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What an Englishman, Frenchman and German brewed up in Glasgow

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 Joseph Lister (1827-1912) was an English Quaker and was thus debarred from Oxford or Cambridge. However, University College had been founded in 1826 and he qualified in medicine there and chose to train with Professor Syme in Edinburgh. He distinguished himself and was appointed  Regius Professor of Surgery in Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1860. Statue of Lister in Kelvingrove Park, West End of Glasgow    Photo: J.Wilson He chose carbolic acid as his antiseptic. Phenol or carbolic acid had been discovered by Friedlieb Runge, a German chemist, in 1834. Lister started by treating wounds with dilute carbolic acid solutions and went on to operate with instruments washed in carbolic acid, with drapes and skin cleaned with it, and even used a carbolic acid spray to try to remove bacteria in the air. His results were sensational and modern surgery was born after he published his results in The Lancet in 1867. One day, while walking up High Street, Thomas Anderson asked if he ...

Jenny Lind and Rouken Glen Park

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The area known as Jenny Lind in the South of Glasgow seems a strange place and way to commemorate the famous 19th-century Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (1820-1887), known as the Swedish Nightingale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lind) . It would seem that at some point she had put up in an inn (or farmhouse) in the area which changed its name in honour of the occasion. See https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/17330363.jenny-lind-glasgow-area-named-greatest-showman-star/ .  The area is part of the Stirling Maxwell estate, so one cannot help wondering if there is some link between this great artist and the wealthy family, as there was for Chopin. Jenny Lind’s presence on the Glasgow cultural scene, however, is better documented. The following advertisement is found in the  Glasgow Herald  on 29 September 1848 (alongside reports of Chopin’s visits, and concern regarding political developments in France). THEATRE ROYAL - JENNY LIND THE REMAINING TICKETS for the T...

Pollok House and Estate, Spanish Art, European Emblems and links to European language learning

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  Pollok House Pollok House is the last of a series of houses built on the same site, as homes for members of the ancient and celebrated Maxwell, later Stirling Maxwell family. Pollok House was gifted to the City of Glasgow in 1966, and is managed for the city by the National Trust for Scotland. https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/pollok-house Photos of Pollok House : J Wilson Spanish Art The elegant Georgian House, with a magnificent view south over and beyond the White Cart river, was built in 1752. It is fundamentally Georgian with sympathetic early twentieth-century additions. One of its most important aspects now though dates from rather later: the collection of Spanish art (as well as works by Rubens, Raeburn, William Blake and others) amassed by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell (1818-1878, initially William Stirling) who at different points in his career was the MP for Perthshire, Rector of both St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities, and Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. ...

Necropolis memorials to French and German figures from Glasgow industrial history

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The Glasgow Necropolis is a fascinating location and there is a huge amount of historical information that has been gathered and can be found on this website:  https://www.glasgownecropolis.org/ Three particular people we have highlighted here are the German Henry Dübs , the F renchman  Pierre  Jacques Papillon  and Professor Coats, who did some training in Wurzburg. All highlight the importance of European links in Glasgow's heritage. _____________________ Henry Dübs  At the Necropolis you can find a Memorial to Henry Dübs (1816 – 24 April 1876), a 19th century German-born engineer who worked in Glasgow. He was Works Manager and Company partner at Neilson and Company in Springburn, who built this locomotive for Finland : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_D%C3%BCbs . This exquisite technical drawing from Neilson & Company from the Science Museum collection: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110094432/drawing-of-5-0-gauge-6-wheel...

Customs House

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Photo thanks to B.Porr Opened in 1840 and designed by an Irish born customs offical John Taylor, who worked for the customs. Still to be expanded and photograph needed!

Chatelherault Country Park, Cadzow Castle and a French Connection

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Thanks for photos from J. Marriott Chatelherault Country Park and Cadzow Castle have historic links as far back as Robert the Bruce and then Mary Queen of Scots. The Chatelherault name derives from when James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran was rewarded the Dukedom of Châtellerault by King Henry II of France in 1543 after the strategic key role he played in arranging Mary’s betrothal to the French Dauphin, Francois, in 1559. https://www.communityactionlan.org/news-hub/item/chatelherault-and-the-french-connection-following-in-the-footsteps-of-mary-queen-of-scots Hamilton Mausoleum, where the 10th Duke was interred, though they were later re-buried in Hamilton's Bent Cemetery, had until recently the longest-lasting echo of any building in the world!  The record was recently beaten by another Scottish man-made structure, an underground fuel depot in Invergordon! Map Reference: West of Scotland Area

Whitelee Wind Farm

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Renewable Energy - Our Future The Whitelee wind farm which can be seen from most parts of Glasgow is a vast wind farm on the southern edge of Glasgow. The main visitor centre is located in East Renfrewshire, but the majority of turbines are situated in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It is the largest on-shore wind farm in the UK and second largest in Europe after Fântânele-Cogealac, in Romania. It has 215 Siemens and Alstom wind turbines and a total capacity of 539 megawatts (MW). Whitelee was developed and is operated by ScottishPower Renewables, which is part of the Spanish company Iberdrola. https://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/whitelee-windfarm-about-us The Wind Farm also has an excellent visitor centre and receives many educational visits. For example, to teach primary school children about renewable energy: And, as well as being popular on Instagram, Wind Farms are popular with young Scots! 67% of 16-24 year olds in Scotland support the use of onshore wind to generate power:...