Glasgow's Street Names - Times Past

In partnership with the Glasgow Times, our archivists are exploring Glasgow's fascinating history. This week, Barbara McLean writes about Glasgow's street names.

Glasgow has a history of some truly wonderful place names. Honey Mugs and Goosedubbs may sound more at home in the world of Harry Potter but they once formed part of the city’s naming landscape.

Honey Mugs was the name of a farm on the Pollok Estate, close to where the White Cart Water and the Levern Water meet. Meanwhile, Goosedubbs was the name of an old lane between Stockwell Street and Bridgegate, itself named for lands in the area. In fact, among our earliest city charters are those relating to these lands of Goosedubbs covering 1589 until 1657. Its original meaning is unclear, but it’s apocryphally attributed to the playful splashings of Provost John Aird’s geese in a puddle. John Aird was provost at various times during the early 1700s.

Nowadays, we’re used to streets, roads, crescents and avenues but back in the 1700s, it was also vennels, wynds and loans which were common. There was the Old Vennel and the New Vennel, both off the High Street. Vennel is a Scots word for a narrow alley or lane between houses. A wynd was similar and there were plenty of those as well including Bun’s Wynd, Moodie’s Wynd and Baxter’s Wynd. A loan was also a lane and Glasgow’s included the Cow Loan, Back Cow Loan and Dobbie’s Loan. Of course, Dobbie’s Loan still exists and is a now a major road in the city.

The city’s annexation of surrounding burghs like Govan, Partick and Pollokshaws heralded a wave of street name changes during the 1920s and 1930s to avoid duplication with Mother Glasgow. For example, there were multiple Main Streets. Those for Calton and Pollokshaws were renamed as continuations of Well Street and Shawbridge Road respectively while Govan’s main street was renamed Clydebrae Street.

Sometimes, the most ear-catching names refer to people and places in times past. Take Schipka Pass near London Road. This was a small road leading to nowhere but was known in recent years for its colourful signs and graffiti. The origin of its name is undiscovered but it’s thought to have been named after the Battle of Shipka Pass in Bulgaria. This was actually a series of battles between the Russian and Turkish empires (1877 – 1878) which centred around this vital pass.

Another is the wonderfully named Vesalius Street in Shettleston. It was named for Andreas Vesalius, a sixteenth century physician and anatomist, although the reason why remains a mystery. Grace Street in Anderston is another such street named for a person though the naming of it is a sad tale. Grace was the youngest daughter of John Geddes of Verreville Pottery. One night as she dressed for a ball, her outfit caught fire and she died from her injuries. The street is named in her memory.

Certain areas of Glasgow have several themed street names. Fans of Shakespeare may already know that Maryhill has some streets connected to the Bard including Shakespeare Street and Hathaway Street which was named for his wife, Anne. Even the long-gone Arden Street was named for his mother, Mary Arden. Those who know their history will realise that several of the street names of Langside and Battlefield are related to Mary Queen of Scots and the Battle of Langside fought there in 1568. For example, Lochleven Road relates to the castle in which Mary was a prisoner for over a year before her escape. Dundrennan Road refers to the abbey in which Mary spent her final night in Scotland. There are also geography-themed streets in Glasgow such as those in Hyndland. Various of its streets including Airlie Street, Polwarth Street, Lauderdale Gardens and Falkland Street are all named for places in Scotland.

I can’t close without mentioning a long-gone street name in Partick which I particularly enjoy. The Goat, now Keith Street, was named for its Scots meaning of a trench or ditch. Once heard and never forgotten, it’s just one of the many surprising and interesting street names of Glasgow.

For those interested in this subject, there are many resources in our collections which can help but special mention must be made of Hugh Macintosh’s six volumes of handwritten research notes which he prepared for his publication, The Origin and History of Glasgow Streets, published in 1902.