Gazetteer of Scotland

G L A
121
fronts of Hewn Stone ; the Streets are spa-
cious and well paved, kept clean, with foot
paths on each side ; the City and Suburbs
are abundantly supplied with water, and the
Streets and Shops are lighted with Gas.
There are three large Squares, the largest
is George's Square, in which stands the
Statue of General Sir Jol.n Moore, a na.
tive of this City, who fell at Corunna in
1809. St Andrew's is a spacious Square,
in the centre of which stands the elegant
Church of that name ; St Enoch's Square,
encloses St Enoch's Church. The City ,
and Suburbs occupy a space of ground of
700 acres. The Green of Glasgow is on
the north bank of the River, to the Town;
this public park is of essential benefit to
the inhabitants, and adds much to the
beauty of the City. This beautiful Green
is laid out with gravel walks, andhas always
been a favourite promenade of the inhabi-
tants, and the admiration of strangers;
this Park contains upwards of 100 acres,
and is certainly one of the finest public
parks in the kingdom ; here stands, a mo-
numental obelisk erected to the memory of
Lord Nelson, in 1S06 ; and heie, on the
Bank of the River, is situated the Humane
Society House, where an apparatus for re-
storing suspended animation is kept, with
boats, drags, &c. in case of accidents on
the River. On the Green stands the pub-
lic Washing H ouse, an extensive establish-
ment, where upwards of one hundred per-
sons can be employed in washing at the
same time ; there are two other similar e-
stablishments in the north quarter of the
City. A Ride and Drive round the Green,
two and a half milas in length, is now in
course of finishing, under the direction of
Mr Cleland. The Sweeps in the interior of
the Park, and on the Banks of the River
Clyde, are beautiful, and do great credit to |
his taste. This bids fair to be one of the
finest Rides in the kingdom, connected
■with a great Town. Glasgow possesses
numerous magnificent public buildings.
The Cathedral or High Church, deserves to
be first mentioned, it was founded by John
Achaius, Bishop of Glasgow, in the reign
of David the First, in whose presence it is
said to have been consecrated. This mag-
nificent and venerable edifice stands on
the high ground at the upper, or north end
of the High Street, and is one of the most
elegant and entire specimens of Gothic Ar-
chitecture in this country,— it had been
intended to be finished in form of a cross,
but the tranverse part has never been built.
Itis2S4feet long from east to west, 56
broad, and 90 feet high within the walls,
with two large towers, on one of which,
near the centre, a Spire was built about
the year 1420, ascending to the height of
220 feet,— it is lighted by 157 windows,
and supported by 147 pillars. This build-
ing is occupied as two parish churches,
the Inner and outer High Church—in the
Choir are some remarkable ancient mo-
numents ; below the Inner Church is a vault-
ed Cemetry, used as a place of worship for
the barony Parish, till the year 1S01, when
it was converted to its original purpose.
The Cathedral is surrounded by an exten-
sive Burying Ground. This noble monu-
ment of the taste and splendour of the Ro-
mish Church, made a narrow escape from
the destructive rage of the Goths and Van-
dals of the Beformation.— The Magistrates
had received orders to pull down all the
monuments of idolatry, — workmen were
assembled by beat of drum, to raze the
Cathedral, but it was saved by the spirited
opposition of the deacons and craftsmen of
the City, whose names ought to be record-
ed, and revered, while a stone of this beau-
tiful structure remains. There are many
other Churches, whose names only can be
mentioned here; they are all of them hand-
some buildings, and most of them in an
elegant stile of Architecture. Blackfriars,
or College Church, was built in 1699,
the Tron Church erected in 1794, upon
the site of the Old Church of that name,
built in 1637, the Steeple cf which remains ;
the Rams-horn Church, built in 1720, St
Andrew's Church, anelegantbuilding erect-
ed in 1756, St Enoch's built in 17S0, the
Barony Church, built in the year 1798, St
George's, an elegant Gothic fabric, with a
fine Steeple 162 feet high, built in 1807,
Gorbals Old Church, built in 1 729, and Gor-
bals New Church, built in 1S00, St John's
Church, a chaste Gothic building, with a
Tower 13.8 feet high, erected in 1819, and
St James's Church built in 1S16. A neat
Episcopal Chapel was erected in the year
1751 ; an elegant Catholic Chapel was erect-
ed in 1815, on the banks of the Clyde, which,
cost L. 13,000. Glasgow supports the fol-
lowing places of Divine Worship. Besides
12 Churches, and 6 Chapels of Ease, belong-
ing to the Established Church, there are 8
Relief Meeting-Houses, 8 Chapels belong-
ing to the Secession Church, 4 Gaelic
Churches, two Scotch Episcopal Chapels, 2
Baptist Chapels, 1 Cameronian, 3 Indepen-
dent, 2 Original Burghers, 1 Reformed Pres-
byterian, 1 New Jerusalem, 3 Methodist, 1
Seamen's, 1 United Chapel, and 1 Catholic
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