High Street 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...

, 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...

 is the city's oldest and one of its most historically significant street

Street

A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...

s.

Originally the city's main street

Main Street

Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...

 in medieval times, it formed a direct north-south artery between the Cathedral of St. Mungo (later Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral

The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...

) in the north, to Glasgow Cross

Glasgow Cross

Glasgow Cross is a major junction in the city centre of Glasgow, which has, at its centre, five streets running from it: the High Street, Gallowgate, London Road, the Saltmarket and the Trongate ....

 and the banks of the River Clyde

River Clyde

The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....

.

From 1460 to 1870, the original buildings of the University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...

 were located at the junction of High Street and Duke Street

Duke Street, Glasgow

Duke Street is a street running to the East End of Glasgow from the High Street in the City Centre, through the residential district of Dennistoun, running past The Forge Shopping Centre, before terminating at a junction with the Great Eastern Road , Westmuir Street and Springfield Road, to form a...

, before moving to the West End. The site was then turned into the College Goods yard by the City of Glasgow Union Railway before it was closed in 1968 in the wake of the Beeching Axe

Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...

. The derelict wall of the goods warehouse still faces onto this section of Duke Street - this wall will be preserved and incorporated as part of the Glasgow Collegelands development which will transform this section of High Street markedly.

When the Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...

 in Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 times triggered the massive growth in Glasgow's size, the importance of High Street diminished as the administrative functions of the city moved westward into what is now known as the Merchant City

Merchant City

The Merchant City is a district in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.- History :The medieval Glasgow Cross was located on the road between High Street and Saltgait. Its modern replacement was built to the south-east of the original location to aid traffic. The town's tron was placed on the...

 area. The original City Chambers at the foot of High Street was closed and moved to the present building which stands overlooking George Square

George Square

George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after King George III.-Historical development:George Square was laid out in 1781, part of the innovative Georgian central grid plan that initially spanned from Stockwell Street east to Buchanan Street—which...

 in the late 19th century.

As the 20th century progressed, many areas of High Street fell into dereliction. However in the early 21st Century, the fortunes of High Street have enjoyed a renaissance with Glasgow's growing economy. Much of the derelict land has been redeveloped into upmarket apartment buildings and new student residences for the adjacent University of Strathclyde

University of Strathclyde

The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...

. The former railway lands next to High Street railway station

High Street (Glasgow) railway station

High Street Railway Station is a railway station which serves High Street in Glasgow, Scotland and the surrounding area. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is served by trains on the North Clyde Line.-History:...

 are being developed into a science park. The railway station itself will be substantially remodelled if the Glasgow Crossrail

Glasgow Crossrail

Crossrail Glasgow is a proposed railway development in Central Scotland.Since the 1970s, it has been widely recognised that one of the main weaknesses of the railway network in Greater Glasgow is that rail services from the South cannot bypass Glasgow city centre and join the northern...

 scheme is approved by the Scottish Government.