Lost Glasgow: George Square

Positioned in the heart of the city, George Square eptimomises much of what Glasgow stands for.

It marks the start of the city’s grid architecture system and has been the focal point for many political rallies.

The square, first laid out in 1783, was named after George III, a statue of whom was originally intended to occupy the centre of the square, but the turmoil and anxiety caused to the city’s Tobacco Lords by the War of American Independence in 1775 and eventual British defeat in 1783, coupled with his ever more frequent bouts of madness had created mixed feelings toward the Hanoverian and so it was decided instead to commemorate Sir Walter Scott, which, incidentally, was the first ever memorial dedicated to him.

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The east side of the square is dominated by Glasgow City Chambers, headquarters of Glasgow City Council, which opened in 1888. On the South side are a number of buildings, including the former General Post Office, built in 1878 and redeveloped into offices in 2007.

The North side consists of Queen Street Station, the Millennium Hotel, which dates from the 1840s.

One of the most famous political protests to take place in the square occurred in 1919.

The Black Friday rally, held to bolster working conditions on the city’s factories, saw 90,000 protesters and culminated in violence with police.

The raising of the red flag by some and the city’s radical reputation made the Liberal government fear that a Bolshevik revolution was on the cards.

It responded by deploying fully armed troops and tanks into the square and the city’s streets.

More recent rallies include protests against the Iraq war and the poll tax.

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