Glasgow’s bright pink

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Robert Black tomb, Glasgow Necropolis
Robert Black tomb, Glasgow Necropolis

Jude’s Life in Colour challenge for April is pink. Becky’s April Squares challenge is bright. Being a bright spark, I am tickled pink to combine the two.

The serious stuff first – a tomb might not seem the obvious place to find a colour like bright pink. My first two squares, above, show Robert Black’s tomb, repaired in the last few years by the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis. They deliberately left the old and new stone to show the restoration, though I’m not sure about the inspiration for the bright pink gate (another recently restored tomb is bright blue). This Greek Doric temple was the first mausoleum in the Necropolis, and is a stop on Glasgow Women’s Library’s  heritage walk, where we discuss the subject of infant mortality. Robert Black, a wealthy merchant, originally commissioned it in 1837 for his daughter Catherine, who had died aged just 12. Robert himself was 86 when he died in 1879, but as well as Catherine he lost four other daughters before they were 21. It’s true that early death was more likely to happen in lower class families, but the middle and upper classes were not immune as this example illustrates.

On a more frivolous note, there are flashes of bright pink around the city in advertisements, street art / graffiti,  and shop fronts.

Oor Wullie Trail 2019
Pink on the canal
Simplicity Beauty, Maryhill
Pink in Maryhill
Pink on the Kelvin
Pink in Yorkhill
Pink on Queen Margaret Drive
Pink at Charing Cross
Cairns Bar
St Luke’s

The figure of comic character Oor Wullie in the gallery above is from a public art trail in 2019. This one’s Bonnie Oor Wullie by Shelley Jayne, and as well as Wullie’s pink dungarees I notice I’ve captured a bright pink rain jacket (it rains In Glasgow, who knew?) and two banners with the city’s marketing slogan, People Make Glasgow, in the background. I’ve used the Clyde Tunnel version of this, below, in previous posts, but not the other from St Enoch’s Shopping Centre. Words can be added to the basic slogan, for example all rubbish bins say People Make Glasgow Cleaner, which doesn’t seem to work! In this case we are told that People Make Glasgow Vibrant which is a clearly pre-pandemic message with its boast of a fantastic year-round calendar of events.

Clyde Tunnel, Govan entrance
People Make Glasgow Vibrant

Finally, a few floral pinks come with my thanks to Jude and Becky for giving me inspiration for a post at a time when I’m really stuck for ideas!

Botanic Gardens Gatehouse
West End Garden
Pollok Park
Scotland, UK , , , , ,

69 Comments »

  1. I loved looking through your photos. I’m in California and have been to Scotland twice so far (was hoping to come back February 2022, but we’ll see how that goes :/ ) I love Scotland, but Glasgow has a special place in my heart.

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  2. Here on the Canadian west coast, spring is finally here and my yard is full of beautiful flowering trees and shrubs, many with pink blossoms.

    Jude

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  3. Pingback: Bright Spots – The life of B

  6. I looked at this 6 mins after you posted it, and took 4 days to come back and read it.
    Really brightened things up!
    Although it is another lovely sunny day down south but with a cold wind… The guinea pigs are out, though, eating the grass, in the sunshine, and with a windbreak. It’s easy when you’re that low to the ground 🙂
    Have a good weekend.

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  7. Hi Anabel – love the pink … and bright … those are all shining out. Also many blooms are pink as they come out into the Spring sunshine … gorgeous cheering images for us – thanks Hilary

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  10. Like the before and after tweet, by the way. I’m much the same, long and straggly to short and trim. Feels so much better. Next stop is manicure and pedicure and then all will be right in my world.

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  13. Infant mortality was so high until the 20s…so sad. I am not sure I would want these wrought iron gates painted especially this hot pink. The bright colour does liven up an area but I tend to like the bright pink in flowers.

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  16. Really like your snowy mountain header photo. That’s a cracker. Pink is not a colour I associate with Glasgow much so I’m amazed you have found so many examples.

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  18. Oooh, all that pink is definitely cheerful! I love the People Make Glasgow vibrant slogan and choosing pink as the base color does make the sign vibrant too. 😃

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  23. Great idea for a post! Was a bit concerned when you started on about tombs (given the current climate) – thought that lockdown was getting to you but I have to say all the flashes of pink brought a smile to my face. Thank you 🙂

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  24. The gatehouse is a pretty shade of pinkish bricks too. I’m still not keen on Oor Wullie, but you did get a lot of pinks into that photo. As for the pink gate, much as I like the design I am not so sure about the colour.

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  25. I love all your bright pink squares. The little bright pink laughing child is my favorite, though I do love all the art work, flowers and the pink fence, of course. Thanks for the tour of Glasgow. 🙂

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  29. As you know we did the challenge here in our club for over a year, Then it was stopped because Jeff said he had run out of ideas. Someone else offered to take over, but the committee said the idea had run its course and decided not to continue with it. I think this was sad and short sighted, but there you are. We don’t do it any more.

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  33. oh my it is not the 30th of April is it? All these fabulous squares have appeared.

    What fun, and so much to see – also surprisingly a lot of pink! Like you not sure about the gates but maybe they will weather well?!!

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