Foreign journalists on a guided tour of the Princes Square shopping centre, Buchanan Street. They represented national newspapers in sixteen countries, on a fact-finding tour of Glasgow. The photograph appeared in the June 1988 issue of Glasgow City Council's newspaper The Bulletin.
Princes Square was originally an open courtyard with stables. The Buchanan Street side was formed by architect John Baird's Prince of Wales Buildings, dating from 1842. The shopping centre was opened in 1987, designed by Hugh Martin & Partners in conjunction with The Design Solution.
A number of factors have contributed to the success of the development. The buildings around the square have been converted with great imagination to galleried, specialist shops that include some of the top designer names, as well as exclusive boutiques. There are banks of escalators, glass-sided lifts, baroque stairs and ornate ironwork, under an art nouveau glass roof. The mosaics, fountain and Foucault Pendulum are much admired. The stylish cafes, bars and restaurants open until midnight, stimulating a relaxed and cosmopolitan "cafe culture" sheltered from the elements.
Reference: Bulletin photographs, Box 13, December 1989
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
architects, art nouveau, bars, Bulletin, courtyards, Design Solution, Foucault Pendulum, Hugh Martin & Partners, ironwork, journalists, Prince of Wales Buildings, Princes Square, restaurants, shopping centres, shops