We were lucky enough to spend 24 hours (okay, maybe 22) in Glasgow recently. We had a fine Scottish afternoon tea, enjoyed a wonderful music-themed tour, had drinks at a pub, dined at a nice restaurant and bedded down at the sleek, new Virgin Hotel. Here’s a look at our brief stay.
A MARVELOUS MUSIC TOUR
We met our Glasgow Music City Tour guide, local music critic Fiona Shepherd, outside the Clutha and Victoria pub in town, one of the city’s oldest. She told us she had reviewed a Shania Twain performance at The OVO Hydro, the city’s splashy arena. Being a port city like Belfast and Liverpool (“What musicians ever came from there,” she asked with a smile), Glasgow has long been open to fresh musical ideas. It’s also a UNESCO city of music.
Shepherd said a police helicopter crashed into the Clutha and Victoria 10 years ago, but that the pub reopened in 2015 or so.
We walked around the back of the pub and Shepherd showed off murals with the likenesses of two well-known Glasgow musicians and artists, Matt McGinn and Hamish Imlach. She told us McGinn influenced the likes of Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, which is pretty impressive. She also said Imlach is famous for a quote about folk music: “A folk singer is someone who spends all day in bed and then goes out at night and sings about work.”
Fiona Shepherd, Glasgow Music City Tours. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Just up the street is the Scotia bar, where they once had one entry for folkies and another for motorcyclists. Billy Connolly and the Humblebums would often play at the pub, she said. Connolly, who became a famous comic and actor, would play his music and then his bandmate would re-record everything. That bandmate? Gerry Rafferty.
We made our way to a building called City Halls and Old Fruitmarket, which has seen and heard musical performances from just about every type of genre.
It’s a gorgeous interior space that was once, yes, a fruit market. There are wrought-iron railings, a vaulted ceiling, and spiral, metal staircases, as well as market signs.
One of the bands who played here was called Johnny and the Self Abusers, which later morphed into Simple Minds.
“They used to be quite poor,” we were told. “They used to have a share a pint among the entire band.”
Glasgow’s City Halls-Fruitmarket centre. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Shepherd told us that Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant once showed up for a gig and tried to walk in. A guard insisted he sign the register. The market’s embarrassed manager told the guard to let Plant in the building, but the guard insisted. “He has to sign in.”
As we walked along, Shepherd explained that Glasgow doesn’t require someone to have a busker license. That means live music is easy to find, and it grows quickly.
We made our way to the Brittania Panopticon, said to be the oldest original music hall in the world (1857). Stan Laurel made his standup comedy debut here.
It’s seen better days, but I love its ramshackle, distressed atmosphere.
We’re told the building was once a popular spot for silent movies, and that it once housed an indoor zoo with chimpanzees named Solomon and Betsy. Today there are displays of old-time posters advertising performances at the Britannia, as well as newspaper stories and a small section dedicated to Laurel’s famous comedy debut.
A display at the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow. JIM BYERS PHOTO
There was no heat, so the story goes that local kids would stuff their pockets with horse manure to keep their hands warm. If they didn’t like the act on stage, the pocket warming material was tossed at the offending performer.
They’re doing their best to restore the building, but its fate doesn’t seem certain. I’d suggest going while you can, and leaving a show of support.
Shepherd guided to Glasgow’s East End, which she calls “the real Glasgow.” We passed the Val d’Oro, said to be the oldest fish and chips shop in town, as well as African restaurants, the atmospheric Saracen Head pub and flooring material shops. It’s gritty, but I liked the real feel of this part of town.
The wall of one building is covered by a giant, very cool mural of Billy Connolly, who’s decked out in a lavish, wild costume that reflects some of his comedy bits.
A Billy Connolly mural in Glasgow’s East End. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The East End is home to a musical arena called the Barrowland Ballroom, which features the name in giant script, with massive blue and silver stars above and below. We were told they had to take the illuminated sign down during World War II lest it act as a beacon for German bombers.
“It’s definitely the best music venue in Glasgow,” Shepherd told us. “That’s no an opinion, it’s a fact. AC/DC, Oasis and Metallica have all said it’s the best.”
Past acts include the likes of The Beatles, The Clash, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, and, of course, Simple Minds. Shepherd took us to nearby Barrowland Park, where the names of past performers at the venue are displayed all in a row on the ground, as if they’re the sides o a book or an album cover. I stroll slowly along the path, admiring names such as The Kinks, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello, Alanis Morrisette and Aztec Camera, a personal favourite band that came from just outside Glasgow.
TEA, HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
Mackintosh at the Willow is an old school tea place with a good story to tell. The Willow tea rooms were owned by Kate Cranston, a very well-known woman in Glasgow around the turn of the century. She took up many philanthropic causes; hiring women, homeless people and ex-prisoners to work at her shop, one of the few businesses owned by woman in a male-dominated world. She also set up an insurance scheme for her workers.
At the height of her business power she owned five tea rooms in the city. Our server told us Cranston stood 5-feet tall and loved hoop skirts, which meant she measured roughly five by five.
“People even made dolls with her likeness.”
Mackintosh at the Willows tea room in Glasgow, Scotland.
She was often seen bustling about town, her presence alone an advertisement for her tea rooms. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea in the Salon de Luxe; oat cakes with pate and salmon, savoury sausage rolls and fine desserts. I choose an Islay tea, and then enjoy a fine cup of coffee. The building was designed by famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Built in 1903, this is his last remaining tea rooms structure. Look for beautiful leaded window panels and regal purple, high-back chairs.
There’s an exhibit on the main floor that tells more about Mackintosh and Cranston.
MORE FOOD AND DRINK
We had a chance to meet a Canadian friend living in Glasgow, and met up at the Kelvingrove Cafe, a fine pub/restaurant in the lively Finnieston area. Our friend told us we should stroll through Kelvingrove Park the next time we’re in town, and also check out the cloisters at the University of Glasgow. She also recommended a couple of nice Indian restaurants in town, Dakhin and also The Dhabba. “It’s a busy city no matter the weather,” she said. “It can be a Tuesday night and the pubs are full. It’s a very social city.” It’s a lively bar with cozy nooks, and we enjoyed excellent old-fashioneds. Dinner was at Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery, which dates to 1870. It’s a bit dark but cozy, but we had friendly servers and enjoyed very good venison with raspberry jus, as well as scallops with a peppery sauce and a monster slab of halibut.
A STYLISH PLACE TO SLEEP
Virgin Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland.
We bedded down for the night at the new Virgin Hotel, which is on the River Clyde in central Glasgow. It’s uber hip and way cool, with funky murals on the wall and spiffy, modern rooms. We enjoyed a fine breakfast in the second floor dining room.
MORE INFORMATION
www.visitscotland.com
