Posts

Showing posts from April, 2021

What an Englishman, Frenchman and German brewed up in Glasgow

Image
 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 had read a paper by

Jenny Lind and Rouken Glen Park

Image
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 TWO GRAND OPERA

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

Image
  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. The

Necropolis memorials to French and German figures from Glasgow industrial history

Image
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-1856g-336-cubic-feet-fue

Customs House

Image
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

Image
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

Image
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:

Lismore House, a tale of two families, a German Consul and a German Hero!

Image
A story of two families and a Scottish born German Hero involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler ... Lismore House, overlooking the River Kelvin - photo by R. Rawles Lismore House on Kelvin Drive is a Grade B listed detached house which was certainly occupied by a "Mrs Kiep" as she is listed on the Address book below. Two German brothers, with the name of Kiep, set up "Carl Kiep & Brother" in Glasgow, importing timber. Lismore House Photos by A.Rawles Lismore House overlooks a bend in the Kelvin River. The house still contains many period  features, including marble fireplaces, German light fittings, wood panelling and carvings.  The other house connected with the family (early 1900s) is at 4 Hughenden Terrace. 115 Kelvin Drive (glasgowwestaddress.co.uk) The River Kelvin from Lismore House I have attempted an excerpt of a family tree for the two families involved ...  ( Note : I am not entirely sure of the spellings of the names !) Johann Nikolaus Kiep was t

Which Museum was European Museum of the Year?

Image
Glasgow's Riverside Museum was named European Museum of the Year (EMYA) 2013 at a ceremony in Belgium.  The prestigious award is presented to museums which have been built or extensively refurbished within the previous three years. ( https://europeanforum.museum/winners/emya/ ) The £74m Riverside Museum, on the banks of the River Clyde, opened in 2011 and features the city's transport, shipbuilding and engineering heritage. It was designed by award-winning architect Zaha Hadid .  The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) was founded in 1977 under the auspices of the Council of Europe.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-22587979   The sail training ship the Glenlee which is docked here was from  1922 the sail training ship  Galatea  in the Spanish Navy. Photo: J. Wilson (2011) Map Reference: Eurowalk 2: Along the Clyde

Benno Schotz Sculpture

Image
In Kelvingrove Park, you can see "The Psalmist" by Benno Schotz who was born in Estonia and came to Glasgow where he ended up as head of sculpture at the Glasgow School of Art. Signature of Benno Schotz Photos by J. Wilson Some Benno Schotz sculptures in Glasgow museums: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/schotz-benno-18911984 Map Reference: Eurowalk 5 : Around Kelvingrove

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and 1990, when Glasgow was European Capital of Culture

Image
Glasgow has a thriving musical and artistic scene. In fact, the European Commission commented in 2019: "As the UK’s top cultural and creative city, Glasgow is home to world-class museums, galleries, family-friendly attractions and an edgy contemporary art scene that shows the city at its energetic finest." Photos : J. Wilson "Glasgow crowned UK’s top cultural and creative city", Sunday Post, 2019:  https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/396198/ The concert hall was built when Glasgow was designated as European Capital of Culture for 1990. Designed by Sir Leslie Martin, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall was officially opened on 5 October 1990 by Princess Anne. Photo: J. Wilson It was also the venue for a famous speech by Gordon Brown about the benefits of being in the EU: https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/politics/uk-politics/188045/eu-offers-safety-net-tory-devastation-claims-gordon-brown-glasgow-rally/amp/ Being European Capital of Culture really gave the Glasgow arts scene

Nahlin - a luxury yacht with Royal connections, built at John Brown & Co.

Image
The luxury yacht Nahlin was built at John Brown & Co. in Clydebank, the shipbuilders famed for building the Queen Mary and the QE2 and the Lusitania. She was built in 1930 for Lady Yule, the heiress of wealthy businessman Sir David Yule, who had business interests in India. The Nahlin is one of the largest private yachts ever built in the UK and weighs 1,574 tons and is 91metres (300 feet) long Titan Crane at site of Former John Brown Engineering yard Clydebank -  Visit the Crane and go up to the top for a great view! Photo by J.Wilson Amongst her long history, she was chartered by King Edward VIII and used by him and Mrs Wallis Simpson to cruise the Adriatic Sea.  The yacht was bought in 1937 by King Carol II of Romania and renamed Luceafarul and later Libertatea. The monarch abdicated in 1940 and the yacht then had a varied history in Romania up until 2002 when she ended up being taken to Liverpool for Restoration.  She was then purchased by Sir James and Deidre Dyson who r

Hampden Park, two European records & Rose Reilly, a Scot who played for Italy !

Image
Hampden Park is the national football stadium of Scotland. It now has a 51,866-capacity but the European record attendance for an international football match took place here, with 149,415 attending a Scotland v England match in 1937. And another record crowd of over 127,000 for a European Cup final watched Real Madrid of Spain win 7-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt of West Germany.  The postponed 2020 UEFA European Football Championship or UEFA Euro 2020 are taking place this year (2021), all being well, at Hampden on the south side of Glasgow: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56656500 Hampden in 2014 for the Commonwealth Games Photo: J.Wilson In club football, Glasgow teams like Celtic, Rangers and Partick Thistle have all played in European football and have featured a good number of players from across Europe. Partick Thistle Link In Women's football there have been some fabulous international links including Scottish players who have played in Italy, the most famous probably

European Links at University of Glasgow (founded 1451)

Image
The University was founded in 1451, so is Scotland's second oldest after St Andrews. A Papal Bull established this - signed by Pope Nicholas  https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/papal-bull/  so this is a link with Rome, Italy! The interior doors of the Hunterian Museum (University of Glasgow) are carved by the famous sculptor and artist Eduardo Paolozzi - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Paolozzi   and  https://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/collections/collectionsummaries/art/sculpture/ Entrance to the Hunterian Museum is in the image below ...   Photos : J. Wilson The University of Glasgow is Part of CIVIS European University ! https://civis.eu/sv/nyheter/the-civis-european-university-welcomes-the-university-of-glasgow-as-associate-partner Photos : J.Wilson Interesting history of Scotland's ancient Universities and links to Europe -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_universities_in_Scotland   From the above reference, a few snippets are that after the Reformation, Sco

Glasgow Caledonian University, an Icelandic Connection and Playlist for Life charity

Image
Magnus Magnusson, born in Iceland in 1929 and of Mastermind and BBC fame, was Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University from 2002 - 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3561915.stm and https://www.gcu.ac.uk/theuniversity/chancellor/previouschancellors/ Magnus's daughter Sally Magnusson set up the Charity Playlist for Life, to help create musical memories for people with dementia - read more here about this:  https://www.playlistforlife.org.uk/our-history/ Glasgow Caledonian University also has taken part in the Erasmus+ scheme and the European Project Term.  Photo : J. Wilson Map Reference: Eurowalk 1: Cathedral and Necropolis to Bucks Head Building