Gallus Glasgow E: St Enoch

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St Enoch's Station c1890-1900. By Photochrom Print Collection [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
St Enoch’s Station Hotel c1890-1900. By Photochrom Print Collection [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Glasgow used to have four railway stations in the centre of the city; now it only has two. St Enoch’s is one that got away – it functioned between 1876 and 1966, though the hotel was not demolished till 1977. On the site today stands a modern glass shopping mall. Progress? Glasgow has lost many similarly splendid buildings to the developers over the years, though the other side of St Enoch Square has fared better. The Royal Bank of Scotland, for example, is adorned by early 20th century statues of Prudence and Adventure, and the red sandstone building in the middle of the square is the former ticket hall of the St Enoch subway station. It’s now a branch of a well-known chain of coffee shops.

St Enoch Square
St Enoch Centre
Prudence and Adventure
St Enoch Square
St Enoch Centre

So, St Enoch – are you wondering who HE might be? Wrong! St Enoch is a corruption of St Teneu (or Thenew), a 6th-century princess who was the mother of St Kentigern (aka Mungo – confused yet?) St Enoch Square allegedly marks the site of a medieval chapel dedicated to Thenew, built on or near her grave. As for Mungo, we’ll be meeting him again – he founded Glasgow. Gallus!

Tomorrow, F takes us even further back in time – millions of years.

A to Z Challenge 2015, Scotland, UK ,

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  2. Pingback: Glasgow Gallivanting: September 2018 – The Glasgow Gallivanter

  5. Oh, it’s such a shame when beautiful historic buildings are torn down to make way for ‘modern development’ and such. Reminds me of the awful Penn Station in NYC- it used to be gorgeous, like Grand Central is, and now it’s an abysmal underground place with no natural light and no aesthetic appeal.
    It’s always funny to see the juxtaposition of modern buildings next to old ones, though!

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    • Criminal damage!

      Sometimes new and old work together, sometimes not. In general I think architects and builders are becoming more sensitive to the surrounding area.

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  6. I can’t imagine what they were thinking to have torn down such a lovely building. The older buildings have so much more character than the newer ones. Love the sandstone one. It’s almost like a miniature castle. That’s really interesting about St. Enoch, though how that name came from Thenew I couldn’t guess. Definitely confusing.

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    • I think my A to Z is in danger of becoming a rant about all the lost buildings of Glasgow!

      I wonder how Thenew was pronounced in whatever language she spoke? If it was quite guttural it could explain some of the transition.

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  8. Hi Anabel! I have always been fascinated by the places I see when I travel and with this A-Z challenge I dont even have to go to places physically to enjoy scenic views. You got pretty photos here and makes me want to travel again soon! Thanks for sharing this!

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  9. What an absolutely beautiful place, the majestic building, the surroundings, and of course, the history behind it. I would have never known the meaning behind the name, and you made it so interesting, Anabel. Well done.

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  10. Enoch is a 6th century princess? Wonderful! Not so wonderful that the buildings are being torn down there. I find modern architecture is so ugly compared to what we used to build!

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  12. Everyone is commenting on the architecture so I’m going to ask you who you think is “pure gallus”?

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  14. You are on my list to check if you are being part of the A to Z Challenge.

    THANK YOU for being up to the letter “E”…
    Jeremy [Retro]
    AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]

    There’s no earthly way of knowing.
    Which direction we are going!

    HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
    Come Visit: You know you want to know if me or Hollywood… is Nuts?

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  15. Oh how it bugs me so when beautiful buildings are destroyed for something far less appealing. We see this in our country all the time and it is sad and angersome. I have to admit that when I read “Mungo” I thought of the film “Blazing Saddles”. You know, the guy who punches the horse?:)

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    • I know! It was gone before we moved to Glasgow so I never saw it myself. They are a bit more sensitive now but bad planning decisions still get made (as in E post!)

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