Glasgow for Guides 

To know about Kelvingrove, you need to understand a little about Glasgow's history. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow had a boom in development in the 19th century, but they grew in entirely different directions. While Edinburgh had become a city of academia and culture with its advances in medical sciences, literature, philosophy and the like, Glasgow got rich through industry and trade. It is still reflected in the looks of both cities. 

As Glasgow quickly advanced, becoming one of the richest cities in the British Empire, the authorities wanted to put it on the map by demonstrating its wealth and cultured nature. Building Kelvingrove Museum in 1901 was part of those efforts. 

If you look at the building, you will notice that its style of architecture is very different from what you see around. The red sandstone and the facade details are part of Spanish Baroque. This building is Glasgow's message to the world: "Look, we are advancing: take us seriously!" This message was conveyed not only through the outside, but also through the inside of the museum. The galleries both proudly display Scottish fine arts and international masterpieces, including Salvador Dali's haunting Christ of Saint John of the Cross- a painting that caused uproar when Glasgow bought it in the 1950s. Back then people got mad that too much taxpayer's money went towards buying a piece of art that the public didn't understand. However, nowadays this and many other paintings, as well as Scottish history, and everything else you will see inside, gather visitors worldwide. 

Enjoy your free time at the museum!

This University is the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world. Can you guess the other 3? (Let them name Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews). It was founded in 1451, and in over 600 years, it taught some students who, without exaggeration, changed the world. 

One of them is Lord Kelvin, who the museum we just visited is named after. What do we measure in Kelvins? (heat). Right, when we talk about extreme temperatures like the ones in space, we measure them in Kelvins. Another famous student is a scientist, James Watt. What do we measure in watts? (energy). Watt quite literally was the mastermind behind the Industrial Revolution because he is the inventor of a steam engine. So, steam trains and ships, the predecessors of today's transport, would not have existed without him. 

Finally, these halls taught a student you might not know by name, but you can feel his influence in your life. I'm talking about Adam Smith, the inventor of capitalism. Many countries of the world—including the United States, Great Britain, Japan, and Germany—practice capitalism. It is the system where citizens, not governments, own and run companies. These companies compete with other companies for business. They decide which goods and services to provide. They also decide how much to charge for the goods and services and where to sell them. Companies do all these things to make money for their owners.

(Note: Before they leave, you might want to ask if any of them are interested in studying in the UK and if they have any questions about unis here. The system is different in many European countries. 

Time for a darker chapter of Glasgow's history that is necessary to look back on. You hear a lot that English and Scottish cities prospered during the Enlightenment in the 18th and 19th Centuries, including Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, the wealth didn't come from no where, and largely originated from colonialism and the slave trade in Africa and the Caribbean. Merchant City was once the hub of Glasgow's tobacco and sugar trade that was largely produced in those regions by enslaved people. Not spending money on labour but inflating the prices on its products was a sure way to make money, but a seriously unethical one. 

Many of the merchants you see immortalised in street names- Buchanan, Ingram, Glassford- owned or profited from enslaved people. These men were fabulously wealthy- and they invested in buildings, libraries, and universities, reshaping the city in their image. 

Today, Glasgow tries to acknowledge this dark history and commemorates it on plaques on the streets, in the Kelvingrove Museum that you visited, and in the discourse on history. But the plaques are less visible than monuments and the entire streets. 

Glasgow Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It was built in the Middle Ages and is dedicated to Saint Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow. The cathedral is special because it is one of the few Scottish churches that survived the Reformation almost unchanged. Inside, visitors can see beautiful stonework and the tomb of Saint Mungo.

Near the cathedral is the Glasgow Necropolis, a large Victorian cemetery on a hill. It was opened in the 1800s and is the burial place of many important people from Glasgow’s past. From the Necropolis, there are great views of the city. Together, the cathedral and the Necropolis show Glasgow’s long religious and social history.