Anyone who is familiar with the City of Glasgow will know that there are a number of murals which have been added to buildings over the past years. Some have remained unchanged from year to year, and others have periodically changed. This walk is a tour round Glasgow city streets looking at some of its fantastic array of street murals.
Stage 1
The walk starts on West George Street and then continues through George Square into George Street. There are several murals on the walls of Strathclyde University. The first gable wall showing a lecture and the street frontage incorporating the University’s most celebrated people. Further down the road the ‘Wonderwall’ continues with murals including ‘Dansken Equatorial Telescope’. At the end of the block, the final gable depicts the ‘Land Ship’ which was a mock-up navigation bridge once used to teach at the school of Navigation. All these murals were made by Art Pistol, aided by Rogue-One and Ejek. Continue along George Steet to the junction with High Street. On the gable wall just before the junction is a stunning mural by Smug of ‘St Enoch’ (a woman cradling a child, Kentigern [St Mungo], the patron saint of Glasgow). From here, make a detour to the left up High Street until the gable wall at the opposite end of the terrace of buildings on the left. Here is another Smug mural, ‘St Mungo,’ (a man with birds). From here turn around and walk back down High Street, ignoring the junction with George Street, and taking a right turn into Ingram Street. Look out for a plaque marking the birthplace of William Motherwell a renowned Glasgow Poet.
Stage 2
After the first block in Ingram Street, there is a car park on the left side; the wall enclosing this has a huge mural entitled ‘Fellow Glasgow Residents’ (also created by Smug) which depicts the varied wildlife of Glasgow’s parks. It takes some time to take in all of this one! At the far end of the mural turn left into Candleriggs to enter the Merchant City. This was once the bustling commercial heart of the city but fell into decline before being regenerated in recent decades. It is now packed with restaurants and bars.
Stage 3
After the first block in Candleriggs, turn right into Wilson Street and walk down the rainbow pavement. On a gable wall there is ‘Bow Down, Honour Thy Routes’ – a mural by Indian artist Shilo Shiv Suleman created as part of COP26 which was held in Glasgow. Returning to Candleriggs, turn right and at Trongate turn left. Pass the impressive clock tower (Tollbooth Steeple) and continue ahead (crossing High Street) into Gallowgate with the Merkat Cross to the right. Continue along Gallowgate until the junction with Moir Street. Turn around to see the first Billy Connelly mural on a gable end. Continue along Gallowgate for a passing look at the famous Barrowland Ballroom (The Barras)! Turn around and return to Moir Street and enter Barrowland Park. Cross the park using the Album Pathway (which was created by Jim Lambie) and on exiting the park turn left to rejoin Gallowgate and head back to the Tollbooth Steeple.
At Saltmarket, turn left and pass under the railway bridge. Then take the first left into St Andrew’s Street to see ‘The Fish Plaice’ mural. Across from this mural is another one called ‘Study of a Women in Black’. Continue around St Andrew’s Square taking in the architecture of the former St Andrew’s Parish Church. Return to the railway bridge in Saltmarket and cross over into Osborne Street. Then turn right into King Street and then left into Trongate. At New Wynd, turn left to view the colourful ‘Spaceman’ (on the right) and pass the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall. Stan Laurel made his debut here in 1906. Emerging from the south end of New Wynd, John Byrne’s mural of Billy Connelly can be seen to the right. There is also one of Thomas Muir a Scottish Political Reformer and lawyer.
Stage 4
Return to the Trongate, via New Wynd, and turn right. Take the right fork of Trongate and then turn right into Saltmarket. Continue south down Saltmarket, passing under the railway bridge, and at Bridgegate turn right to find another ‘Study of a Women in Black’. Reaching the busy junction near the river there is a series of murals on the wall of the Clutha. A short detour round the end of the building (to the left) reveals a mural of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Continue the walk by crossing Clyde Street and turning right onto the Clyde Walkway. Passing the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Andrew, stop to see the Italian Garden and Arandora Star Memorial. The latter, a memorial to all those men who died on the ship SS Arandora Star which was sunk by a U-boat in 1940. After passing under a pedestrian suspension bridge leave the Clyde Walkway and rejoin Clyde Street. Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and head up Dixon Street. On the right is a third mural of Billy Connolly, this one based on a work by Jack Vettriano.
Stage 5
Continue up Dixon Street and continue through St Enoch Square. At Argyle Street, turn right and then take a left turn into a narrow, covered alley (Cranston House) to see ‘Are Ye Dancin?’ by Conzo and Globel. The murals are on both walls of the alley – an amusing take on Scottish icons. Return to Argyll Street and turn right and at Buchanan Street turn right again. In Springfield Court – off on the right – there is ‘Good as Gold’, a humorous take on inflation and Freddo prices! Returning to Buchanan Street, head up to the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Royal Exchange Square to see another ‘Study of a Woman in Black’ on a lane wall.
Stage 6
Head back down Buchanan Street and turn right into Mitchell Lane and then left into Mitchell Street. There are several murals along here. The first is on the right and called ‘Wind Power’. Continuing down Mitchell Street look back to see Smug’s massive ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ on a gable wall. Finally, on the right is ‘the World’s Most Economical Taxi’ by Rogue-One. Look closely – that is not really a brick wall!
Stage 7
Turnaround and go north up Mitchell Street and then left into Gordon Street. Next, turn right into Renfield Street and left into Renfield Lane – passing Rogue’s spectacular ‘Bubbles’. Take the next left down Hope Street, which later becomes Oswald Street. Turn left into Midland Street to see ‘Portrait Gallery’ by James Klinge. Returning to Oswald Street, turn left and continue down towards the River Clyde. Cross Broomielaw and turn right once more onto the Clyde Walkway. Approaching the M8 Bridge, rejoin the pavement beside Broomielaw and pass under the M8.
Stage 8
Use the pelican crossing, cross to the north side of Broomielaw. Note the electricity substation building on the right which is covered on two sides by a Smug mural ‘Generation Green’ celebrating the growth of green power. Walk north towards the Mitchell library and then turn right into Sauchiehhall Street. At the iconic Beresford, turn right into Elmbank Street. At the corner of Sauchiehall Lane (on the left) is one of the ‘Lost Giant’ murals by Australian artist Stormie Mills. This is one of a series placed in cities around the world. Return to Sauchiehall Street, and turn right. Continue along Sauchiehall Street and at Hope Street turn right. Then take the first right into Sauchiehall Lane. Here is the final mural of the walk, ‘The Musician’, by Rogue One in collaboration with Art Pistol.