The Hidden Glasgow Forums

Take a look at this photo of the Cathedral circa 1860's:(Click to enlarge) by George Washington Wilson:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/383 ... 34c4_o.jpg

Points to note:
The Mortsafes in place along the eastern wall to deter body snatchers.
The tower of the Free Barony Church (Architect: J Honeyman 1886-7, Demolished 1972)
http://pagead.sgdoubleclick.net/pagead/ ... Findex.php

The original Royal Infirmary
Designed by Robert and James Adam, the Royal Infirmary opened in December 1794. The infirmary was built beside Glasgow Cathedral on land that held the ruins of the Bishop's Castle, which dated from at least the 13th century but had been allowed to fall into disrepair. A Royal Charter was obtained in 1791, that granted the Crown-owned land to the hospital. The original Adams building had five floors (one underground) holding eight wards (giving the hospital just over a hundred beds) and a circular operating room on the fourth floor with a glazed dome ceiling.

After a number of additional buildings were added, the first in 1816, a specialist fever block in 1829 and a surgical block in 1861, the original Adams building was replaced in 1907 with a new building designed by James Miller. In 1924, the surgical block in which Joseph Lister had worked was also torn down to be replaced. In 1948 the hospital became part of NHS Scotland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Royal_Infirmary

And perhaps best of all, the two steeplejacks atop the Cathedral spire, what a capture!!

Further info on GWW:


http://pagead.sgdoubleclick.net/pagead/ ... Findex.php

Thanks, HH. One tiny point: mortsafes are locked around coffins and then buried with them to deter bodysnatchers. The cages shown in the photo are, erm, cages.

Cheers, Ronnie.

If you go to Cadder church up at the forth and clyde canal, there is some excellent examples of mortsafes in the graveyard. And burke and hare stole bodies from Cadder Graveyard

(Click on pics to enlarge, twice to enlarge x2)

I came across this book during a search on the Cathedral:
http://www.archive.org/stream/bookofgla ... 00eyreuoft

‘THE BOOK OF GLASGOW CATHEDRAL, A History and Description’

Presented to the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY
by the ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY 1980

One Thousand Copies of this Work have been printed for Sale.

This Copy is No 5363

EDITED BY GEORGE EYRE-TODD

WITH SPECIAL CHAPTERS WRITTEN BY

ARCHBISHOP EYRE, D.D., LL.D. ; J. V. S. GORDON, D.D. ; P. M'AUAM MUIR, D.I).
JOHN HONEYMAN, R.S.A.; JAMES I'ATOX, F.L.S.; A. H. MILLAR, F.S.A.Sun.

AND STEPHEN ADAM, F.S.A.ScoT.

ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID SMALL, HERBERT RAILTON, J. A. DUNCAN, AND OTHERS

MORISON BROTHERS, 52 RENFIELD STREET, GLASGOW 1898

It has no copyright issues, so I’m happy to post excerpts from it.

Among the many interesting chapters, one stands out in particular.

‘The Western Towers’

It is a story of wanton destruction by Glasgow City Council(arf)
The total disregard of historically important papers by the Church &
The incorrect telling of the origin of the Cathedral bell which was eventually to be cast in bronze? some 74 years after the telling.
It really is a superb read.

I’ll present it over several posts for the short of bandwidth.

A link to the much maligned Archibald McLellan (1795-1854)
http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/mlemen/mlemen060.htm

Defence of the Cathedral by the Trades' House in 1579 during the Reformation by David Roberts (1796-1863).

Roberts produced this historical image for Scotland Delineated, a magazine published in monthly instalments from 1847 until 1854. It illustrates the story (doubted by some historians) that in 1579 the city magistrates were persuaded by the religious reformer and Principal of the University of Glasgow, Andrew Melville, to pull down the cathedral and use the masonry to build several small churches. Demolition was about to commence when members of the Trades House took up arms and rushed to the defence of the historic building

(click to enlarge)


Undated :


A view of Glasgow Cathedral from the southwest, drawn by Robert Billings in 1847.

