BA’CK LisT'
distance. Information: on all Strathclyde PTE services from St Enoch Square (U) 226 4826.
I Taxis Glasgow‘s black cabs which can be hired on the street or by phone are among the cheapest in Britain but check there's no boundary charge if you're going beyond the city limits. TryT.().A. Radio Taxis — 941 1101 or A] Radio Cars(942 1414).
I Car hire all the major companies are in Glasgow. .‘vfitchells isa big local firm situated in the multi-story car park in Mitchell Street by Central Station (U St Enoch). 221 8461.
WHERE TO STAY
To suit all pockets. Contact the Greater Glasgow Tourist Board. 35 St Vincent Place 227 4880. If you‘re on a tight budget try the University Accommodation Service. 4 University Gardens (U Ilillhead). 339 8855 during vacations.
HELP
I Lost Property/Police Conveniently two in one: the main Strathclyde Police Station at 173 Pitt Street is also the Central Lost Property Office — 204 2626. For legal representation or advice (the legal system is very different in Scotland) the I Citizens’ Advice Bureau 212 Bath Street. 331 2345 is invaluable.
I Money Banks open Mon—Fri 9.30am to 3.30pm (plus Bank of Scotland stays open till 4.45pm each day and all banks are open a bit later on Thursdays: some major branches stay open at lunchtime).
I Healthcare Main 24-hr casualty units are the Royal Infirmary. Castle
Western Infirmary. Dumbarton Road. 339 8822. Emergency dental treatment: Glasgow Dental Hospital. 378 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7020. Pregnancy and contraception advice: Glasgow Family Planning Association 2 Claremont Terrace 332 9144.
I Late night chemists contact local police for details ofwhich chemist is on that night's rota. Advice/despair/ desperation: The Samaritans 248 4488. Alcoholics Anonymous 48 Dundas Street. 332 3742. VD Information 429 5976. Drugs Telephone Information Service (2—10pm) 3320063. Gay Switchboard (personal answer 7—10pm)2218372.
City Centre shopping
The Merchant City is a phrase you will hear often to describe the roughly 1 square kilometre of the city whose i north-western cornertouches the . south-eastern corner 01 George Square. This was the centre of Glasgow’s prosperity during the 18th and 19th centuries and many line . buildings and institutions remain. It 5" ~ m T m was thetrading and residential centre a a as well as the commerical centre and it
is now becoming a residential centre I again as old and decrepit warehouses , are being brought back into use as ‘ luxury yuppie dormitories. It’s not on the same scale as London's docklands but it’s the same principal and one has
to concede that some of the
developments, College Lands in Bell Street for instance, have been carried out with some style. Most of these conversions are very recent it not actually still in progress and there are showllats to poke your nose into it you're into that sort ol thing.
It the original version is more to your taste then first call should be the Trades House, 85 Glasstord Street, (Mon—Fri 10am-5pm) a Robert Adam building which was (and in part still is. though their role is largely ceremonial now) the headquartes ol the Incorporated Trades. There‘s a silk frieze in the great hall which tells you what the fourteen of them are — silversmiths and shipbuilders unexpectedly both end up in the Hammerers. Very nearly adjacent is the old Tobacco Exchange, now an i ' empty courtyard reached through an l
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and sugar from plantations in the new world such as Virginia were the most important commodities traded in Glasgow. Almost opposite is Virginia Court, a cobbled street which is redolent olthe nicer side of Victorian
Other landmarks ol Glasgow‘s mercantile past are Glasgow Cross and the Tolbooth Steeple which towers above it. Nowadays it looks just like a busy intersection but the very names 01 the roads, Saltmarket, Gallowgate, Trongate, London Road and.a1ew steps away Bridge Gate (site of the
former tishmarket, the Briggait, now a
archway at 33 Virginia Street— tobacco
thoroughfares. now mostly pedestrianised. are Argyll Street ( 1} Sr Iinoch) and Buchanan Street ( 1;). which form a T-shape through the city centre. and Sauchiehall Street. parallel to Argyll Street a little further north and west. Arcades offthe main streets are worth investigating. Smaller and more specialised boutiques can be found in and around Byres Road (I) llillhead) and a neighbouring short stretch of the Great Western Road (U Kelvinbridge). For those of you who prefer the market stall. try the Barras in the Gallowgate. Saturday and Sunday. 9am—5pm. Not what it was some say. but still a lively affair and a good place to checkout the Glasgow patter.
SIGHTS AND LANDMARKS
I Glasgow Zoo 771 1185. Small scale safari park operation. Usual amenities. Open 10am—5pm £2.30, £1 .20. I The Tenement House 145 Buccleuch Street (U Cowcaddens) 331 0183. Lovineg detailed reconstruction by the
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National Trust for Scotland of how Glasgow's poor tised to live. ()pen 2 —5pm every day April to ( )ctober.
£1 50p. l-‘ree to.\"I‘ N'I‘S members.
I The Antonine Wall the Romans” other wall (not a stone one but a ditch and earthworks affair) from Bo'ness on the Forth to Old Kilpatrick. roughly where the new lirskine Bridge crosses the Clyde downstream. runs through the northern suburbs. especially at Bearsden and Kirkintilloch.
