Glasgow city centre
Encyclopedia
Glasgow city centre is the central business district
of Glasgow
, Scotland
. Is bounded by the High Street to the east, the River Clyde
to the south and the M8 motorway to the west and north which was built through the Townhead
, Charing Cross
, Cowcaddens
and Anderston
areas in the 1960s. It can roughly be divided into at least 3 different districts:
_buchannan_street,_glasgow.jpg)
The city centre is based on a grid system
of streets, similar to that of Barcelona
or American cities, on the north bank of the River Clyde. The heart of the city is George Square
, site of many of Glasgow's public statues and the elaborate Victorian Glasgow City Chambers
, headquarters of Glasgow City Council
. To the south and west are the shopping precincts of Argyle Street
, Sauchiehall Street
and Buchanan Street
, the latter featuring more upmarket retailers and winner of the Academy of Urbanism 'Great Street Award' 2008. The main shopping centres are Buchanan Galleries
and the St. Enoch Centre, with the up-market Princes Square and the Italian Centre specialising in designer labels. The London-based department store Selfridges
has purchased a potential development site in the city and another upmarket retail chain Harvey Nichols
is also thought to be planning a store in the city, further strengthening Glasgow's retail portfolio, which forms the U.K.
's second largest and most economically important retail sector after Central London
.
The city centre is home to most of Glasgow's main cultural venues: The Theatre Royal
(home of Scottish Opera
and formerly Scottish Ballet
(which now resides in The Tramway Theatre
), The Pavilion
, The King's Theatre
, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
, Glasgow Film Theatre
, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Mitchell Library
, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, McLellan Galleries
and The Lighthouse Museum of Architecture, Design and the City
. The world's tallest cinema, the eighteen-screen Cineworld
, is situated on Renfrew Street. The city centre is also home to four of Glasgow's higher education institutions: The University of Strathclyde
, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
, Glasgow School of Art
and Glasgow Caledonian University
.
. The Merchant City was formerly the residential district of the wealthy city merchants in the 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly the Tobacco Lords
from whom many of the streets take their name. As the Industrial Revolution
and the wealth it brought to the city resulted in the expansion of Glasgow's central area westward, the original medieval centre was left behind. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of High Street
, Gallowgate, Trongate
and Saltmarket was the original centre of the city, symbolised by its Mercat cross
. Glasgow Cross encompasses the Tolbooth
Clock Tower; all that remains of the original City Chambers
, which was destroyed by fire in 1926. Moving northward up High Street towards Rottenrow
and Townhead
lies the 15th century Glasgow Cathedral
and the Provand's Lordship
. Due to growing industrial pollution levels in the mid to late 19th century, the area fell out of favour with residents.
From the late 1980s onwards, the Merchant City has been rejuvenated with luxury city centre apartments and warehouse conversions. This regeneration has supported an increasing number of cafés and restaurants. The area is also home to a number of high end boutique style shops and some of Glasgow's most upmarket stores.
The Merchant City is the centre of Glasgow's growing 'cultural quarter', based on King Street, the Saltmarket and Trongate
, and at the heart of the annual Merchant City Festival
. The area has supported a huge growth in art galleries, the origins of which can be found in the late 80s when it attracted artist-led organisations that could afford the cheap rents required to operate in vacant manufacturing or retail spaces. The artistic and cultural potential of the Merchant City as a 'cultural quarter' was harnessed by independent arts organisations and Glasgow City Council, and the recent development of Trongate 103, which houses galleries, workshops, artist studios and production spaces, is considered a major outcome of the continued partnership between both. The area also contains a number of theatres and concert venues, including the Tron Theatre
, the Old Fruitmarket, the Trades Hall, St Andrew's in the Square
, Merchant Square, and the City Halls.
A large part of Glasgow's LGBT
scene is located within the Merchant City. This includes many clubs, and the UK gay chain store Clone Zone, along with a couple of saunas. Recently the city council defined (and perhaps expanded) the area known as Merchant City as far west as Buchanan Street
, marking these boundaries with new, highly stylised metal signage.
