View source for George Square

{{Short description|Civic square in Glasgow, Scotland}}
{{for|the square in Edinburgh|George Square, Edinburgh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox street
| name        = George Square
| image       = File:00 104 0403 Glasgow - Rathaus.jpg
| image_size  = 
| caption     = George Square with the Scott monument in the centre, [[Glasgow City Chambers]] to the left and the former General Post Office to the right
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 15
| coordinates = {{coord|55|51|40|N|04|15|01|W|display=inline,title}}
| map_caption = 
| former_names = 
| namesake    = [[George III]]
| maint       = 
| location    = [[Glasgow]], Scotland, UK
| postal_code = 
| north       = 
| east        = 
| south       = 
| west        = 
| completion_date = <!--{{start date and age|1733|p=yes}}-->
| designer    = 
| website     = 
}}

[[File:Panorama Card of George Square.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Panorama postcard from south-west corner showing the square as of 1905]]

'''George Square''' ({{langx|gd|Ceàrnag Sheòrais}}) is the principal [[Town square|civic square]] in the city of [[Glasgow]], Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being [[Cathedral Square, Glasgow|Cathedral Square]], [[St Andrew's Square, Glasgow|St Andrew's Square]], [[St Enoch Square]], [[Royal Exchange Square]], and [[Blythswood Square]] on [[Blythswood Hill]].

Named after [[King George III]] and initially laid out in 1781 but not developed for another twenty years, George Square is surrounded by architecturally important buildings including on the east side the palatial Municipal Chambers, also known as the [[Glasgow City Chambers|City Chambers]], whose foundation stone was laid in 1883, and on the west side by the {{ill|Merchants' House|de|Merchants’ House}}.<ref>''Glasgow'' by Irene Maver, published in 2000</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00418&t=2 |title=TheGlasgowStory: Foundation ceremony |website=www.theglasgowstory.com |access-date=22 April 2021 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422025835/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00418&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Built by Glasgow Corporation, the Chambers are the continuing headquarters of [[Glasgow City Council]]. Joseph Swan's panoramic engraving of 1829 shows the early development of the square and its surrounding buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01114&t=2 |title=TheGlasgowStory: George Square, 1829 |website=www.theglasgowstory.com |access-date=1 November 2018 |archive-date=1 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101095657/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01114&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The square boasts an important collection of statues and monuments, including those dedicated to [[Robert Burns]], [[James Watt]], [[Sir Robert Peel]] and [[Sir Walter Scott]].

==Historical development==
Medieval Glasgow had a large area of [[common land|common]] [[pasture]] to the west and north of the city. Every day, the town herd took the [[cattle]] of the [[Burgher (title)|burghers]] along an unpaved road called Cow Lone which led from the [[Trongate]]'s West Port to [[pasture]] on the common, then on to [[Cowcaddens]] where the cattle were milked in the evening before returning. Long narrow back gardens or [[Ridge and furrow|riggs]] ran north from Trongate properties, forming the Langcroft area,<ref name="WilliamsonRiches 103">{{cite book |author1=Elizabeth Williamson |author2=Anne Riches |author3=Malcolm Higgs |title=Glasgow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2gpuPZF_FMC&pg=PA103 |year=1990 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-071069-4 |pages=103–104 |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222420/https://books.google.com/books?id=F2gpuPZF_FMC&pg=PA103 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Foreman 2013 p. 92" /> and along its northern boundary Back Cow Lone provided an alternative route west from the [[High Street, Glasgow|High Street]]. Cow Lone ran north between the Meadowflat lands (to the west) and the Ramshorn croft,<ref name="Senex 1856">{{cite book |author1=Senex (pseud. of Robert Reid.) |author-link=Robert Reid (antiquarian) |title=Glasgow, Past and Present: Illustrated in Dean of Guild Court Reports and in the Reminiscences and Communications of Senex, Aliquis, J.B., &c. ... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9tUvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA628 |year=1856 |publisher=J. Macnab |pages=628– |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222421/https://books.google.com/books?id=9tUvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA628 |url-status=live }}</ref> which was bounded to the north by [[Rottenrow]] lane, and on the east by Deanside Brae,<ref name="Denholm 115">{{cite book |author=James Denholm |title=The History of the City of Glasgow and Suburbs: To which is Added, a Sketch of a Tour to the Principal Scotch and English Lakes |url=https://archive.org/details/b22036404 |year=1804 |publisher=R. Chapman |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b22036404/page/115 115]–117}}</ref> down via Greyfriar's Wynd (Shuttle Street) to [[Candleriggs]].{{sfn|Somerville|1891|p=11}}<ref>Deanside Brae (now under the [[John Anderson Campus]] of the [[University of Strathclyde]]) sloped steeply down from the Rottenrow ridge to the Meadow-Well or Deanside Well, originally in a meadow. By 1862 the well was at 88 George Street, across from Shuttle Street – {{cite book |title=Autobiography of the late Robert Reid (Senex). With a selection of his papers on the Antiquities of Old Glasgow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06ZcAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA26 |year=1865 |page=26 |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222450/https://books.google.com/books?id=06ZcAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA26 |url-status=live }}</ref> These lands became [[George Hutcheson]]'s property in 1609. Hutcheson's Hospital tried to lease areas to small crofts or gardeners but the ground was poor. In 1772 the city magistrates bought the lands of Ramshorn and Meadowflats.{{sfn|Somerville|1891|pp=11–12}}