I The City Chambers the entire east side of(ieorgc Square ([7 Buchanan Street). 22] 9M)“, Ifyou think this Victorian version of Italian Renaissance architecture looks impresst c. you should try the marbled splendour inside. Guided totirs 1030am and 2.30pm Mon. Tue. Wed and I’ri. I Glasgow Cathedral Castle Street. Open April to September
9.30am— 1 pm and 2» 7pm Mon to Sat: Sun 2--7pm. Services I lam and 6.30pm on Sun. One of the few church buildings in Scotland to survive the Reformation. Parts ofit date from the 12th
rather second rate shopping arcade) summon up another age when this was the Golden Acre of the tobacco lords. I The steeple, 126 feet high, is the last vestige of the Town House where the 1 wizards oi the weed would carve up the market. There's a scale model of how it was, in the People's Palace (qv).
century. Be sure to see the lower church. downstairs from the choir which includes the oldest part and St .‘vlungo‘stomb.
I Glasgow School olArt Renfrew Street. 3329797 ext 214. Mon -I-‘ri
9.30am l2. 15pm and 1.15--5pm during term time. Most fascinatingof all the buildings designed by ( ilasgow's foremost architect and interior designer and father of what has become known as the (ilasgow School. Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Worth a few pence for the internal tour as well. especially the reading room. ()ther unmissable Mackintosh venues are the Willow'l'ea Room. upstairs at 217 Sauchiehall Street. now fully restored and the teas are good too ( Mon to Sat 9.30am—4.30pm 331
(1521 l. and the school buildings at 225 Scotland Street (outside only). See also I lunterian Art Gallery.
I Necropolis(‘asile Street. behind the cathedral. Mon—Sat
7am —8pm; Sun 9am-4pm. Enjoys fine views of the city and is a fascinatingly concentrated reminder of the Victorian way of
death. The stem looking guy on top ofthe column on top of the hill isJohn Knox. key figure in the Presbyterian Reformation in Scotland.
I Templeton‘s Carpet Factory Glasgow Green. Not a carpet factory any more. this building is remarkable for its exterior. an uncanny replica of the Doge‘s Palace in Venice. right down to the coloured bricks. battlements and arched windows.
I Victoriana The City is full of many splendid Victoran buildings. too numerous to mention. The best advice to the visitor is to wander around the central area and look - up. for most ofthe elaborate stonework and detail is on the upper storeys.
I The Bridge to Nowhere (Charing Cross). Fifteen feet of unconnected motorway. left embarrassingly incomplete when schemes to further develop the MS where abandoned.
I Glasgow Garden Festival (U Shields Road): See separate section in the magazine for details.
SPORTS FACILITIES
Plenty of them. mostly run by the District Council. For information on everything from tennis courts to bowling greens 227 5066. I Indoor sports (badminton. weight training. track and field etc) is best catered for at the newa improved Kelvin “all Sports Arena (L' Kelvingrove). Bunhouse Road. open Mon to Sun 9am—l Ipm. 357 2525.
I Squash courts, snooker facilities are mostly in private clubs; Marco‘s in Templeton Street. 554 8651 . open Mon to Sun 9am—l 1 .30pm is one ofthe
'—
A selection of the best in Glasgow eating;
Italian
I Faui Brothers 67 Cambridge Street. 332 0941 . Last orders 5.30pm. Closed Sun. The nearest Glasgow will get to a local Italian cafe/bar. Not yet licensed, but already a
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success. Menu features staples like ravioli and minestrone. but everything in the delicatessen is also on offer. Sip an expresso or have a full meal. rurro I'd hate. (£10)
I ll Pescatore 14s Woodlands Road. 333 9239. Last orders I Ipm. Closed Sun. As the name suggests. seafood a speciality. Fortes: unusual fish simply presented — skewered monkfish. scampi wrapped in bacon. Failures: cream sauces (too much bechamel. not enough cream) Busy and cosy with mixed clientele. (£311)
I La Capannina 72 1 lope Street. 221 0245. Last orders 11—1 1.30pm. ()p Sun. Archetypal Italian genre. giving customers what they want: large portions of well-cooked. well presented unintimidating pastas. Tournedos. etc. More adventurous blackboard menu offers a selection of fresh fish. obligingly cooked to taste. No ecstatic peaks. but certainly no complaints either. (£30)
Unusual
I John St Jam 27 Cochrane Street. 552 3801. Mon—Sun noon--3pm and 6pm—niidnight. Iilegant Merchant City Building housing the (fer/tier er! in trendiness food-wise - Cajun cooking. Also large. fashionably cluttered bar. Certain to take over from the late Willis as this area'splacc to pose. (£20)
I Greens 123 Old Castle Road. 633 I272. Tue—Sat noon—2.30pm and
6.30— 10pm. Closed Sun and Mon. Consistently producing mouthwatering nouvelle-inspired (but not nouvelle-sized) disheson a weekly-changing menu. Greens begs the question — how do they do it at the price'.’ Plus superior house wines and great puddings! (£25)
IThe Belfry Argyle Street. 221 0630. Mon—Fri noon-4pm and 5—1 1pm; closed-Sat afternoon and all day Sunday. Quiet and comfortable wood- panelled wine-bar offering a broad choice of wines etc. and a very pleasant and inexpensive fishy menu. Recommended. (£22).
Chinese
I The Gourmet House 19 Ashton Lane. 334 3229. Mon—Thurs noon—2pm and 5pm—midnight; Sat noon—midnight; Sun 5pm—midnight. Like no other restaurant in the city. its excellent Cantonese food is always of dCllCIOUS. high quality.
The List 10- 23 June 1988 61