Glasgow Vacations
The article below takes a look at the Scottish city of Glasgow, once the second city of the British Empire, and some of the places in and around the area that you may wish to visit if you choose to take a vacation here.
Bagpipes and tartan, as soon as you hear these words or see these two items, the odds are that the word “Scotland” will spring to mind (or vice versa). You usually see these items in a lovely piece of art or on a box of shortbread. While many see the history of Scotland as romantic many see the raw facts and accept that most points in the history of Scotland are punctuated by battles and bloodshed. Just looking across the stunning landscapes you will, in only a short distance, come across a historical site associated with the nation’s turbulent history. In fact these sites draw enormous numbers of folk each and every year.
In order to visit many of the finest historical sites in Scotland it is necessary to travel extensively but often it is possible to visit a respectable number of first class historical sites if you remain in one place, especially if this happens to be the city of Glasgow. Glasgow has a wealth of superb visitor attractions and masses of important historical sites all within easy reach. The following examines just three of these places of interest, Crookston Castle, Glasgow Cathedral and Newark Castle.
Glasgow Cathedral
The foundations of Glasgow were laid during the seventh century when St. Mungo built his small church on the site. He died in 612 and today he is the city’s patron saint. Over the years the site expanded and the church was much modified and then, during the 12th and 13th centuries, it was built over. On the 6th July 1197 it was consecrated and today it remains as one of the most important landmarks of the city. Few medieval churches managed to survive the Scottish Reformation as most were utterly destroyed, damaged beyond repair or simply abandoned and left to be ravaged by the elements and locals who reused the stone.
Crookston Castle
Crookston Castle is most well known for being owned by the Darnley Stewarts. It was Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley who became the second husband of Mary Queen of Scots. The castle is a stone ringwork fortress and keep built, by Sir Robert de Croc, during the 12th century passing over to the Stewarts i the mid 14th century.
Newark Castle
Newark Castle sits on the south shore of the Firth of Clyde, enjoying wonderful views across the river. In 1478, George Maxwell inherited the Barony of Finlanstone, and built himself a castle on the site. There are still parts of his castle visible today. Major changes were made to Newark Castle by the most notorious of George Maxwell’s descendants, Sir Patrick Maxwell. In 1597, Sir Patrick constructed a new north range replacing the earlier hall, in the form of a three storey Renaissance mansion. In 1694, the last Maxwell died, and the castle was sold. When the last owner died, in 1909, the castle passed into state care, and is now looked after by Historic Scotland.
Of course there are numerous other historic places to visit in and around Glasgow but I hope that the three introduced above inspire you to discover more. Hopefully it will not be too long before you decide that your only option is to take a city break in Glasgow.
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