George Square

Named after King George III and initially laid out in 1781 but not developed for another twenty years, George Square is surrounded by architecturally important buildings including on the east side the palatial Municipal Chambers, also known as the City Chambers, whose foundation stone was laid in 1883, and on the west side by the Merchants' House [de].

[7] Directly in line with the projected extension of Queen Street, a large mansion was built around 1783 in grounds just south of Rottenrow lane as Bailie George Crawford's Lodging, later known as Glasgow House.

The west side (in line with Queen Street) was a three-storey high block of six tenements,[16][17] which had three entrances with passageways to turnpike stairs at the back for the upper flats.

[19][17] On the south and north sides, terraces of large townhouses had three storeys above a basement lit by a sunken area fenced off from the pavement.

[20][21] As Glasgow historian James Denholm wrote of "George's square" in 1804, "The buildings here are very elegant, particularly those upon the north; which, from the beauty of the design, and taste displayed in the execution, surpass by far any other either in this city or in Scotland.

The centre of George Square had been used as a tip for surplus soil and debris around a stagnant pool, it was enclosed with a paling fence and used for grazing sheep.

The first statue, erected in 1819 on the south of the square facing Miller Street, commemorated Sir John Moore of Corunna.

[25][26] In 1825 the Corporation instructed Stewart Murray, the curator and landscape architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sandyford, to improve the square.

[30] From March to July 1834 the Steam Carriage Company of Scotland ran an hourly service to Paisley from its terminus at the northeast corner of the square.

[37][38] In 1865 the two southern tenements on the west side were demolished, and the Bank of Scotland's Italianate building designed by John Thomas Rochead was built in their place 1867–1870,[39][40] followed in 1874–1876 by a matching extension taking up the central third of the block.

[41] The bank's elevation was reflected in the Merchants' House [de] (1875–1880), but symmetry was unbalanced by its corner tower, and the later addition of two more storeys.

When the Post Office foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1878 the square's iron railings were removed, transverse walks formed, and flower beds introduced.

[25] The terrace of houses along the east side of the square was demolished in 1883 as the site for the Glasgow City Chambers,[27] designed by the architect William Young.

It was subsequently renamed the Millennium Hotel, and is now a listed building, the only survivor of the original terraces around George Square.

The Millennium Hotel has put forward proposals for major works including new rooms to replace those which were above the station entrance.

[23] To the east of North Hanover Street, George House was built in 1979-80 (replacing an older Georgian building) to provide extra office space for Glasgow City Council.

The eastern side of the square itself is flanked by two lawns and is also the site of the Glasgow Cenotaph,[53] which was designed by Sir John James Burnet and originally built to commemorate Glaswegians killed in the First World War.

[54] George Square is also a place for musical events, light shows, ceremonies, sporting celebrations, political gatherings, and for annual Remembrance Day parades.

Perhaps the most famous was the Battle of George Square in 1919, when skilled engineers campaigning for a 40-hour working week held a rally.

The city's radical reputation, and the raising of the red flag on 27 January (although the strike leaders disassociated themselves from this action), made some members of the Coalition government fear a Bolshevik revolution was afoot.

Scenes for the zombie movie World War Z were filmed in the square in August 2011, using the resemblance of buildings to Philadelphia's financial district.

[57] In 2012 Glasgow City Council voted to spend £15m on a "makeover", of the square, in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, to make it "a place fit for the 21st Century".