4 May 2023
Today in Glasgow it was cloudy, sunny, very windy, and quite cold – and it was wonderful! Glasgow is such an easy city to explore, and I have found people to be so friendly and helpful. Public transport is a breeze – 20 pounds for a 4-day bus pass allowing unlimited travel including on the airport bus. That’s probably cheaper than a one-way taxi fare from the airport to the city centre. So, clutching my 4-day bus pass, I travelled into the Buchanan Street Bus Terminal and walked through the Sauchiehall St shopping district for about 20 minutes until I reached The Tenement House museum. The Tenement House had been recommended to me by people on Scottish genealogy pages, as a glimpse into how families lived in tenements in the early 20th century. A single lady, Miss Agnes Toward, lived in the house from 1911 until 1965, and spent the last 10 years of her life in hospital, so the property was untouched and effectively a time capsule. The National Trust volunteers were very helpful and keen to share their knowledge regarding life in a tenement house – it certainly helps that Miss Toward was a hoarder so there are lots of her possessions, including some jam that she made in 1920! Miss Toward was middle class, so her house consisted of four rooms (kitchen with bed, sitting room with a bed cupboard, bedroom and an indoor bathroom), however my Bain family who lived nearby in the 1840s would probably have only had a two-room tenement house, and a shared outside toilet with the other families, but it still gave me an idea of what their living conditions may have been like.
A short walk from The Tenement House was The Mitchell Library, which is a total gem of a resource for anyone with Scottish ancestors. I was so excited to have the opportunity to visit it and, once again, people were so lovely and happy to help. We were trying to find information regarding Little Dovehill St, where the Bain family lived in the 1841 census. They were able to show me photos of the streets around it, so even though I didn’t see Little Dovehill itself, I now have a pretty good idea of what the area looked like at the time. I was also able to see maps from 1820, 1842 and the 1880s, so I could see how the area had changed and get an idea of where they may have attended church and where the closest burial grounds were. The earlier maps also showed the local industries in that area, and I was also able to see where the Duff family lived in 1841 and 1851 (their streets no longer exist because it is now university land). It also made me realise that the Bain family and the Duff family lived quite close to each other. It was really fascinating, and I found it so much better looking at the original large maps, rather than looking at online versions. The lovely people in the library even gave me a list of websites that I can use to find out further information about the area. As I mentioned, people are so helpful.
From there I walked over to the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum. I had no idea what to expect and only headed that way because it was listed as one of the top free things to do while in Glasgow. I’m so pleased that I did because it was such an interesting mix of art and museum pieces, in the most stunning building. There was artwork from Salvador Dali and Claude Monet, and rooms of Dutch and French art, as well as Scottish art. The museum part was also interesting, with an Ancient Egypt section (are there any artifacts left in Egypt?), wildlife exhibits, an excellent Conflict and Consequence exhibit with lots of armour and swords/shields etc., and a section of Scotland’s First People. If I lived in Glasgow, I am sure I would visit many times.
Just up the
hill from the museum is the University of Glasgow and, since I was so close, of
course I had to walk up to check out the famous cloisters between the
quadrangles. The buildings are stunning and the spring blossoms just add to the
whole scene. Definitely worth visiting.
This is quite
a long blog – I think I prefer Glasgow over Edinburgh (let touristy and has a great energy to it) and so have lots to chat
about, though I realise that I have only seen it in fine weather. Next week
rain is forecast, so it will be interesting to see if I still enjoy Glasgow as
much in those conditions. Tomorrow, I join a three-day tour to the Isle of
Skye. The adventure continues.
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