George Square

For the square in Edinburgh, see George Square, Edinburgh.

George Square with the Scott monument in the centre, Glasgow City Chambers to the left and the former General Post Office to the right.
Panorama postcard from south-west corner showing the square as of 1905

George Square (Scottish Gaelic: Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Square, and Blythswood Square on Blythswood Hill.

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].[1][2] Built by Glasgow Corporation, the Chambers are the continuing headquarters of Glasgow City Council. Joseph Swan's panoramic engraving of 1829 shows the early development of the square and its surrounding buildings.[3]

The square boasts an important collection of statues and monuments, including those dedicated to Robert Burns, James Watt, Sir Robert Peel and Sir Walter Scott.

  1. ^ Glasgow by Irene Maver, published in 2000
  2. ^ "TheGlasgowStory: Foundation ceremony". www.theglasgowstory.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ "TheGlasgowStory: George Square, 1829". www.theglasgowstory.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.