To the western edge of the city centre, occupying the areas of Blythswood Hill
and Anderston
, lies Glasgow's financial district, known officially as the International Financial Services District
(IFSD), although often irreverently nicknamed by the contemporary press as the "square kilometre" or "Wall Street on Clyde". Since the late 1980s the construction of many modern office blocks and high rise developments have paved the way for the IFSD to become one of the UKs largest financial quarters. With a reputation as an established financial services centre, coupled with comprehensive support services, Glasgow continues to attract and grow new business. Of the 10 largest general insurance companies in the UK, 8 have a base or head office in Glasgow - including Direct Line
, Esure
, AXA
and Norwich Union
. Key banking sector companies have also relocated some of their services to commercial property in Glasgow - Resolution
, JPMorgan Chase, Abbey
, HBOS
, Barclays Wealth, Tesco Personal Finance , Morgan Stanley
, Lloyds TSB
, Clydesdale Bank
, BNP Paribas
, HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland
. The Ministry of Defence
have several departments and Clydeport
, the Glasgow Stock Exchange
, Student Loans Company, Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
, BT Group
, Scottish Qualifications Authority
and Scottish Enterprise
also have their headquarters based in the district.
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Is bounded by the High Street to the east, the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
to the south and the M8 motorway to the west and north which was built through the Townhead
Townhead
-Location:Townhead has no fixed boundaries. In ancient times it was the undeveloped area north of the cathedral and town. If we use this description then it is bordered to the west by the area of Cowcaddens, to the north by Sighthill and the east by Royston and south by Merchant City...
, Charing Cross
Charing Cross, Glasgow
Charing Cross is a major road junction in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde on Sauchiehall Street, at a major interchange of the M8 motorway. Formerly the gateway from the shopping area of Sauchiehall Street to the more prosperous Woodlands area, its...
, Cowcaddens
Cowcaddens
Cowcaddens is an area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is virtually in the city centre and is bordered by the areas of Garnethill to the south and Townhead to the east....
and Anderston
Anderston
Anderston is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and extends to the western edge of the city centre...
areas in the 1960s. It can roughly be divided into at least 3 different districts:
Retail and theatre district
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
of streets, similar to that of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
or American cities, on the north bank of the River Clyde. The heart of the city is George Square
George Square
George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after King George III.-Historical development:George Square was laid out in 1781, part of the innovative Georgian central grid plan that initially spanned from Stockwell Street east to Buchanan Street—which...
, site of many of Glasgow's public statues and the elaborate Victorian Glasgow City Chambers
Glasgow City Chambers
The City Chambers in Glasgow, Scotland has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of civic government in the city since 1889, located on the eastern side of the city's George Square...
, headquarters of Glasgow City Council
Politics of Glasgow
Politics in Glasgow, Scotland, is evident in the deliberations and decisions of the city council of Glasgow , in elections to the council, and in elections to the Scottish Parliament and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom .In the European Parliament, the city area is...
. To the south and west are the shopping precincts of Argyle Street
Argyle Street, Glasgow
Argyle Street is a major thoroughfare in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.With Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street, Argyle Street forms the main shopping artery in the city centre...
, Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
and Buchanan Street
Buchanan Street
Buchanan Street is one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbouring streets: Argyle Street, and Sauchiehall Street.-History:...
, the latter featuring more upmarket retailers and winner of the Academy of Urbanism 'Great Street Award' 2008. The main shopping centres are Buchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries is a shopping centre located in the central area of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Construction began in 1996 and the building opened to the public on 31 March 1999. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments in the United Kingdom,...
and the St. Enoch Centre, with the up-market Princes Square and the Italian Centre specialising in designer labels. The London-based department store Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
has purchased a potential development site in the city and another upmarket retail chain Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols, founded in 1813, is an upmarket department store chain. Its original store is in London. Founded in 1813 as a linen shop, it sells many international brands of clothing for women and men, fashion accessories, beauty products, wine and food...
is also thought to be planning a store in the city, further strengthening Glasgow's retail portfolio, which forms the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's second largest and most economically important retail sector after Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
.
The city centre is home to most of Glasgow's main cultural venues: The Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, located at 282 Hope Street in Cowcaddens. The theatre originally opened in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland...
(home of Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
and formerly Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet...
(which now resides in The Tramway Theatre
Tramway (arts centre)
Tramway is a contemporary visual and performing arts venue located in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Based in a former tram depot in the Pollokshields area of the South Side, it consists of two performance spaces and two galleries, as well as The Hidden Garden and offering facilities for community...
), The Pavilion
Pavilion Theatre (Glasgow)
-History:One of Glasgow's oldest theatres, the Pavilion Theatre of Varieties opened on 29 February 1904 as a Music hall. The building has remained relatively unchanged in layout, although the sound and lighting systems have been updated over the years...
