Historic Glasgow Ramshorn Graveyard reopens after funding from council

Ramshorn Graveyard, which is located in Merchant City, opened yesterday after funds to reopen and maintain it were included in the new City Council Budget.

The Ingram Street churchyard, which dates back to 1719, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Glasgow and is the burial place of many of the city’s richest merchants, Lord Provosts and other notable figures.

MCTCC vice chair Niall McColl, MCTCC chair Tam Coyle, cllr Eva Bolander, cllr Christy Mearns, cllr Angus Millar

Last year, the Friends of Ramshorn Graveyard group was set up in an effort to see the greenspace reopened.

Niall McColl, who is a member of the group and vice chair of Merchant City and Trongate Community Council (MCTCC), says it’s “great” to see gates to the cemetery open again.

He said: "It’s long overdue.

"We’ve got this peaceful place in the city centre and for the last two years due to lockdown and afterwards it’s been closed, we haven’t been able to use it.

"It’s a popular space and it’s great to see it reopened.

"I look forward to enjoying it on the long summer nights."

MCTCC vice chair Niall McColl, MCTCC chair Tam Coyle, cllr Eva Bolander, cllr Christy Mearns, cllr Angus Millar

He continued: "We want to try and get some of the gravestones restored, there are important people from Merchant City and the history of Glasgow buried here, find out the history of people and try over the years to build up an understanding of the importance of this site."

Niall added that the group are "very grateful" to the ward’s four councillors for working with the council to get the site reopened and councillors Eva Bolander, Angus Millar and Christy Mearns attended the reopening yesterday.

MCTCC chair Tam Coyle

Cllr Christy Mearns said: "It’s absolutely wonderful to see the Ramshorn Cemetery reopened after a long period of it being closed to the public at the frustration of much of the local community and us councillors who have been trying to understand how we can move forward.

"It’s really great that we’ve been able to find a solution to that and I was really thrilled to be able to propose some funding in the latest budget for the permanent reopening, which I’m really pleased was agreed which will hopefully now mean, along with the efforts of the local community in bringing forwarded new improvements to the space, a long-term future for this space."

Cllr Angus Millar continued: "The Ramshorn churchyard is quite an unusual space in the sense that it’s a really historic area of the city centre.

"There’s so much history in terms of the range of hugely interesting people who’ve been buried here, and I think the stories that we can tell about the history of Glasgow by welcoming people into the space and perhaps improving the experience so that people can learn more about the history.

"It’s a fantastic green space within the heart of the city centre, a quiet space, you can’t hear any traffic, anything but the sounds of the birds in the trees and it’s a brilliant place for people to come to sit, to enjoy and it’s fantastic to see it open again."

Cllr Eva Bolander said: "There are so many people buried in here who have played a huge part in the history of Glasgow, and also history around the world.

"The historical aspect of what these people did, they are in the heart of Merchant City and we know what legacy they have today from the slave trade and it’s absolutely important to address that and we’re going to do that partly through the Merchant City Festival.

"There’s a play, called Resting Place, going to take place here which will address some of those issues we need to deal with."

Liz Marley and Nan Roughan

Nan Roughan, 65, was visiting the cemetery with her friend Liz Marley, 57, who has never been inside the churchyard before.

Nan, who’s from Partick, is pleased to see the site reopened.

She said: "I like that it’s actually in the city centre and not many people know about it.

"I think it’s great it's reopened to let other people see it and enjoy the peace and quiet."

Liz, who’s from Clarkston, says she was "impressed" with her first visit to the cemetery.

She said: "It’s amazing, I can’t believe it’s actually here in the middle of the city.

"It’s fabulous, I’m so impressed."

The Ramshorn Graveyard is located on Ingram Street and will be open each day from 8am to 8pm.