From 1750 wealth from [[Tobacco Lords|tobacco]], sugar and cotton brought rapid expansion westwards, with new streets laid out along the riggs,<ref name="WilliamsonRiches 103" /> including, starting at Argyle Street, Virginia Street in 1753 and Miller Street in 1762. Cow Lone, impassible in wet weather, was renamed [[Queen Street, Glasgow|Queen street]] after [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Queen Charlotte]] in 1766, and paved as far as the junction with Back Cow Lone, which in 1772 was straightened and renamed [[Ingram Street]].<ref name="Foreman 2013 p. 92" /><ref name="Senex 1856" /> In that year the town's surveyor, James Barrie (or Barry), produced a [[grid plan]] for the Ramshorn lands, similar to planned development in London and [[James Craig (architect)|Craig's]] 1766 gridded plan for [[New Town, Edinburgh|Edinburgh's New Town]]. Barrie produced another plan in 1781, and in 1782 Glasgow's council adopted a grid incorporating a large square.<ref name="WilliamsonRiches 103" /><ref name="BBC 2001" /> This provided "a regular plan to the line of the streets in which every purchaser was bound to keep", later extended over Meadowflats. In 1782 a house for two families was built in George Square, then there was a four-year pause before rapid growth began.<ref name="Denholm 115" /> Directly in line with the projected extension of Queen Street, a large mansion was built around 1783 in grounds just south of Rottenrow lane as Bailie George Crawford's Lodging, later known as Glasgow House.{{sfn|Somerville|1891|p=12}}<ref name="Foreman 93">{{cite book |author=Carol Foreman |title=Lost Glasgow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r6q8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |date=13 May 2013 |publisher=Birlinn |isbn=978-0-85790-634-2 |page=93 |access-date=30 March 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222518/https://books.google.com/books?id=r6q8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT93 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:24–50 George Square, Glasgow (west & north sides).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Scott monument of 1837; to the right of centre, the three-storey townhouses of 1807–1818 became the North British Hotel, and had a storey added in 1905.]]
[[File:40 George Square, Glasgow (north side) 40.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Queen Street Station, and the North British Hotel, now renamed the Millennium Hotel.]]
George's square, as it was known initially,<ref name="Foreman 91">{{cite book |author=Carol Foreman |title=Lost Glasgow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r6q8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT91 |date=13 May 2013 |publisher=Birlinn |isbn=978-0-85790-634-2 |page=91 |access-date=30 March 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222439/https://books.google.com/books?id=r6q8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT91 |url-status=live }}</ref> was named after King [[George III of Great Britain|George III]].<ref name="BBC 2001">{{cite web |author=Irene Maver |title=History - British History in depth: 18th-century Glasgow – A new town |website=BBC |date=1 April 2001 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/scotland_glasgow_01.shtml#four |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330110912/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/scotland_glasgow_01.shtml#four |url-status=live }}</ref> New streets named after royalty included [[House of Hanover|Hanover]] street and [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Frederick street]].{{sfn|Somerville|1891|p=12}} Around 1790 the developments north of Trongate became known as Glasgow's New Town (in post-1980 regeneration this general area was rebranded as the [[Merchant City]]).<ref name="WilliamsonRiches 103" /><ref name="Merhant City 1990">{{cite book |author=Jack Brand |title=Building the Merchant City: Some Lessons in Urban Regeneration |publisher=Scottish Government Yearbook |date=1990 |url=https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/9317/1990_17_Building%20the%20merchant%20city.pdf;sequence=1 |access-date=28 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221555/https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/9317/1990_17_Building%20the%20merchant%20city.pdf;sequence=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 1787 and the 1820s [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] terraces were built around the perimeter of George's square. The west side (in line with Queen Street) was a three-storey high block of six [[tenement]]s,<ref name="WilliamsonRiches 175">{{cite book |author1=Elizabeth Williamson |author2=Anne Riches |author3=Malcolm Higgs |title=Glasgow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2gpuPZF_FMC&pg=PA175 |year=1990 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-071069-4 |pages=175–7 |access-date=30 March 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222453/https://books.google.com/books?id=F2gpuPZF_FMC&pg=PA175 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Fleming map NC">{{cite web |last=Fleming |first=Peter |title=Map of the City of Glasgow and suburbs |year=1807 |website=National Library of Scotland |url=https://maps.nls.uk/joins/788.html |access-date=30 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330211238/https://maps.nls.uk/joins/788.html |url-status=live }} [https://maps.nls.uk/view/74400940 North Centre section] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330211240/https://maps.nls.uk/view/74400940 |date=30 March 2019 }}</ref> which had three entrances with passageways to turnpike stairs at the back for the upper flats. These "plain dwellings" were "the residences of many most respectable families",{{sfn|Somerville|1891|pp=22, 25}} but were criticised as looking like soldier's barracks or a cotton mill.<ref name="Foreman 2013 p. 92">{{cite book |last=Foreman |first=C. |title=Lost Glasgow |publisher=Birlinn |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-85790-634-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r6q8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT92 |access-date=10 March 2019 |page=92 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222438/https://books.google.com/books?id=r6q8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT92 |url-status=live }}</ref> The east side was a two-storey high terrace of "comfortable dwelling-houses with a double flight of steps to the second storey". By 1807 a hotel occupied the south end of this terrace, it later became the George Hotel.{{sfn|Somerville|1891|pp=22, 24}}<ref name="Fleming map NC" /> 
On the south and north sides, terraces of [[Townhouse (Great Britain)|large townhouses]] had three storeys above a basement lit by a sunken [[Area (architecture)|area]] fenced off from the pavement.<ref name="Canmore 40">Photos show both terraces 3 storeys + basement, as in [[The Georgian House, Edinburgh|Edinburgh]]: {{cite web |title=Glasgow, 40 George Square, Millenium Hotel |website=Canmore |url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/143307/glasgow-40-george-square-millenium-hotel |access-date=2 April 2019 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415224037/https://canmore.org.uk/site/143307/glasgow-40-george-square-millenium-hotel |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ScotlandsPlaces 1–7">{{cite web |title=Glasgow, 1-7 George Square, General Post Office |website=ScotlandsPlaces |url=https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/hes/142452/glasgow-1-7-george-square-general-post-office/rcahms |access-date=2 April 2019 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415224039/https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/hes/142452/glasgow-1-7-george-square-general-post-office/rcahms |url-status=live }} – first photo shows terrace (3 storeys + basement) and GPO at corner plot</ref> As Glasgow historian James Denholm wrote of "George's square" in 1804, "The buildings here are very elegant, particularly those upon the north; which, from the beauty of the design, and taste displayed in the execution, surpass by far any other either in this city or in Scotland."<ref name="BBC 2001" /><ref name="Denholm 135">{{cite book |author=James Denholm |title=The History of the City of Glasgow and Suburbs: To which is Added, a Sketch of a Tour to the Principal Scotch and English Lakes |url=https://archive.org/details/b22036404 |year=1804 |publisher=R. Chapman |pages=[https://archive.org/details/b22036404/page/135 135]–136}}</ref>
The north side was completed 1807–1818 with three imposing townhouses built between Queen Street and Hanover Street.<ref name="Hogg Patrick 82">{{cite book |last1=Hogg |first1=C. |last2=Patrick |first2=L. |title=Scottish Railway Icons: Central Belt to the Borders |publisher=Amberley Publishing |series=Scottish Railway Icons |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4456-2115-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f-AgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT82 |access-date=10 March 2019 |page=82 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229222519/https://books.google.com/books?id=f-AgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT82 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[James Ewing of Strathleven]] bought Glasgow House in 1815,<ref name="Craw Ewing">{{cite web |title=James Ewing of Strathleven (1775-1853) |website=Friends of Glasgow Necropolis |url=https://www.glasgownecropolis.org/profiles/james-ewing-of-strathleven/ |access-date=20 March 2019 |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922201342/https://www.glasgownecropolis.org/profiles/james-ewing-of-strathleven/ |url-status=live }}</ref> its grounds became known as the "Queen Street Park". Crows nested in tall trees around his mansion, and he was nicknamed "Craw Ewing". The centre of George Square had been used as a tip for surplus soil and debris around a stagnant pool, it was enclosed with a paling fence and used for grazing sheep. The [[Statue of Sir John Moore|first statue]], erected in 1819 on the south of the square facing Miller Street, commemorated [[John Moore (British Army officer)|Sir John Moore]] [[Battle of Corunna|of Corunna]].<ref name="GH 1894">Glasgow Herald 2 July 1894</ref>{{sfn|Somerville|1891|pp=12, 19–20, 97}}

