With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 8 hectares (20 acres), and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.

The infirmary was built beside Glasgow Cathedral on land that held the ruins of the Bishop's Castle, which dated from at least the 13th century but had been allowed to fall into disrepair.

[4] Designed by Robert and James Adam, the original Royal Infirmary building was opened in December 1794.

With the support of Glasgow surgeon Sir William Macewen, Strong initiated the ‘block apprenticeship’ training programme.

The new building was designed by Sir Basil Spence in a "modular" fashion, where new blocks could be easily added in phases as funding allowed.

[18] Following the closure of Canniesburn Hospital, the Jubilee Building was opened, adding purpose-built Accident & Emergency facilities and a plastic surgery unit, in November 2002.

This experimentation lead to using carbolic acid to clean instruments; he is now considered the "father of modern surgery".

While at the Infirmary he introduced the practice of doctors wearing sterilisable white coats and pioneered operations on the brain for tumours, abscesses and trauma.

[22] In 1896, John Macintyre, Medical Electrician at the Infirmary, opened one of the first radiological departments in the world.

[24] In the 1950s Professor Ian Donald, working in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, was one of the pioneers of diagnostic ultrasound.