The Blackadder Aisle can be seen protruding from the south transept. The transepts do not themselves project from the main building, being relatively short, and so do not create the shape of a cross common in most cathedrals. A line of gargoyles provides extra decoration above the windows on both levels.
This would be the first view striking most visitors at the time, on the approach from High Street. Billings describes the experience: "To reach it the traveller has to pass through a line of sordid filthy streets; and its first appearance is not inviting, from the unfortunate predominance of the north-western Tower, or Belfry, the upper portion of which is the work of a comparatively late period."
The north western tower's predominance was not to last, as it was demolished in 1848. The southwest tower, or consistory, had been removed in 1846. This is believed to the only surviving illustration from the years between the demolition of the two western towers

One thing that puzzles me, M'Ure, states that:

within this steeple there were two large bells. The larger one, 11 feet 4 inches in circumference, was rung every day at 8 A.M.; and the lesser one, 8 feet 10 inches in circumference, was rung every night at 10 o'clock.

Now look at the below quote:

The Great Bell
In the steeple of Glasgow is a great bell, which is twelve feet one inch in circumference, and has a grave and deep tone. In 1789, it was accidentally cracked by some persons who got admission to the steeple. It was, therefore, sent to London, and cast anew.
This bell, again cracked, now lies in the cathedral chapter-house. It was replaced in 1896 by a new bell, the gift of John Garroway, Esq., manufacturer in Glasgow.

http://en.allexperts.com/e/s/st/st._mun ... lasgow.htm

Given that:

"M'Ure, who could never have been at the pains of measuring either of these towers, coolly states that the church " hath a session house on the north side, and a consistorial house on the south side thereof the length of each being 30 feet and 50 feet wide."

So either M’Ure had his dodgy tape measure out again when he sized the bell or it grew some 9 inches during the 2nd re-casting process.

John M’Ure (Campbell)

You know that there have been books published on Glasgow since 1898?

DickyHart wrote:If you go to Cadder church up at the forth and clyde canal, there is some excellent examples of mortsafes in the graveyard. And burke and hare stole bodies from Cadder Graveyard

This iron mortsafe lyeth in thee Cadder churchyard.

Ronnie wrote:You know that there have been books published on Glasgow since 1898?

Yes & mostly based on earlier sources, no?

Is it just me, or does this bit of roof from the (quite astonishing) photo at the start of the thread look like corrugated iron?

Some notes on the roof:

In August, 2004, the NSI held a very successful weekend visit to the quarries on the 'Slate Islands', which lie on the west coast of Scotland about 10 miles south of Oban. Of these, Easdale is the best known and it was here that the Scottish slate industry first began. Easdale slate was used to roof Glasgow Cathedral in the 12th century

http://www.sslg.co.uk/NSInews9.html

Glasgow Cathedral during re-roofing work, mid-late 19th cent.:

From a postcard postmarked 1916:



Mid-late 19th cent. ?

I remember years ago being shown some weird and wonderful "graffiti" engraved in to the stone on the back of the Cathedral.
Can anyone enlighten?

Are any of you aware of the hidden carved wooden ladybird and the female wearing glasses in the stained glass window in Glasgow Cathedral?

Rather than me or someone here saying where they are in the Cathedral... The challenge is for you to find them and post your photos here.

Zeno

zeno wrote:Are any of you aware of the hidden carved wooden ladybird and the female wearing glasses in the stained glass window in Glasgow Cathedral?
Rather than me or someone here saying where they are in the Cathedral... The challenge is for you to find them and post your photos here.

Could not find the Ladybird, it was quite dark inside today, I did however find the bespectacled lady. She was fairly difficult to capture in the low light. As I was leaving, the caretaker locked the door behind me (closing time) & looking to the left, I noticed that the stained glass window in question was at chest height on the outside of the building, I skittered across the down sloping wet grass & positioned my camera, just as I clicked the buttin, the lights went off within the cathedral, ye couldnae make it up.

Anywhoo, here she is:





Now, can you tell me on which stained glass window is a representation of the plan of the cathedral?