Seven of Glasgow's earliest buildings and why only two remain

Now, just the Cathedral and Provand’s Lordship stand as the city’s only surviving medieval buildings.

So many of our early buildings have gone, consumed by the impact of the Reformation, devastating fires, dense housing, well-intentioned 19th century improvement activities, or a result of neglect, change in use and fashion.

The Bishop’s Castle was the base of the bishops’ civic power.  It was first mentioned in 1258 and was subsequently improved and extended by succeeding Glasgow bishops.

Bishop's Castle (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

The use of the central fortified building as their residences led it to acquiring the name, the Bishop’s Palace.

It was probably occupied until the Reformation in 1560 but fell into disrepair thereafter.  In 1689 it was described as ‘now in ruines’ with the departure of the last of the archbishops.  The most significant domestic building within the burgh, it was finally demolished between 1789 and 1792 to make way for Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Glasgow was divided into two focal points: an ecclesiastical area and a secular settlement.  The area around the Cathedral included a large community of priests and associated clerics and officials. Papal bulls in the 12th and 13th century required adults in Glasgow Diocese to visit the shrine and tomb of St Mungo annually making the area a place of pilgrimage.  

The other focus centred around the market at Glasgow Cross, and which was to become home to the bulk of much of the population.  This division between a market area and an ecclesiastical precinct on the hill above lasted for most of the Middle Ages.

The Old College (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

With no separate parish church, the citizens of Glasgow initially had to walk up the hill to the Cathedral. The area between the two was only gradually settled, originally by religious organisations. In 1246 a community of Dominican Monks (the Black Friars) built a convent on the east side of High Street. After the Reformation it was gifted by Mary Queen of Scots to the University of Glasgow and served as a parish church until it was struck by lightning in 1670. It was rebuilt between 1699 and 1702.

The Tontine building and Tolbooth (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

The Franciscans (or Grey Friars) arrived around 1476. They established their house on the west of High Street on a site bounded by the present George, Albion and Ingram streets.  Archbishop Dunbar provided the Greyfriars with a new church from 1518 to 1532.  The partial remains of the cloisters were discovered by an early 2000s archaeological excavation, prior to the arrival of the City Science development.

With the decline of ecclesiastical privilege, power and patronage the city's secular institutions flourished at the lower end of the town.

At the crossing of the four main streets in 1626, the Town Council began to erect a new Tolbooth., probably on the same site as previous Tolbooth.  Five storeys high, it contained the town clock. Given its scale, its heraldic insignia, and pediments over the windows it was hailed as "the paragon of beauty in the west.”

As city archivist, I love that they thought about their archives when planning the new Tolbooth. In 1636 a visitor noted: “Herein is a closet lined with iron; walls, top, bottom, floor, and door, iron; wherein are kept the evidences and records of the city; this made, to prevent the danger of fire.”

The major early secular building was the university, founded in 1451 when Bishop Turnbull obtained a papal bull from Nicholas V. 

In 1460 the University moved from its original location in Rottenrow to a purpose-built college on the north side of Blackfriars. This was small in comparison with the wonderful building erected in the mid-17th century, but sadly demolished to make way for the College Goods yard in 1870.

While we savour the wonderful 18th, 19th and 20th century-built heritage all around the city, it is sad that we cannot experience the wonder of Glasgow’s early buildings.

These buildings are a vital link to the story of Glasgow growing from a small cathedral town to a great merchant city, and to all our histories.