“People Make Glasgow”

We have arrived in Scotland and are spending three nights in Glasgow as we get over jet lag. Our trip was pretty smooth. We had to really hustle for our connection at London-Heathrow, but we made the flight…our bags however, did not. They caught a later flight and were couriered to our Air BnB.

Our Air BnB is a very comfortable apartment (“flat” in the British terms) in a refurbished building. It is nicely appointed with a beautifully maintained period ceiling.

All around town there are signs promoting that “People Make Glasgow.” It feels true to us. Glaswegians (rhymes with Norwegians) have a great sense of humor, are friendly, and helpful. Rick Steves writes, “The people of Glasgow have a better time at a funeral than the people of Edinburgh have at a wedding.”

Outside of the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art is a statue of the Duke of Wellington which is consistently decorated with a traffic cone. No matter how many times City officials try to removed the cone, it just reappears. Perhaps it is disrespectful, but it does show that Glaswegian sense of humor.

It is also clear that Glaswegians have a very progressive sense of racial justice. Today, we visited one of Glasgow’s most famous museums, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. This is the beautiful entrance hall, where we enjoyed an organ concert in the early afternoon. 

While enjoying the museum, we noticed this display and wondered what it meant.

We read further and found one of the most honest and well-founded statements we had ever seen about the impact of white supremacy and colonialism on museums. It was explained that the Kelvingrove Museum was originally in the house of a colonial tobacco merchant who profited from, and whose business was dependent upon, slavery. The Museum itself was built with proceeds from 1888 Glasgow International Exposition, which celebrated the British Empire, which profited from vast slavery and colonialism. A later display honestly admitted, “Slavery and colonialism shaped the world we live in. Wealth flowed into cities such as Glasgow from the exploitation of enslaved and colonized peoples and lands, funding civic development, and even the creation of museums such as the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.”

There were a number of displays in the museum that beautifully lifted up the diverse immigrant people of Glasgow and their art and contributions. We thought the museums approach was to be commended and that, indeed, “People Make Glasgow.”

Now, back to that sense of humor. I thought this was a very creative…and brave…name for a BBQ food truck. While intriguing, I am not sure I find it very appetizing.

We have one and a half more days in Glasgow before we head out to a small town of Milngavie (pronounced mull-guy) to begin our walk. Tomorrow, we visit another museum and even get to have afternoon high tea at Mackintosh At The Willow, click HERE for pictures. Mackintosh at the Willow is a restored tea room originally designed and decorated in the art nouveau style by Charles Rennie Macintosh, one of Glasgow’s most famous architects and artists.

Stay tuned for more.

God bless,

Coe