Before we enter Glasgow Cathedral, Ranald MacInnes, Head of Heritage Management at Historic Scotland, asks us to stop and look around. Look across the square, imagine a time hundreds of years ago when this space was full of houses.

Today the Provand's Lordship is the only survivor of a number of buildings which once surrounded the Cathedral. In 1400 there was quite a large community here, it would have been like a little town in itself.

Now prepare for a surprise as Ranald MacInnes leads us through the main entrance to the Cathedral: "I hope like me you are surprised by the scale," he says, "The nave is enormous...taller than Westminster Abbey."

There are other surprises, deep down below, the crypt or Laigh Kirk (Low Church) of the Cathedral featured in Sir Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy.

Glasgow Catherdral

Hello and welcome to Glasgow's Landmarks audio tour brought to you by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust (GBPT for short) a charity that rescues, restores and rehabilitates old buildings at risk across the city, bringing them back to new life.  

Amanda Mitchell and Benny Robb from Walking Heads introduce the tour which accompanies Doors Open Day, an annual event taking place in September.  

Right now, we’re going to take you inside eight of Glasgow’s most intriguing landmarks, a great mix of architectural styles including The Glasgow School of Art, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterpiece which was miraculously saved from a devastating fire in May 2014, and Glasgow Necropolis, the far from gloomy City of the Dead providing a last resting place for more than 50,000 souls.  

At each stop we meet experts who explain the architectural, historical and cultural significance of the buildings.

We’ve suggested an order for visiting the destinations (and George Square is a good place to start being right in the heart of Glasgow) but feel free to explore at your own pace in whatever order you like. Choose your route to suit yourself (and the weather!). This tour lets you explore inside some of Glasgow’s most significant buildings, even when the doors are closed.

Introduction to Glasgow's Landmarks

Right in the heart of Glasgow, the East side of George Square is dominated by the strikingly grand presence of Glasgow City Chambers.

Gordon Urquhart, architectural historian and conservator of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, reopens our eyes to the full splendour of a building which is so dominant that we almost take it for granted. 

Glasgow City Chambers was built to a competition winning design by architect William Young between 1882 and 1888, and it was certainly designed to impress.  At that time Glasgow was second city of the British Empire, second only to London in size and importance. 

So the new civic centre was located in the heart of the city, close to hotels and the new railway station. The scale and expense of the grand scheme fired the imagination of Glasgow people long before the building appeared above ground. Crowds of more than 600,000 turned out for laying of the foundation stone.

The building, which was opened by Queen Victoria in August 1888, has continued to fire imaginations. Entering the building you can see why. The bigger of the two marble staircases is so grand it has featured in many movies: Glasgow City Chambers doubling for the Vatican, Grand Central Station New York and the Kremlin.

Glasgow City Chambers

We are now approaching the City of the Dead, but the name may be misleading. Glasgow Necropolis was designed to banish fears of dying among those who could afford a plot here. 

Ranald MacInnes, of Historic Scotland, leads us to the gates of one of the greatest planned graveyards designed for the new wealthy of Glasgow. Just as they had their mansions in the Merchant City, so they could look forward to a last resting place in a park on the hill behind Glasgow Cathedral – after rolling through the Bridge of Sighs on a horse drawn carriage.

From here, Ruth Johnston, chair of the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis, takes us into the cemetery which officially opened in 1833 as an interdenominational burial ground though the history of the site itself dates back to 1650 when the Merchants’ House bought the land.

The first person to be buried in Glasgow's 'garden cemetery' was Joseph Levi, a jeweller who died of cholera in 1832. Since then more than 50,000 people have been laid to rest here. And not just the rich and powerful. Artists, writers and musicians can be found among the monuments created by famous names including a tomb by Alexander Greek Thomson and a Celtic cross by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Glasgow Necropolis

Standing on the hill heading down St. Vincent Street in between Douglas Street and Pitt Street, we can see St. Vincent Street Church, a Greek temple surrounded by modern high rise buildings. 