, The King's Theatre
King's Theatre, Glasgow
The King's Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd under its chairman Baillie Michael Simons as a sister theatre of their Theatre Royal in the city and was designed by Frank Matcham, opening in 1904. The theatre is primarily a receiving house for touring...
, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is an arts venue, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue...
, Glasgow Film Theatre
Glasgow Film Theatre
The Glasgow Film Theatre or GFT is an independent cinema in Rose Street, , Glasgow. GFT is a registered charity...
, Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Mitchell Library
Mitchell Library
The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...
, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, McLellan Galleries
McLellan Galleries
The McLellan Galleries are an exhibition space in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Built in 1856, the Galleries are named after their founder, Archibald McLellan , a coach builder, councillor and patron of the arts...
and The Lighthouse Museum of Architecture, Design and the City
The Lighthouse (Glasgow)
The Lighthouse in Glasgow, is Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. It was opened as part of Glasgow's status as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999....
. The world's tallest cinema, the eighteen-screen Cineworld
Cineworld (Glasgow)
Cineworld Glasgow Renfrew Street is a cinema on Renfrew Street, Glasgow, located in the north east of the city centre, it is adjacent to the Buchanan Bus Station and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as well as being close to Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Galleries...
, is situated on Renfrew Street. The city centre is also home to four of Glasgow's higher education institutions: The University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
, Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
and Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
.
Merchant City
To the east is the commercial and residential district of Merchant CityMerchant City
The Merchant City is a district in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.- History :The medieval Glasgow Cross was located on the road between High Street and Saltgait. Its modern replacement was built to the south-east of the original location to aid traffic. The town's tron was placed on the...
. The Merchant City was formerly the residential district of the wealthy city merchants in the 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly the Tobacco Lords
Tobacco Lords
The Tobacco Lords were Glasgow merchants who, in the 18th Century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco from Great Britain's American Colonies....
from whom many of the streets take their name. As the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the wealth it brought to the city resulted in the expansion of Glasgow's central area westward, the original medieval centre was left behind. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of High Street
High Street (Glasgow)
High Street in Glasgow, Scotland is the city's oldest and one of its most historically significant streets.Originally the city's main street in medieval times, it formed a direct north-south artery between the Cathedral of St...
, Gallowgate, Trongate
Trongate
Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland.Located in the area of the Merchant City commonly known as "Old Glasgow", it is the main route into the central area from the East End...
and Saltmarket was the original centre of the city, symbolised by its Mercat cross
Mercat cross
A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations...
. Glasgow Cross encompasses the Tolbooth
Merchant City
The Merchant City is a district in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.- History :The medieval Glasgow Cross was located on the road between High Street and Saltgait. Its modern replacement was built to the south-east of the original location to aid traffic. The town's tron was placed on the...
Clock Tower; all that remains of the original City Chambers
City Chambers
City Chambers can refer to:*Dundee City Chambers*Dunfermline City Chambers*Edinburgh City Chambers*Glasgow City Chambers...
, which was destroyed by fire in 1926. Moving northward up High Street towards Rottenrow
Rottenrow
Rottenrow is a famous street in the city of Glasgow in Scotland. It is located at Townhead, in the northern periphery of the city centre.Rottenrow dates back to the city's medieval beginnings, and once connected the historic High Street to the northern reaches of what is now the Cowcaddens area. ...
and Townhead
Townhead
-Location:Townhead has no fixed boundaries. In ancient times it was the undeveloped area north of the cathedral and town. If we use this description then it is bordered to the west by the area of Cowcaddens, to the north by Sighthill and the east by Royston and south by Merchant City...
lies the 15th century Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
and the Provand's Lordship
Provand's Lordship
The Provand's Lordship located in Glasgow, Scotland, today stands as a medieval-period historic house museum located at the top of Castle Street in the shadow of the Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Royal Infirmary....
. Due to growing industrial pollution levels in the mid to late 19th century, the area fell out of favour with residents.
From the late 1980s onwards, the Merchant City has been rejuvenated with luxury city centre apartments and warehouse conversions. This regeneration has supported an increasing number of cafés and restaurants. The area is also home to a number of high end boutique style shops and some of Glasgow's most upmarket stores.
Trongate
Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland.Located in the area of the Merchant City commonly known as "Old Glasgow", it is the main route into the central area from the East End...
, and at the heart of the annual Merchant City Festival
Merchant City Festival
The Merchant City Festival is a major cultural festival taking place in Glasgow's Merchant City area.Attracting more than 55,000 people, the four-day Festival presents the cream of Scotland’s theatre, music, visual arts, comedy, dance, film, fashion and food scene.The Festival presents opera...