[[File:20–40 George Square, 2 St Vincent Place, Glasgow.jpg|thumb|Bank of Scotland 1867–1870 on corner of St Vincent Place, Queen Street station roof of 1880.]]
[[File:Glasgow. Merchants House (3610873551).jpg|thumb|Bank of Scotland theme continued in extension 1874–1876, and {{ill|Merchants' House|de|Merchants’ House}} 1874–1880.]]
[[File:20–30 George Square, Glasgow, (west side).jpg|thumb|Two storeys added to Merchants' House 1907–1909, further unbalancing the symmetry.]]
In 1825 the Corporation instructed Stewart Murray, the curator and landscape architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sandyford, to improve the square. He landscaped it with winding walks, trees and shrubs, fenced around with an iron railing. Flower shows were organised, held in tents.<ref name="GH 1894" /><ref name="GSq 1829">{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Scott |title=George Square, 1829; Mitchell Library, Joseph Swan |website=TheGlasgowStory |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01114&t=2 |year=2004 |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221424/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01114&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> The centre spot was used to commemorate [[Sir Walter Scott]] with the first ever monument dedicated to him.<ref name="column and statue">{{Cite web |url=http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=greenshields_j |title=John Greenshields (1792-1835), sculptor, a biography |website=www.glasgowsculpture.com |access-date=21 December 2015 |archive-date=23 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223021221/http://glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=greenshields_j |url-status=live }}</ref> The 80 foot fluted [[Doric order|Doric column]] of [[Giffnock]] "liver rock" sandstone was designed by the competition winning architect [[David Rhind]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=100331 |title=Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (April 22, 2021, 2:57 am) |website=www.scottisharchitects.org.uk |access-date=6 November 2018 |archive-date=6 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106171640/http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=100331 |url-status=live }}</ref> who appointed [[John Greenshields]] to design the statue above, which was executed by John Ritchie. The monument was completed by 1837, some years before Scott was commemorated in [[Edinburgh]].<ref name="Eye1324"/>

