FÀILTE GU ALBA
JUNE 14, 2024
historic glasgow
Our introductory Glasgow walk takes us through the town center and on to the River Clyde, key to the city’s seaport past. We’ll continue on to Molendinar Burn, a waterway along which Saint Mungo founded a church, and with it Glasgow, in the 6th century. This is the site of the city’s oldest building, and Scotland’s most complete surviving medieval church, Glasgow Cathedral. It’s also most likely the spot where brewing, courtesy of the cathedral’s monks, first began in the city. Across the Bridge of Sighs from here is the Glasgow Necropolis, a 37-acre Victorian cemetery.
glasgow catheral & necropolis
Glasgow’s two main historic sites lie conveniently adjacent to each other at the border of the city’s historic East End district. This area is the oldest part of the city, today just east of the modern center.
Construction of Glasgow Cathedral began in 1136 and took about 350 years to finish. It is one of two medieval cathedrals in Scotland to have survived the Reformation virtually intact. Just steps away from the cathedral and its ancient burial ground lies the Glasgow Necropolis. Inspired by the 1804 creation of the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, the Necropolis was officially opened in 1833; fifty-thousand people are buried here, of whom less than four-thousand are identified on monuments.
wellpark brewery
Tennent’s is practically synonymous with Glasgow, and its home is the Wellpark Brewery. Tennent’s Lager, with its famous big red T logo, was first brewed in 1885 and is today the bestselling beer in Scotland, while Tennent ales were exported to the U.S as early as 1797. But the family actually began brewing in the 16th century, making the company one of the oldest still operating in Glasgow. The brewery visitor center, which opened in 2019, is now the largest such attraction in the UK, and makes for a perfect introduction to our journey into the world of Scottish beer.
drygate brewery
A joint venture between Tennent’s and Williams Brothers Brewery in Alloa, Drygate is housed in a former box factory right next door to Wellpark Brewery. The craft brewpub, with branding aided by input from students at Glasgow School of the Arts, was founded near the spot where the city began life as a monastery; its moniker is derived from the Germanic word for priest(dry) and the Norse word for path (gata) — “Priest’s Path.”
Drygate offers visitors over twenty house beers on tap, as well as an exclusive unpasteurized version of Tennent’s Lager. Its ties to both the city’s centuries-old brewing traditions as well as the modern-day craft scene make it the perfect venue for ICBT’s opening dinner, and as an added bonus local Glasgow beer cognescenti have been known to drop by to join the festivities.
glasgow after dark
For late-night imbibers, central Glasgow offers a plethora of classic pubs, craft beer and whisky bars — including the famed Pot Still, with its imposing malt list. Street wanderers seeking a restorative pint or fish & chips may want to also catch a glimpse of the city’s pride and joy: the Duke of Wellington statue, complete with a whimsical traffic cone hat that’s been a local tradition since the 1980s.
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