Glasgow, West End, September, 2024

I have to whisper this and hope that no-one hears but I do enjoy a visit to Glasgow over Edinburgh. You may be amazed when I say this, as I do love Edinburgh. I have spent many happy days in the Scottish Capital City and taken some memorable photographs. Glasgow may not have the same immediate sights as Edinburgh. However if you allow yourself to be part of the energy of the city then there is a rich range of places to see. My conference was at the University of Glasgow and I stayed in the Grosvenor hotel in the West End near to the Botanical Gardens. My walk to the University buildings took me along Bryers Road past University Avenue. I took the detour down Ashton Lane several times to sample the quirky neighbourhoods and also sample the delicious food in the restaurants of the area.

Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
The early morning sunrise along the Great Western Road
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
A figure crosses the Great Western road

My pictures are a selection of shop fronts and restaurants. There was a visit to the Kelvingrove museum. A walk along the river Kelvin in the early morning captured the shadows and light of the beautiful weather we had whilst we were in Glasgow. Visiting the Botanical Gardens during the golden hour captured the glass and the ironwork of the Victorian buildings. My particular favourite was a sunrise along the Western Avenue. For a few moments the sky radiated a warm orange colour as the sun rose over the rush hour traffic.

Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Golden hour over Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Sunrise catches the houses on Alfred Terrace, Great Western Avenue.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Sun on Alfred Terrace
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Gates outside the University of Glasgow
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
A couple enjoying the Botanical Gardens in the late afternoon.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Glasgow Train Station and the Beacon of Hope.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Walking along the Kelvin River.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Shapes of the Scottish Exhibition Centre.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Graffiti where Cecil street meets the Great Western Road.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
The rising hill of Hillhead Street
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Grosvenor Terrace and a skateboarder.
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Walking down Ashton Lane
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
The cinema on Ashton Lane
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Just Eat passing Subway 🙂
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
New ideas for Dr Who
Glasgow, West End, September, 2024
Somewhere in the Matrix

More information on Glasgow’s Westend plus pictures may be found on the Visit Glasgow Website.

This is my second blog on Glasgow after my Photographing Glasgow in 2019. Since then, I noticed the Glasgow graffiti has changed.

And just in case Edinburgh feels left out, here is some street photography on the streets of the Scottish Capital. The Edinburgh street photography is a popular page on my blog.

I just love going up to Scotland and the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are so different but rather wonderful in their own particular way. First stop was Glasgow and I was there for a conference in September. I stayed in the City for the week and then Sandy came to join me on the Saturday. The Conference was at the University of Glasgow which is very photogenic with its imposing Gothic structure overlooking the city. Some of the lecture theatres were also surreal such as the Kelvin Gallery which had a definite Steampunk feel to it. After the conference we went up to Loch Lomond to visit friends and even though it was misty, the magic of the scenery was there to see.

Grafitti greeting
Glasgow University
Steampunk lecture theatre
Glasgow Town Hall
Scottish Dancing
The weather was good on some of the days! (featured by BBD Scotland)
Early morning on the Clyde (featured by BBC Scotland)
The beauty of Loch Lomond

There will be many visits around the country in the coming few years as I am part of a research grant with 4 other universities (Glasgow, Leeds, Southampton and Edinburgh). The lead institution is Glasgow University and that is where the kick of meeting began. There was a Burns supper the night before the meeting proper and a chance to photograph in and around the University buildings. The University is very photogenic and has commanding views of the surrounding Glasgow area. The building is also impressive and the central area is called the undercroft. The University have left the Christmas fairy lights in place and it makes for an impressive site. There had been some rain the night before and this added to some of the street reflections seen in the pictures.

The Undercroft
Stairs in the Building
The lights
End of the night
Fairy lights
Always fun to look at
Snowdrops and path
Imposing facade
There was time for a Gin in the Hotel