From March to July 1834 the [[John Scott Russell#Steam carriage|Steam Carriage Company of Scotland]] ran an hourly service to Paisley from its terminus at the northeast corner of the square.<ref name="steam bus">{{cite web |title=Steam Carriage, 1834 – Mitchell Library, Glasgow Collection |website=TheGlasgowStory |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA04811 |access-date=29 March 2019 |archive-date=29 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329063024/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA04811 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Somerville|1891|p=23}} 
In 1838 James Ewing sold Glasgow House to the [[Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway]], who demolished it and built their terminus in its grounds, with station buildings in Dundas Street.<ref name="Craw Ewing" /> It opened in 1842, and was later named the [[Glasgow Queen Street railway station|Queen Street Station]], with its main entrance a direct continuation of Queen Street.<ref name="TGS 04">{{cite web |first=Scott |last=Graham |title=Queen Street Station; Glasgow City Archives, Planning Department |website=TheGlasgowStory |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA00971&t=2 |year=2004 |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221413/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA00971&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Several nearby houses were soon converted into accommodation for travellers. The Glasgow and Edinburgh Chop House and Commercial Lodgings, on the west side of the square, was taken over by George Cranston shortly before his daughter [[Catherine Cranston|Kate Cranston]] was born in 1849. It was renamed the Edinburgh and Glasgow Hotel, and subsequently known as Cranston's Hotel.{{sfn|Kinchin|1999|pp=11–14}} Around 1855 town houses on the north side of the square to were converted into The Royal, The Crown and The Queen's Hotel.<ref name="Hogg Patrick 82" /> The Cranstons, seeking to enlarge their premises, moved about 1860 into the Crow Hotel, third from the south end. Around 1866, after the two tenements at the south end were demolished, the Cranstons moved to the Crown Hotel on the north side of the square.{{sfn|Kinchin|1999|pp=14–15}}<ref name="Mackenzie 1866 p. 564">{{cite book |last=Mackenzie |first=William |title=Post Office Glasgow Directory |year=1866 |url=https://archive.org/details/postofficeglasg00mackgoog |quote=Crow Hotel, George Cranston, 20 George sq, Crown Hotel, George Cranston, 54 George sq |access-date=30 March 2019 |page=[https://archive.org/details/postofficeglasg00mackgoog/page/n592 564]}}</ref>