. The area has supported a huge growth in art galleries, the origins of which can be found in the late 80s when it attracted artist-led organisations that could afford the cheap rents required to operate in vacant manufacturing or retail spaces. The artistic and cultural potential of the Merchant City as a 'cultural quarter' was harnessed by independent arts organisations and Glasgow City Council, and the recent development of Trongate 103, which houses galleries, workshops, artist studios and production spaces, is considered a major outcome of the continued partnership between both. The area also contains a number of theatres and concert venues, including the Tron Theatre
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
, the Old Fruitmarket, the Trades Hall, St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square is an 18th Century category-A-listed former church in Glasgow, Scotland, considered one of the finest classical churches in Britain, and now Glasgow's Centre for Scottish Culture, promoting Scottish music, song and dance...
, Merchant Square, and the City Halls.
A large part of Glasgow's LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
scene is located within the Merchant City. This includes many clubs, and the UK gay chain store Clone Zone, along with a couple of saunas. Recently the city council defined (and perhaps expanded) the area known as Merchant City as far west as Buchanan Street
Buchanan Street
Buchanan Street is one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbouring streets: Argyle Street, and Sauchiehall Street.-History:...
, marking these boundaries with new, highly stylised metal signage.
Financial district
Blythswood Hill
Blythswood Hill is an area of Glasgow, Scotland.It lies to the immediate west of the city centre and as the name suggests rises to a plateau before dipping again towards the west end area of Woodlands....
and Anderston
Anderston
Anderston is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and extends to the western edge of the city centre...
, lies Glasgow's financial district, known officially as the International Financial Services District
International Financial Services District
The International Financial Services District is a ten year project within the city of Glasgow in Scotland to create a highly attractive inward investment location for leading international financial services companies and a re-location option for existing Glasgow-based companies, seeking to...
(IFSD), although often irreverently nicknamed by the contemporary press as the "square kilometre" or "Wall Street on Clyde". Since the late 1980s the construction of many modern office blocks and high rise developments have paved the way for the IFSD to become one of the UKs largest financial quarters. With a reputation as an established financial services centre, coupled with comprehensive support services, Glasgow continues to attract and grow new business. Of the 10 largest general insurance companies in the UK, 8 have a base or head office in Glasgow - including Direct Line
Direct Line
Direct Line is part of the RBS Insurance division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services over the phone and internet....
, Esure
Esure
Esure is an internet and telephone based insurance company based in Reigate, Surrey, England. It also has offices in Manchester and Glasgow...
, AXA
AXA
AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
and Norwich Union
Norwich Union
Norwich Union was the name given to insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It is the biggest life insurance provider in the United Kingdom, and has a strong position in motor insurance...
. Key banking sector companies have also relocated some of their services to commercial property in Glasgow - Resolution
Resolution plc
Resolution plc was a UK insurance company headquartered in the City of London. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by the Pearl Group in May 2008.-Early history:...
, JPMorgan Chase, Abbey
Abbey (bank)
Abbey National plc was a UK-based bank and former building society, which latterly traded under the Abbey brand name. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Santander of Spain in 2004, and was rebranded as Santander in January 2010, forming Santander UK along with the savings business of the...
, HBOS
HBOS
HBOS plc is a banking and insurance company in the United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group having been taken over in January 2009...
, Barclays Wealth, Tesco Personal Finance , Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
, Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
, Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
, BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. In October 2010 BNP Paribas was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion. It was formed through the merger...
, HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
. The Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
have several departments and Clydeport
Peel Group
The Peel Group is a diversified real estate, transport and infrastructure investment company in the United Kingdom. It has assets owned and under management approaching £6 billion...
, the Glasgow Stock Exchange
Glasgow Stock Exchange
The Glasgow Stock Exchange is a prominent building and financial institution in the centre of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.The exchange was founded in 1844. In 1973, it merged with the London Stock Exchange, becoming the hub of its Scottish operations....
, Student Loans Company, Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
The Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department was a former Scottish Executive department responsible for economic and industrial development, further and higher education, skills, lifelong learning, energy, transport and digital connectivity until 2007.Philip Rycroft was appointed...
, BT Group
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
, Scottish Qualifications Authority
Scottish Qualifications Authority
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
and Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise is a sponsored non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which encourages economic development, enterprise, innovation and investment in business...
also have their headquarters based in the district.