Discovering Glasgow’s Mural Trail
By Vicki Newport, August 2023
Scotland’s biggest city is often remembered for its industrial past, such as the famous shipbuilding yards along the River Clyde. But on my recent visit I wanted to explore a different side of the city, Glasgow’s rich artistic and architectural legacy.
The affluent West End, noted for stately Victorian mansions and grand public buildings, is home to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery which houses one of Europe’s finest art collections. The neighbourhood also features a selection of buildings in the elegant Art Nouveau style inspired by Glasgow born architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh; my favourite being the delightful Mackintosh at The Willow tea-room, opened in 1903 and faithfully restored to the original design.
Towards the east of the city, I discovered a more recent addition to Glasgow’s art scene. Huge murals can be found on the side of buildings, which form the city centre mural trail. The first artwork was produced in 2008 and the portfolio of works has expanded since. The murals have proven hugely popular with Glaswegians, reducing the negative visual impact of land and unit vacancies due to the current economic circumstances, and attracting visitors into the city centre.
The murals are now recognised as unique pieces of art in their own right, show-casing a diverse range of talent and styles, to suit all tastes: conservative to radical, quirky to bizarre. Glasgow City Council has launched the city centre mural artists fund to encourage more artists to get involved in this project.
In 2014, the City Centre Mural Trail was officially launched in order to help visitors locate and interpret the growing number of art works: a most enjoyable way to walk through Glasgow with murals so vast and so colourful that they are sure to brighten up anyone’s day come rain or shine!