Along the south side, terraces came into new uses or new buildings erected, including business use, manufacturing and tenements. Around 1863 [[Henry Monteith|Henry Monteith & Co.]] had [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Italian Renaissance-style]] offices built, probably designed by [[John Burnet (architect)|John Burnet]].{{sfn|Somerville|1891|pp=24–25}}<ref name="HES">{{cite web |title=11 George Square, Monteith House (LB32687) listed building |website=Historic Environment Scotland |date=1 October 2015 |url=https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB32687 |access-date=1 April 2019 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415224030/https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB32687 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1865 the two southern tenements on the west side were demolished, and the [[Bank of Scotland]]'s [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] building designed by [[John Thomas Rochead]] was built in their place 1867–1870,<ref name="Worsdall1982">{{cite book |author=Frank Worsdall |title=Victorian City |url=https://archive.org/details/victoriancity00wors |url-access=registration |year=1982 |publisher=Richard Drew Publishing |isbn=978-0-904002-91-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/victoriancity00wors/page/59 59]}}</ref><ref name="Goold 2a">{{cite web |last=Goold |first=David |title=Bank of Scotland, St Vincent Place and George Square |website=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |date=13 March 2019 |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=215457 |access-date=13 March 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204232857/http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=215457 |url-status=live }}</ref> followed in 1874–1876 by a matching extension taking up the central third of the block.<ref name="Goold 24">{{cite web |last=Goold |first=David |title=Bank of Scotland Buildings |website=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |date=13 March 2019 |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=100398 |access-date=13 March 2019 |archive-date=10 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810153650/http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=100398 |url-status=live }}</ref> The bank's elevation was reflected in the {{ill|Merchants' House|de|Merchants’ House}} (1875–1880), but symmetry was unbalanced by its corner tower, and the later addition of two more storeys.<ref name="Goold The Merchants' House">{{cite web |last=Goold |first=David |title=The Merchants' House |website=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |date=13 March 2019 |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=203932 |access-date=13 March 2019 |archive-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704130747/http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=203932 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Somerville|1891|p=30}}

Glasgow Corporation took over the management of George Square in 1862. When the Post Office foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1878 the square's iron railings were removed, transverse walks formed, and flower beds introduced.<ref name="GH 1894"/>

The terrace of houses along the east side of the square was demolished in 1883 as the site for the [[Glasgow City Chambers]],<ref name="GSq 1829" /> designed by the architect [[William Young (architect)|William Young]]. Its foundation stone was laid on 6 October 1883,<ref name="CC founds">{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Scott |title=Laying the foundation stone; People's Palace, Social History File |website=TheGlasgowStory |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00419&t=2 |year=2004 |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330233051/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00419&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the building was completed in 1889.<ref name="Scott & CC" />

[[File:Glasgow-George-Square.jpg|thumb|Layout of George Square, Glasgow circa 1900.]]
The terrace built 1807–1818 between Queen Street and Hanover Street on the north side of the square became known as the Queen's Hotel. In 1905 it became the [[North British Railway]] company's North British Station Hotel, and the attic was converted into a fourth storey, under a mansard roof giving further accommodation.<ref name="NB Hotel">{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Scott |title=North British Station Hotel; Mitchell Library, Glasgow Collection, Postcards Collection |website=TheGlasgowStory |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01218&t=2 |year=2004 |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=19 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919191859/https://theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01218&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 1878 Kate Cranston had made a great success of her Tea Rooms. Following the death of her husband in 1917 she sold several of her assets, including the [[Willow Tearooms]], and at the age of 68 settled herself in the North British which was now the last hotel in the square, looking over the sites of the hotels where she had been born and grew up. In 1933 she moved to a house where she was looked after by a lady companion, and she died on 18 April 1934.{{sfn|Kinchin|1999|pp=81–87}} Following nationalisation, the hotel came under [[British Transport Hotels]].<ref name="Hogg Patrick 82" /> The gable of Queen Street Station's curved glass roof remained visible above its main entrance until 1969 when a new building was constructed supported by columns over the entrance way:<ref name="TGS 04" /><ref name="Leask 2015">{{cite web |last=Leask |first=David |title=Last Georgian building in Glasgow's George Square goes high-rise to counter supermall car park |website=HeraldScotland |date=27 February 2015 |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13203487.last-georgian-building-in-glasgows-george-square-goes-high-rise-to-counter-supermall-car-park/ |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=19 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219082257/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13203487.last-georgian-building-in-glasgows-george-square-goes-high-rise-to-counter-supermall-car-park/ |url-status=live }}</ref> this subsequently became an extension to the hotel. In 1984 [[British Rail]] sold the hotel, which was now called the Copthorne Hotel, and in 1986 a ground floor conservatory was built along its frontage, extending out to the pavement of the square. It was subsequently renamed the Millennium Hotel, and is now a [[listed building]], the only survivor of the original terraces around George Square.<ref name="Hogg Patrick 82" /><ref name="NB Hotel" />
[[File:2025 at Glasgow Queen Street station - exterior.JPG|thumb|249x249px|[[Glasgow Queen Street railway station|Glasgow Queen Street]] (2025)]]
Major reconstruction of Queen Street Station has seen demolition of its buildings along George Square and round the corner to Dundas Street, construction of the new glazed entrance from George Square began in December 2018. The Millennium Hotel has put forward proposals for major works including new rooms to replace those which were above the station entrance.<ref name="Leask 2015" />

