Gilmorehill
University of Glasgow
In 1870 the university left its old High Street home for a new Gothic Revival campus on Gilmorehill designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and it brought its 17th-century Lion and Unicorn Staircase along with it.
- 4Buildings
- 3Traditions
- 1690Oldest · Lion and Unicorn Staircase
- 1968Newest · Glasgow University Library
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoGlasgow Airport (GLA)
Glasgow Airport lies just west of the city, about a 20-minute drive from the West End campus. Express buses connect it with the city centre.
- Getting aroundWalking / Subway
The campus sits in the West End above Kelvingrove Park. Hillhead station on the Glasgow Subway is a short walk away.
- Colors and teams
English is spoken everywhere, often with a strong Glaswegian accent and Scots words; the main hill-top campus is known simply as Gilmorehill.
4 buildings to stamp
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Photo: Johnhousefriday, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel
University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ
John James Burnet's Scots Gothic chapel closes the west side of the Main Building's West Quadrangle and honours the university's dead of the First World War. Inside are carvings by Archibald Dawson and ten stained-glass windows by Douglas Strachan.
- Built
- 1929
- Architect
- John James Burnet
- Style
- Scots Gothic
- Today
- University chapel
-
Photo: OfAaron3, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Lion and Unicorn Staircase
University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ
Carved in 1690 for the university's Old College on the High Street, this stone staircase with its lion and unicorn was moved to Gilmorehill in 1870. It now leads up beside the Memorial Chapel on the west side of the Main Building.
- Built
- 1690
- Architect
- William Riddel (mason)
- Style
- 17th-century Scottish
- Today
- Staircase at the Main Building
-
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Glasgow University Library
Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QE
William Whitfield's 12-storey Brutalist tower opened in 1968 as the centrepiece of the university's 1960s expansion across Hillhead. It is a landmark of Glasgow's West End.
- Built
- 1968
- Architect
- William Whitfield
- Style
- Brutalist
- Stories
- 12
- Today
- University library
-
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Finlay McWalter assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Glasgow University Union
32 University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LX
At the foot of University Avenue, Alan McNaughton's Scots Baronial building has been home to one of the oldest students' unions in the UK since 1931. Its debating tradition is famous: the union founded the World Universities Debating Championships.
- Built
- 1931
- Architect
- Alan McNaughton
- Style
- Scots Baronial
- Today
- Students' union
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3 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Rub the Unicorn's Horn
The Lion and Unicorn Staircase, carved in 1690, was moved stone by stone from the Old College on the High Street. Patting the unicorn or rubbing its horn is said to bring good luck, especially before exams.
Keep Off the Quad Grass
It is thought to be bad luck for students to walk on the grass of the quadrangles before they graduate. Visitors can admire the East and West Quads from the paths, where graduation processions led by a piper take place.
The Cloisters
The vaulted Cloisters (the Undercroft) between the East and West Quadrangles have appeared in films and TV series including Outlander and Cloud Atlas. Walk through and take a photo under the fluted columns.
Know University of Glasgow well?
Students and alumni know the traditions best. Suggest one we're missing, a building worth a stamp, or a fix. Every suggestion is checked against a source before it goes into the app.
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Stamp all 4 on your visit.
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