Glasgow Cross

Glasgow Cross
Glasgow Cross looking west along Trongate in the 1900s
Location
Glasgow
Coordinates 55°51′24″N 4°14′38″W / 55.85659°N 4.24379°W / 55.85659; -4.24379
Roads at
junction		 High Street
Gallowgate
London Road
Saltmarket
Trongate
Construction
Type Signal-controlled intersection

Glasgow Cross is a major junction in the city centre of Glasgow, which has, at its centre, five streets running from it: the High Street (A8) to the north, Gallowgate (A89) and London Road (A749) heading east, the Saltmarket to the south, and the Trongate running west to the Merchant City. Its most recognisable feature is the Tolbooth Steeple, part of the 17th century tolbooth.

There is a monument to St. John Ogilvie, who was martyred at Glasgow Cross on 10 March 1615. The mercat cross was commissioned for construction in 1929–30 by William George Black, and designed by the architect Edith Hughes.[1][2]

Tolbooth Steeple

Tolbooth Steeple at Glasgow Cross

Standing on an island in the middle of Glasgow Cross is the Tolbooth Steeple, built in 1625-26 at what was the crossing point for the main streets of Glasgow at that time. The Steeple is all that remains of the old Tolbooth buildings which were demolished in 1921. The Tolbooth was the site of the Glasgow Council Chambers until 1814, when the council sold the Tolbooth and moved to Jail Square in the Saltmarket, before eventually moving to the current City Chambers on George Square. The 126ft tall Steeple was repaired in 2008 after cracks were discovered in the structure, along with masonry, lead and guttering repairs.

The Tolbooth Steeple was where the public hangings of Glasgow used to occur.[3] Along with the nearby Tron Theatre, it is one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Glasgow Cross with Tolbooth Steeple and Mercat Cross.

Glasgow Cross Station

Glasgow Cross looking toward Mercat Building, from Trongate

The presently disused Glasgow Cross railway station sits beneath the junction.

References

  1. ↑ "Glasgow - Mercat Cross". The Scotland Guide. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  2. ↑ McKenzie, Raymond; Nisbet, Gary (2001-12-01). Public sculpture of Glasgow. Liverpool University Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-85323-937-6. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  3. ↑ Billy Connolly's World Tour of Scotland (1994)
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