==Prominent buildings==
===East side===
[[File:George Square and Glasgow City Chambers.jpg|thumb|The [[Scott Monument, Glasgow|Scott Monument]], erected 1837, long before construction of the   City Chambers which were completed in 1889.<ref name="Scott & CC">{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Scott |title=George Square 1890; People's Palace, Social History File |website=TheGlasgowStory |url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00408&t=2 |year=2004 |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221553/https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00408&t=2 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Today the east side of the square, linking North Frederick Street and South Frederick Street, is dominated by the ornate [[Glasgow City Chambers]], designed by architect [[William Young (architect)|William Young]], and completed in 1889.<ref name="Scott & CC" />

===South side===

On the South side, linking Cochrane Street and St Vincent Place, the former [[General Post Office]] built in 1878 takes up the block between South Frederick Street and South Hanover Street. It was redeveloped into offices in 2007.<ref>[http://www.g1glasgow.com/ The History of G1 Glasgow] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612214713/http://www.g1glasgow.com/|date=12 June 2011 }} G1 George Square Glasgow</ref> The block between there and Queen Street has a [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago-style]] office building, dating from 1924. The city's main [[Visitor centre|Tourist Information Centre]] was located in a prefabricated wooden building on the west side of the square from the 1960s to the mid 1980s, when it then moved to the buildings on the southern side, but has since moved to Buchanan Street.

===North side===

The North side, running along George Street towards the [[University of Strathclyde]], has the entrance to [[Glasgow Queen Street railway station|Queen Street Station]] followed by a terrace of three townhouses built 1807–1818, then enlarged with an additional storey in 1905 as the [[North British Railway]]'s Hotel (now the Millennium Hotel).<ref name="Hogg Patrick 82" /> To the east of North Hanover Street, George House was built in 1979–1980 (replacing an older Georgian building) to provide extra office space for Glasgow City Council. It was for many years the Glasgow offices of the financial and legal firm [[Ernst & Young]].  Since the early 1960s the northern vista of the square has been dominated by the tower block of [[Met Tower|Glasgow College of Building and Printing]] (retrospectively known as the Met Tower), which stands half way up North Hanover Street.

[[File:Panorama George Square north side to City Chambers.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The north side of George Square viewed from Queen Street in 2019, during the railway station's remodelling, with the prominent [[Met Tower]] (1964) overlooking the square and George House (1980) to its right]]

===West side===

Queen Street, running parallel to the square's West side, was formerly a row of hotels and now features the Merchants' House building for the guildry formed in 1603 to establish the rights, duties and privileges of the merchants and craftsmen of Glasgow.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://merchantshouse.org.uk/ |title=The Merchants House of Glasgow |website=merchantshouse.org.uk |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914225842/https://merchantshouse.org.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Westbourne Music perform regularly here in a series of Merchants Music, as do jazz ensembles and other instrumentalists.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.westbournemusic.org/ |title=Westbourne Music - Glasgow's Concert Series |website=westbournemusic |access-date=20 March 2017 |archive-date=31 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831162436/https://www.westbournemusic.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The building also houses the [[Glasgow Chamber of Commerce]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com/about-us/chamber-history/ |title=Chamber History - Glasgow Chamber of Commerce |access-date=25 October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524163054/http://www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com/about-us/chamber-history/ |archive-date=24 May 2016}}</ref> founded in 1783. Designed by [[John Burnet (architect)|John Burnet]] and opened in 1874, two storeys were added to the Merchants' House by his son [[John James Burnet|J.J. Burnet]] in 1907 and are topped by a domed tower on which is perched the emblem of the House a ship on a globe, a reminder of the importance of sea trade to Glasgow's prosperity. The western side is also the location of the former [[Bank of Scotland]] building, and even more palatial buildings sweep round to St Vincent Place and Buchanan Street.

