow, and a noisy ride later we emerged into the West End,
On a warmer day we might have stopped to admire the architecture but we were drawn like moths towards the brightly lit shop windows – all just a stone’s throw from the grand glass structures of the botanical gardens.
We managed to resist till we reached ‘Time & Tide’: this shop window we found irresistible . There was so much to see and everything beautifully presented. At one point we decided that we should just move in or at least the owner could adopt us. The owner laughed; she thought we were joking.
In the end we had to be satisfied with buying some candles and Anne promised to come back another day to look again at some blue velvet dining chairs.
Outside in the darkening streets we were halted by the sight of a beautiful church lit up like a Christmas tree. It was the ‘Oran Mor’, which means ‘Great Melody of Life’.
Oran Mor was once Kelvinside’s parish church but is now a cultural centre; a place which demonstrates the best of the City, where you can wine, dine and be entertained by music and theatre. The order of the day is: ‘a pie, a pint and a play’.
Glasgow artist and writer Alasdair Gray was commissioned to paint the ceiling in the bar.
and everywhere you look in the plethora of nooks and crannies, there are glimpses of works by local artists, past and present.
Across the street, in tranquil gardens, above the terraced houses of Kelvinside, are the great glass structures of the Botanical Gardens.
The Gardens started life in humbler surroundings on the edge of the city. Thomas Hopkirk, a renowned Glasgow botanist, supplied a nucleus of 3000 plants in 1817 but by 1839 it had expanded so much that it had to be relocated to its present position.
After the cold dampness of a Scottish winter, the warmth of the steamy glass houses was very welcome.
At last, as the street lights began to twinkle, we made our way to Jinty McGinty’s pub and restaurant for a glass of wine and a late lunch before heading home, with a promise to meet soon and continue our exploration of this bohemian paradise.
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https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/discover/districts/districts-west-end
