Glaschu — the dear green place
Fifteen centuries.
One river.
One city.
The history of Glasgow, one event at a time — from Saint Mungo's church by the Molendinar Burn to the yards that built a quarter of the world's ships.
Where to begin
One river, many Glasgows
Glasgow has been a fishing hamlet, a cathedral town, a merchant city grown fat on tobacco, the workshop of empire, a crucible of radical politics, and a reinvented capital of culture — often within one family's memory. This site follows that whole story, gathered into themed sections with a timeline running through the lot.
The chapters
Twenty-one chapters of Glasgow’s story
The Old City
The Working River
People & Power
The Built City
Start here
A few turning points
c. 543Saint Mungo & the Founding of GlasgowA monk, a robin brought back to life, and a ring found in a salmon's mouth.Founding & Early Glasgow
1812The Comet: Europe's First SteamshipHenry Bell's paddle steamer opened the age of Clyde-built power.Shipbuilding & the River Clyde
March 1941The Clydebank BlitzTwo nights of raids brought the worst civilian loss of life in Scotland.Scottish Wars & Conflicts
2 January 1971The Ibrox DisasterSixty-six died in a crush on Stairway 13 after an Old Firm match.Famous Disasters
The spine of the site
Walk the whole timeline, 543 to now
Every era and its key events on a single thread. Follow it end to end, or leap to the century you're after.