Buchanan Street
Encyclopedia
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
thoroughfares in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the largest city in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbouring streets: Argyle Street
Argyle Street, Glasgow
Argyle Street is a major thoroughfare in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.With Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street, Argyle Street forms the main shopping artery in the city centre...
, and Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
.
History
Feu
Feu was previously the most common form of land tenure in Scotland, as conveyancing in Scots law was dominated by feudalism until the Scottish Parliament passed the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. Act 2000...
ed in 1777 and was named after a wealthy Tobacco Lord
Tobacco Lords
The Tobacco Lords were Glasgow merchants who, in the 18th Century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco from Great Britain's American Colonies....
, Andrew Buchanan of Buchanan, Hastie, & Co. He was proprietor of the ground on which it was formed from Argyle Street as far North as Gordon Street.
The land around the north and northeast of Buchanan Street was formerly home to Buchanan Street railway station
Buchanan Street railway station
Buchanan Street Station was the least known of Glasgow's four main terminal railway stations, the other three being Central, Queen St and St Enoch...
. Originally owned by the Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
, then the London Midland and Scottish Railway and finally British Railways, Buchanan Street station was closed in 1966. It was not rated highly either for location, architecture or convenience. Glasgow Queen Street station
Glasgow Queen Street railway station
Glasgow Queen Street is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, the smaller of the city's two main line railway termini and the third-busiest station in Scotland. It is between George Street to the south and Cathedral Street Bridge to the north, at the northern end of Queen Street adjacent to...
is immediately to the East of Buchanan Street, and the Buchanan Street station
Buchanan Street subway station
Buchanan Street subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway in Scotland. It serves Buchanan Street, which is popular with shoppers. Close to Buchanan Bus Station and providing interchange with Glasgow Queen Street railway station via a travelator, it is the busiest station on the Subway, with...
on the Glasgow Subway
Glasgow Subway
The Glasgow Subway is an underground metro line in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. Formerly a cable railway, the Subway was later electrified, but its twin circular lines...
(which also serves Queen Street Station) is underneath the North end of Buchanan Street. The St. Enoch station of the subway is at the South end of Buchanan Street.
Buchanan bus station
Buchanan bus station
Buchanan Bus Station is the main bus terminus in Glasgow, Scotland.The bus station is the terminus for journeys between the city and other towns in United Kingdom and international journeys. It was originally built in 1977, close to the former site of Buchanan Street railway station which was...
was opened at the Northern end in 1978, at the same time as the street itself was pedestrianised between Bath Street and Argyle Street. The most Northern reaches of the street were badly dilapidated following the closure of the Glasgow NAAFI and the railway station, but this was addressed in the 1990s by the construction of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is an arts venue, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue...
in 1990, and the adjoining Buchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries is a shopping centre located in the central area of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Construction began in 1996 and the building opened to the public on 31 March 1999. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments in the United Kingdom,...
shopping mall in 1998. In 1999, the entire street was repaved with high quality granite stonework and striking blue neon lighting. The combination of impressive Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and modern urban design won Buchanan Street the Academy of Urbanism 'Great Street Award' 2008, beating both O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
in Dublin and Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
/Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
, London. The area between Argyle Street and St. Vincent Street is particularly popular with buskers.
The bus station was also substantially redeveloped following the closure of the bus station at Anderston
Anderston
Anderston is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and extends to the western edge of the city centre...
, and became the principal bus terminus in the city centre. It was renamed simply as "Buchanan Bus Station", since the street itself now terminated some distance away due to the building of the Concert Hall.
In May 2002 the Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
unveiled a statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of the late politician Donald Dewar
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
at the northern end of the street. The statue was criticized for its ugliness, and was repeatedly vandalized, leading to it being placed on a raised plinth to protect it.
In March 2011, it was revealed that Land Securities had secured planning permission to rebuild the last remaining derelect site on the northern end of Buchanan Street opposite the Buchanan Galleries complex - the new buildings will incorporate new residential and retail space, Bringing some big names to Glasgow's retail offering, including Scotland's first Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
, Scotland's largest Paperchase (company)
Paperchase (company)
Paperchase is an international chain of stationery stores which were established in the United Kingdom but have since expanded into the USA. As well as stand alone stores, there are Paperchase concessions in selected House of Fraser, Waterstones and Selfridges stores...
, Scotland first Banana Republic
Banana Republic
Banana Republic is an American clothing brand founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978 as a travel-themed clothing company; it has subsequently largely eliminated this tropical or travel-related theme. The company was bought by Gap in 1983...
and many more. This new development will extend westward onto West Nile Street, removing the former General Accident office block, and the vacant land on the corner of Bath Street. It shall be finished in Spring 2013. http://www.buchananquarter.co.uk/
Location
It runs south from the junction with Sauchiehall Street. At its north end are the Buchanan GalleriesBuchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries is a shopping centre located in the central area of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Construction began in 1996 and the building opened to the public on 31 March 1999. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments in the United Kingdom,...
and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The Princes Square
Princes Square
Princes Square is a shopping centre on Buchanan Street in central Glasgow, Scotland. It was developed in 1986 to a design by Edinburgh architects, the Hugh Martin Partnership. The new five-storey, retail centre occupies a pre-existing cobbled square dating from 1841, which was reconfigured by...
mall and a flagship branch of the House of Fraser
House of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
department store are opposite one another further south, and the street meets Argyle Street at the south, just north of St. Enoch Square
St. Enoch Square
St. Enoch Square in Glasgow, Scotland is one of the city's main public spaces. The square is situated at the bottom end of Buchanan Street, the city's busiest shopping street. It has a subway station situated underneath the square...