Fiona Sinclair, President of the Glasgow Institute of Architects, tell us why this church is one of the most important nineteenth century monuments in Scotland. 

The church is the only surviving church designed by Alexander (Greek) Thomson, 'an architect who did not think in black and white'. Prepare for a riot of colour when you step inside.

St. Vincent Street Church

Mark Bains, lecturer at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, takes us imaginatively through the doors of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece, a building which has fascinated him ever since he went to Saturday morning painting classes as a schoolboy. 

Right now we can't really go inside Glasgow School of Art. It is currently being restored after surviving a potentially disastrous fire in May 2014. Thanks to heroic efforts of Glasgow's Fire Services most of the building and contents were saved but urgent repair and restoration is now needed. 

While this work is being done, Mark brings to life a building that’s still revealing its secrets. Pointing out visual tricks with symmetry, and artistry with light, Mark explains why the building 'contains the seeds of the best of modern architecture' and why every visit produces a new discovery.

Glasgow School of Art

At the bottom of Robertson Street, by the corner with the Broomielaw, rises the dome of the Clydeport building, which once dominated this section of the river.

Look up, the prow of a ship protruding from the wall above the entrance is one of the quirky details of an extraordinary building designed by Glasgow's third (and often underrated) great architect. 

Architect Niall Murphy pays tribute to Sir John James Burnet, and places him firmly in the company of Alexander (Greek) Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  

Burnett, who was the first Scottish architect to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, designed the first phase of the  Clyde Navigation Trust Building when he was only 25.  Follow Niall Murphy to discover the beautiful interior and a sequence of domed spaces leading to the dome overlooking the Clyde.

Clydeport

Built by the tobacco lords, St Andrew's in the Square Church was the fashionable place to be seen in the 18th century but by the late 20th century the A-listed building was deemed to be at risk. The last church service was held here in 1994.   

How to adapt one of Britain's finest classical buildings to 21st century use?

Luckily the church, designed by architect Allan Dreghorn, was built on sand. Digging deep beneath the basement provided an imaginative solution, bringing new life to this beautiful building, full of light and colour. 

Liz Davidson, Principal of City Design at Glasgow City Council, describes how the old church was transformed into an exciting new centre for performing arts.

St. Andrews In The Square

This tour has been brought to you by Walking Heads in collaboration with Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, a charity which has been rescuing historic buildings at risk across the city for more than 30 years. 

Thank you to their dedicated team of experts who willingly gave their time and knowledge to make the Glasgow's Landmarks audio tour both fun and full of fascinating information.

We hope you have enjoyed the experience as much as we have and that you can join us again; there is so much more to explore in this great city of architecture – and many of the most interesting buildings are here quite simply because of the work of GBPT.

Find out more about past and present GBPT projects from their website gbpt.org

Doors Open Days is coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust. It runs throughout Scotland every September as part of European Heritage Days. For more information see www.doorsopendays.org.uk 

To enjoy other Walking Heads tours check our website walkingheads.net and Guidigo.com

GBPT: Opening the Door to Glasgow's Landmarks

Standing in the middle of Royal Exchange Square it’s hard to imagine a time when this part of Glasgow was surrounded by green fields.  But that’s how it was in 1778 when Tobacco Lord  William Cunninghame decided to build his neoclassical ‘Roman’ villa here.

Neil Baxter, Secretary and Treasurer at The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, introduces a building and city setting which changed many times over two hundred years.

From 18th century villa to 19th century Royal Exchange to 20th century telephone exchange – the 'temple of commerce'  finally evolved into the Gallery of Modern Art in 1996, but the reception area still contains the evidence of the original tobacco mansion.  

Leading us inside, Neil Baxter pauses to note the grand old Duke of Wellington outside the entrance, most likely wearing his customary traffic cone: Glasgow grandeur with humour.

Glasgow's Landmarks

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