George Square

George Square Review

The focal point of Glasgow is lined with an impressive collection of statues of worthies: Queen Victoria; Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns (1759-96); the inventor and developer of the steam engine, James Watt (1736-1819); Prime Minister William Gladstone (1809-98); and towering above them all, Scotland's great historical novelist, Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). The column was intended for George III (1738-1820), after whom the square is named, but when he was found to be insane toward the end of his reign, his statue was never erected. On the square's east side stands the magnificent Italian Renaissance-style City Chambers; the handsome Merchants' House fills the corner of West George Street, crowned by a globe and a sailing ship.