. Buchanan Street is now entirely pedestrianised, but the streets that cross it (Bath Street, George Street, St. Vincent Street, and Argyle Street) are not.
Buchanan Street cuts through Nelson Mandela Place, which was renamed by the Labour city council from St George's Place, the address of the South African Consulate, as a protest to the ANC activist Nelson Mandela being a political prisoner of the South African Apartheid regime . At the time and even after becoming the first black president of South Africa, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher considered him and the ANC to be "terrorists" . Buchanan Street is also adjacent to St George's-Tron Church and the Glasgow Stock Exchange
Glasgow Stock Exchange
The Glasgow Stock Exchange is a prominent building and financial institution in the centre of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.The exchange was founded in 1844. In 1973, it merged with the London Stock Exchange, becoming the hub of its Scottish operations....
building, and Royal Exchange Square
Royal Exchange Square
Royal Exchange Square is a public square in the City of Glasgow in Scotland. The square is situated at the junction of Queen Street with Ingram Street...
, which now houses the Gallery of Modern Art.
Retail
Buchanan Street is renowned for its variety in high street shopping. It is partly responsible for Glasgow being recognised as being the 2nd best shopping destination in the United Kingdom, after London. Here are a list of some of the popular Stores, department Stores and shopping malls that Buchanan Street has to offer;- Buchanan GalleriesBuchanan GalleriesBuchanan Galleries is a shopping centre located in the central area of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Construction began in 1996 and the building opened to the public on 31 March 1999. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments in the United Kingdom,...
- Shopping Mall includes Scotland's only DesigualDesigualDesigual is a casual clothing brand based in Barcelona, Spain, which is noted for its patchwork designs, intense prints, innovative graffiti art and flamboyant splashes of colour. Founded in 1984 by Thomas Meyer, from Switzerland, the company has been led by Manel Adell since 2002. Desigual sells...
, Boux AvenueBoux AvenueBoux Avenue Ltd. is a chain of lingerie stores based in the United Kingdom. The chain is owned by entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, best known for his regular appearances on the BBC business programme Dragons' Den and as former chairman of Millwall FC....
, Fred PerryFred PerryFrederick John Perry was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row...
, QuiksilverQuiksilverQuiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...
and Mango (clothing)Mango (clothing)Mango, stylized MANGO, is a clothing design and manufacturing company. Isak Andic is the president.Its goal is "to be present in every city" in the world...
, as well as many high street names including John Lewis (department store)John Lewis (department store)-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
, River IslandRiver IslandRiver Island is one of Britain's best known high street fashion brands and can be found in most cities across the UK. The brand also has stores in Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.-History:...
, H&MH&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, Gap (clothing retailer)Gap (clothing retailer)The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
and many more.
- Princes SquarePrinces SquarePrinces Square is a shopping centre on Buchanan Street in central Glasgow, Scotland. It was developed in 1986 to a design by Edinburgh architects, the Hugh Martin Partnership. The new five-storey, retail centre occupies a pre-existing cobbled square dating from 1841, which was reconfigured by...
- Designer shopping mall includes Scotland's only BelstaffBelstaffBelstaff, an English brand, founded in Longton, Staffordshire in 1924, is a garment manufacturer best known for producing high-performance waterproof jackets...
, Vivienne WestwoodVivienne WestwoodDame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
, Lacoste and Ted BakerTed BakerTed Baker is a British clothing retail company, known for applying twists to its products, and has become a UK designer label through word of mouth rather than advertising.-History:...
, as well as other upmarket brands including L'Occitane en Provence, Space.NKSpace.NKSpace.NK.apothecary is a British cosmetics retailer which offers beauty products from around the world. it has 63 stores in the UK and 19 in the USA.- History :The chain was started in 1993 by Nicky Kinnaird in Covent Garden, London...
, Karen MillenKaren MillenKaren Millen is an Icelandic owned women’s designer clothing brand, specialising in tailoring, coats and eveningwear. Karen Millen stores are found throughout the United Kingdom, America, Austria, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and many other European countries.-History:The company was founded in...
, French Connection (clothing)French Connection (clothing)French Connection is a retailer and wholesaler of fashion clothing and accessories. Founded in 1972 by Stephen Marks it is based in London, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and operates globally....
, Reiss (brand)Reiss (brand)Reiss is a UK-based fashion brand owned and run by founder, David Reiss. The brand produces men's and women's clothing. It has 65 stores, located primarily in the UK, but with stores in the USA, Ireland, UAE, China and Malaysia. One store is located in Multrees Walk in Edinburgh, another in Marina...
and many more.
