Category: Photography

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The Bell, The Fish, The Bird and the Tree

St Mungo door knocker, Easdale Island

I’m not sure if any city is as proud of its coat of arms as Glasgow. You are never far from one – old or new, carved, engraved, painted, high or low – they are everywhere. Glasgow Coat of Arms started collecting them on Twitter @GlasgowCoA, and the crowdsourced results are currently on show at Glasgow City Heritage Trust in Bell Street until 6 Feb.

The story of St Mungo (Glasgow’s patron saint) and the book, the bell, the fish and the tree certainly caught my imagination at school, particularly the part about the salmon and the ring thrown into the river by the queen’s lover. That seemed a bit racey for primary school, particularly a Catholic one, but it did make saints seem cool.

I’m pleased to have contributed this wee St Mungo door knocker found on Easdale Island, 120-odd miles away from home. The collection is also on Instagram at instagram/GlasgowCoA and is growing all the time.

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End of the Line by John R. Hume

End of the Line exhibition, by John R. Hume

I finally made it to End of the Line: Photographs of Glasgow’s Industrial Past, an exhibition of archive photographs of industrial buildings in Glasgow, by John R. Hume, organised by Glasgow City Heritage Trust.

Now Chief Inspector of the Royal Commission on the Ancient Historical Monuments of Scotland, John R. Hume travelled round Glasgow by bike, documenting factories and warehouses all over the city. You might think these things have a fairly limited appeal, but the exhibition space (an imposing former Inland Revenue building in North Frederick Street) was busy for a wet Wednesday, and there was a lively commentary from visitors who could remember the buildings as they were. The exhibition runs to the 5 September (or 7 September according to some info), and photos are also available on Canmore.

Magnet Ales, Leeds by Peter Mitchell

Fans of this sort of thing may also enjoy the work of Peter Mitchell, who scoured Leeds for disappearing buildings. His Instagram account is a real treat.