==Monuments and statues==
[[File:Statue Of Robert Burns, George Square, Glasgow.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of Robert Burns, George Square, Glasgow]]
The eastern side of the square itself is flanked by two [[lawn]]s and is also the site of the [[Glasgow Cenotaph]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.firstworldwarglasgow.co.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11674 |title=Glasgow's Cenotaph |date=14 April 2014 |website=www.firstworldwarglasgow.co.uk |access-date=14 January 2019 |archive-date=14 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114212353/https://www.firstworldwarglasgow.co.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11674 |url-status=live }}</ref> which was designed by [[Sir John James Burnet]] and originally built to commemorate Glaswegians killed in the [[World War I|First World War]]. It was conceived in 1921, and unveiled in 1924 by Field Marshall [[Earl Haig]].

The {{convert|80|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} [[column]] in the centre of the square celebrates author Sir [[Walter Scott]]. It was erected in 1837. Eleven of Glasgow's many other [[Glasgow's public statues|public statues]] are situated around the square: the only known [[Equestrian sculpture|equestrian]] statues of a young [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] 1854 in St Vincent Place at Buchanan Street and moved to George Square in 1866 beside her husband [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] 1866 both sculpted by Carlo Marochetti, erected in 1865 and 1866 respectively; poets [[Robert Burns]] sculpted by George Edwin Ewing, 1877, and [[Thomas Campbell (poet)|Thomas Campbell]] sculpted by William Bodie, 1877; inventor [[James Watt]] sculpted by Francis Leggatt Chantrey, 1832; chemist [[Thomas Graham (chemist)|Thomas Graham]] sculpted by William Brodie, 1872; General [[John Moore (British Army officer)|Sir John Moore]] sculpted by John Flaxman, 1819, and Field Marshall [[Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde|Lord Clyde]] sculpted by John Henry Foley, 1868; and politicians [[William Ewart Gladstone]] sculpted by William Hamo Thornycroft, 1902, [[Robert Peel]] sculpted by [[John Mossman]], 1859, and [[James Oswald (merchant)|James Oswald]] sculpted by Carlo Marochetti, 1856, first located at Charing Cross and moved to George Square in 1875.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/ |title=Glasgow - City of Sculpture - Home Page |website=www.glasgowsculpture.com |access-date=21 December 2015 |archive-date=10 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110081606/http://glasgowsculpture.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Social history==

George Square is also a place for musical events, light shows, ceremonies, sporting celebrations, political gatherings, and for annual [[Remembrance Day]] parades.

The square has often been the scene of political events and, protests. Perhaps the most famous was the [[Battle of George Square]] in 1919, when skilled engineers campaigning for a 40-hour working week held a rally. Although a crowd of over 100,000 is often claimed, contemporary sources put it at 20–25,000. The meeting descended into violence between the protesters and the police, with the [[riot act]] being read. The city's radical reputation, and the raising of the [[red flag (politics)|red flag]] on 27 January (although the strike leaders disassociated themselves from this action), made some members of the Coalition government fear a [[Bolshevik]] revolution was afoot. The Sheriff of Lanarkshire called for military assistance. Ten thousand troops, mainly from Scotland, were deployed, although they did not arrive until the riot was over. Six tanks arrived the following Monday, but never left their depot in the Cattle Market.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hatherley |first1=Owen |title=A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain |date=2011 |publisher=Verso Press |location=London |page=216 }}</ref>

In February 2005, the square was closed to pedestrians for a two-month restoration project, including the replacement of the red asphalt concourse, and the cleaning of stone and the statues in the square, most notably that of Walter Scott.

Scenes for the zombie movie ''[[World War Z (film)|World War Z]]'' were filmed in the square in August 2011, using the resemblance of buildings to [[Philadelphia]]'s financial district.<ref name="glasgow">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-14081117 |title=Open casting for Brad Pitt zombie movie in Glasgow |work=BBC News |date=8 July 2011 |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015163045/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-14081117 |archive-date=15 October 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Plans to remove the greenspace and lease the area for temporary businesses and events has been controversial. In 2012 a campaign was started to restore the square to its previous state.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.restoregeorgesquare.com/ |title=Restore George Square |website=Restore George Square |access-date=22 April 2021 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422025836/https://www.restoregeorgesquare.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Remodelling==

===2012 Scheme===
[[File:George Square redevelopment works - geograph.org.uk - 3674891.jpg | thumb | right | alt=Barriers around public square | Barriers around the perimeter of George square for redevelopment works in 2013]]
In 2012 Glasgow City Council voted to spend £15m on a "makeover", of the square, in preparation for the [[2014 Commonwealth Games]], to make it "a place fit for the 21st Century".<ref name="Eye1324">''Private Eye'' No 1324, p.14, ''Nooks and Corners'', 5–18 October 2012</ref> The plans included removing all of the monuments and statues in the square, ostensibly for restoration. However, the council said that "it is possible" that the monuments "may not return to the square", but will rather be relocated to "an area of regeneration".<ref name="Eye1324"/> Only one monument was certain to remain; the Cenotaph by [[Sir John James Burnet]].<ref name="Eye1324"/>