- Argyll Arcade - One of Britain's Oldest Covered Shopping Arcades, Built in 1827, it is home to some of the UK's most famous jewellers including H. SamuelH. SamuelH. Samuel is a mass-market jewellery chain, operating in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is the number one middle mass-market jewellery store in the United Kingdom. There are 375 stores as at 23rd Feb 2008. An increasing number of the chain's stores trade in a new format known...
, Goldsmiths (store)Goldsmiths (store)Goldsmiths is a jewellery retailer of the United Kingdom.- History :Goldsmiths was established in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1778 under the name Reid & Sons, and the original store is still trading. Goldsmiths is the largest retailer of Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Tag Heuer and Gucci in Britain. Goldsmiths...
, Mappin & Webb and many more.
- House of FraserHouse of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
- Department Store, featuring some in house concessions from famous brands including GucciGucciThe House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
, PradaPradaPrada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
, HermèsHermèsHermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...
, Mulberry (company)Mulberry (company)Mulberry is a British fashion company known for its luxury leather goods.-Background:The company was founded in 1971 by Roger Saul and his mother Joan—in 1973 they opened a factory in Chilcompton, Somerset, England. Mulberry established itself as a British lifestyle brand, noted for its leather...
, Miu MiuMiu MiuMiu Miu is a high fashion brand from the Prada fashion house, opened in 1993 and headed by Miuccia Prada. The name of the collection is taken from Miuccia Prada’s nickname.-Stores:...
and many more. The UK's largest House of Fraser is found on Buchanan Street.
- NikeNike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
- International sporting brand. The UK's second largest and Scotland's only Nike is found on Buchanan Street.
- ZaraZara (clothing)Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and...
- Spanish high street clothing chain.
- HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
- DVD's, video games, music and more. Scotland's largest HMV is found on Buchanan Street.
- Allsaints (clothing) - High street retailer, specialising in unusual men and women's clothing. One of All Saints largest stores in the world is found on Buchanan Street.
- Apple StoreApple Store (retail)The Apple Retail Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc., dealing in computers and consumer electronics. The stores sell Macintosh personal computers, software, iPods, iPads, iPhones, third-party accessories, and other consumer electronics such as Apple TV...
- International software brand. The UK's second largest Apple store is found on Buchanan Street.
- Urban OutfittersUrban OutfittersUrban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
- Trendy American clothing store.
- Starbucks Coffee - A total of 3 (Across from Apple store, behind church on Nelson Mandella Place and Buchanan Galleries)
- American ApparelAmerican ApparelAmerican Apparel is a clothing manufacturer in the United States. It is a vertically integrated clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer that also performs its own design, advertising, and marketing...
- Eco-friendly sweatshop free clothing. Scotland's only American Apparel is found on Buchanan Street.
- Diesel (brand) - Internationally famous Jean maker. Scotland's only Diesel is found on Buchanan Street.
- Jack WillsJack Wills__NOEDITSECTION__Jack Wills is a mid-range British clothing brand aimed at university students. The fashion label uses the brand and registered trademark "Jack Wills – University Outfitters" to reflect the heritage and inspiration behind the brand....
- Trendy British brand aimed at young university students.
- Camper (company)Camper (company)Camper is an international shoe company based in Spain. Lorenzo Fluxa founded the company in 1975 after inheriting a shoe factory from his father, Antonio Fluxa, a Spanish shoemaker. Camper operates 52 company-owned stores around North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as distributing...
- International shoe retailer. Scotland's only Camper is located on Buchanan Street.
- Hugo BossHugo BossHugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...
- Sleek high end German brand. Scotland's only Hugo Boss is found on Buchanan Street.
- Bench (clothing brand)Bench (clothing brand)Bench is a British clothing brand that is sold worldwide, including in Europe, Canada, and Australia. The company was founded in Manchester, Britain, and specialises in streetwear.- History :...
- Famous street wear clothing brand. Scotland's only Bench is found on Buchanan Street.
- Puma AGPUMA AGPuma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
- International sporting brand. Scotland's only Puma is found on Buchanan Street
- New Look - Popular British retailer.
- The North FaceThe North FaceThe North Face, Inc. is an American outdoor product company specializing in outerwear, fleece, shirts, footwear, and equipment such as backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags....
- The famous outdoor clothing brand. Scotland's only store is found on Buchanan Street.
- The Timberland CompanyThe Timberland CompanyThe Timberland Company is an American manufacturer and retailer of outdoors wear with a focus on footwear. Its three key locations are in Stratham, New Hampshire; Danville, Kentucky; and Ontario, California....
- Famous American outdoor clothing brand. Scotland's only store is found on Buchanan Street.
Culture
- Glasgow Royal Concert HallGlasgow Royal Concert HallGlasgow Royal Concert Hall is an arts venue, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue...
- Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Royal Exchange Square
- The LighthouseThe Lighthouse (Glasgow)The Lighthouse in Glasgow, is Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. It was opened as part of Glasgow's status as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999....
Centre for Architecture, Design and the City, is located off Buchanan Street, on Mitchell Lane.