Trail highlighting legacy of slavery and colonialism launched in Glasgow

Glasgow’s colonial history and the lasting impact of its role in the transatlantic slave trade will be highlighted by a new city centre trail, giving residents and visitors a better understanding of the city’s past and its legacies.

The first phase of the Legacy of Slavery and Colonialism Trail takes in sites including the City Chambers, Merchant City, Trongate and the Gallery of Modern Art, revealing how wealth generated through slavery helped shape Glasgow’s growth and institutions.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Glasgow merchants amassed significant fortunes through the tobacco, sugar and cotton trades, all of which were closely linked to enslaved labour.

The wealth generated through these industries had a profound influence on the city's economic, physical, social and political development.

The new trail has been informed by the research of Dr Stephen Mullen, Lecturer in History (Legacies of Atlantic Slavery) at the University of Glasgow, and builds on the work of the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER), whose Black History Month walking tours have helped raise awareness of Glasgow's connections to slavery and their continuing significance today.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "Glasgow's history is rich, complex and, at times, deeply uncomfortable. Many of Glasgow’s glories were built on a legacy of slavery and colonialism. The consequences of that legacy for the descendants of enslaved and colonised people continue to this day, whether right here in Glasgow or in other parts of the world.

"This trail encourages Glaswegians to look again at familiar streets, buildings and landmarks, to learn more about parts of Glasgow’s history that were overlooked for too long and to gain a fuller picture of the people, industries and institutions that helped shape our city. By making our whole history more visible and accessible, we can support greater understanding and encourage informed discussion.

“Glaswegians played a significant and lively role in the campaign for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, undertaking grassroots activism and welcoming prominent abolitionists like Frederick Douglass to the city. But there was an equally active pro-slavery lobby in Glasgow, which fought hard to protect wealth and influence accumulated on the back of the slave trade. We can’t say we truly understand Glasgow’s history without discussing all aspects of it.

"The Glasgow we know today wouldn’t exist without the labour of enslaved people and it’s time to give them their proper place in our story.”

Key locations on the trail include:

• Glasgow City Chambers: Between 1636 and 1834, 40 Lord Provosts of Glasgow were connected to slavery.

• Cochrane Street: Named in 1787 after Andrew Cochrane, a prominent Glasgow Tobacco Lord. The street was originally called Cotton Street.

• Ramshorn Kirk: Burial place of several Tobacco Lords, including Archibald Ingram, John Glassford and Andrew Buchanan, founder of the city's first bank, the Ship Bank.

• City Halls: A key site for anti-slavery meetings and rallies, reflecting Glasgow's strong anti-slavery movement.

• 38 Gallowgate: Home of William and Jane Smeal, founders of the Glasgow Anti-Slavery Society and the Glasgow Ladies Emancipation Society. Frederick Douglass used the house as a base during speaking tours of Scotland.

• Trongate: Home to a number of colonial merchants linked to slavery, with views towards the River Clyde where tobacco, sugar and cotton products arrived from across the Atlantic.

• Glassford Street: Named after Tobacco Lord John Glassford, whose family portrait includes an unnamed enslaved child and is now displayed in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

• Gallery of Modern Art: Originally built as the Cunninghame Mansion for William Cunninghame, whose wealth came from the tobacco and sugar trades. The building later became a meeting place for the Glasgow West India Association, one of the largest pro-slavery lobbying groups outside London.

A link to the Legacy of Slavery and Colonialism Trail can be found at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/31253101c23e4fd9a11bc73809fd81f3.

The trail will be added to with information relating to George Square upon its reopening later in the year.