On 9 January 2013, the six shortlisted designs were put on display to the public in a nearby gallery. All the designs featured at least half the statues returning, with many containing all 11.  Claiming public opposition, the council leader Gordon Matheson announced the cancellation of the redevelopment plan on the very day the winner (by John McAslan & Partners) <ref>e-architect [http://www.e-architect.co.uk/architects/john_mcaslan.htm John McAslan & Partners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515102941/http://www.e-architect.co.uk/architects/john_mcaslan.htm|date=15 May 2013}}</ref> was announced.  Councillor Matheson had supported a different proposal from the one chosen by an expert panel of judges.<ref>Glasgow Architecture [http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/george_square_glasgow.htm George Square Competition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728160006/http://glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/george_square_glasgow.htm |date=28 July 2013 }}</ref>

===2024 Scheme===

On June 4th 2024 Glasgow city council confirmed that work would take place to re-design the square as part of the wider Avenues project, with work starting in January 2025 and major developments beginning the following April.<ref name="Programme for George Square project confirmed">{{citeweb|url=https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/9374/Programme-for-George-Square-project-confirmed|title=Programme for George Square project confirmed|publisher=[[Glasgow City Council]]|publication-date=9 July 2024|access-date= 8 August 2025}}</ref> On May 7th 2025 perimeter hoardings where put in place around the square with it now being closed public was closed.<ref name="George Square transformation has begun!">{{citeweb|url= https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/12975/George-Square-transformation-has-begun#:~:text=This%20month%20we%20will%20see,from%20the%20start%20of%20June.|title=George Square transformation has begun!|publisher=[[Glasgow City Council]]|publication-date=7 May 2025|access-date= 8 August 2025}}</ref> The statues in the square were removed sometime between January and March 2025 and are to be restored between July 2025 - July 2027 with them returning to their new location on the refurbished square form July 2027 onwards. <ref name="Programme for George Square project confirmed"/>

The work is designed to deliver the following improvements: <ref name="George Square transformation has begun!"/>

* high-quality stone throughout
*informal 'play' areas for children in sensory gardens in the eastern areas
*A raised lawn platform
*New trees species will be planted to add to the existing Norway Maple and Cherry trees in the Square
*New seating to add to the remembrance benches
*Feature lighting

The improvements to the square are being funded as part of the larger Avenues programme which is part of the [[Glasgow City Region]] City Deal with funding being provided by the [[Scottish Government|Scottish]] and [[Government of the United Kingdom|UK Governments]], and Glasgow City Council. Each Government is contributing funding of £8.815 million towards the main contract for the George Square and surrounding Avenues project. <ref name="George Square transformation has begun!"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*''Private Eye'' No 1324, p.&nbsp;14, ''Nooks and Corners'', 5–18 October 2012
* {{cite book |last=Kinchin |first=Perilla |title=Miss Cranston |publisher=NMS Pub |location=Edinburgh |year=1999 |isbn=1-901663-13-2 |oclc=45582666}}
*{{cite book |last=Somerville |first=Thomas |title=George Square, Glasgow: And the Lives of Those Whom Its Statues Commemorate |url=https://archive.org/stream/georgesquareglas00someiala/georgesquareglas00someiala_djvu.txt |year=1891 |publisher=Mackinlay}} (also [https://archive.org/details/georgesquaregla00somegoog snippet view])
* ''Architecture of Glasgow'', by Andor Gomme and David Walker, published in 1968, 320 pages, with illustrations. Second and revised edition in 1987.
* ''The Buildings of Scotland : Glasgow '', by Williamson, Riches and Higgs, published in 1990, 700 pages, with illustrations.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/george_square_redevelopment.htm "George Square Redevelopment"]
* [http://www.relevantsearchscotland.co.uk/george-square-glasgow.html "George Square Information Restaurants and Bar Diners"]
* [http://www.theglasgowstory.com/ The Glasgow Story]
* [http://merchantshouse.org.uk/ The Merchants House of Glasgow]
* [https://www.westbournemusic.org/ Westbourne Music - Glasgow's Concert Series]
* [http://www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com/ Championing Glasgow Since 1783]
* [http://www.whatsonglasgow.co.uk/ What's On Glasgow]
* [http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/ Glasgow - City of Sculpture]

{{Glasgow}}
{{Parks and gardens in Glasgow}}
{{Transport in Glasgow}}

[[Category:Parks and commons in Glasgow]]
[[Category:Squares in Glasgow]]