THE GLASGOW MURAL TRAIL: A COMPLETE WALKING GUIDE

Scotland’s largest city is not just full of culture, diversity and bohemian charm but is also home to one of the world’s most impressive mural trails, The Glasgow City Centre Mural Trail. It’s on a par with The Bushwick Collective, NYC, The Mural Mile, Philadelphia, Berlin, Athens, Rio de Janeiro, London and Leicester’s very own, Bring the Paint.

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The city centre mural trail was officially launched in 2014 to promote the growing portfolio of works that were transforming the exteriors of buildings in Glasgow City Centre.

The Glasgow Mural Trail have helped rejuvenate streets and refresh buildings and vacant sites providing beautiful pieces of public street art adding splashes of colour, brightening up the ever-changing Glasgow city centre landscape. The art works showcase a various range of talent and art styles of many local artists providing them with a platform to showcase their work. Infact, artists are actively encouraged to get involved via the City Centre Mural Fund run by Glasgow City Council.

Many of the murals are centred around life around Glasgow and make up a fantastic trail that is accessible to all and easily walkable.

Be-lavie Tip: It may be a cliché but always look up, the best murals are way above eye level!

What You’ll Need & The Length of The Trail

If you’re visiting Glasgow and are unfamiliar with the city and are doing this trail alongside taking in other landmarks, I would allocate around half a day. Around 4-5 hours would be ideal just for the murals. It’s important to note that there is a lot of walking involved so bring a comfy pair of shoes and a waterproof coat incase the heavens open unexpectedly!

• What you’ll need
• Comfy walking shoes
• Rainproof coat or umbrella
• Water (or stop off at many of the eating and drinking establishments along the way! Remember you’re burning off the calories)
• Camera

The Best Bit: This activity is 100% sustainable. You’re walking and supporting the local artists alongside Glasgow City Council.

The Glasgow Mural Trail Map

To make things easier the Glasgow city centre mural trail have put together a map of the walking route you can follow including all 29 murals. A good place to start is Strathclyde Street (Wonderwall mural) and eventually complete the tour at Sauchiehall Street (Crazy Cat Lady mural).

The maps and legend have been included below or get your own copy at City centre mural map. You can also see other things in the area that you can do whilst mural spotting.

Another great way to discover the city is via the audio tour, which also has a map as well as the background behind each artwork.

Accessibility of The Glasgow Mural Trail

All the murals are scattered around the streets of Glasgow city centre and therefore really easy to access via the walking tour. Any mobility vehicles may have some issues with some of the narrow and uneven streets however there is still a pretty good chance of seeing a lot of the murals.

The Glasgow Mural Trail is Free

If you have not already gathered the mural trail is a completely free activity so you can save your pennies for some of the other attractions.

The Glasgow Cty Centre Mural Trail

Please note, the number of the murals correspond to those on the downloadable city mural map.

1. Wonderwall

The “Wonderwall” celebrates the people of the University of Strathclyde and their many significant achievements. Almost 200 metres long from start to finish and incorporating three 7- storey gables the project was completed.

The second image, features Dansken equatorial telescope, which was once used to teach nautical astronomy. The Land-Ship was a mock up navigation bridge on the roof of the School of Navigation in the Royal College, used to teach the principles of compass adjustment.

• Location: Strathclyde University Graham Hills Building.
• Address: 50 George Street Glasgow G1 1QE
• Artists: Art Pistol with Rogue-One and Ejek

2. St Enoch & Child

Smug (whom you may know as creating a few pieces in Leicester) has created this mature image of a modern day St Mungo (Patron St of Glasgow). The mural is a contemporary interpretation of the city’s founding story; St Thenue/Enoch cradling her beloved St Kentigern/Mungo. It’s a tender and emotionally connecting piece.

• Location: Directly behind the Strathclyde Wonderwall
• Address:  9-17 George Steet, Glasgow G4 0QR
• Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)

3. Saint Mungo

Another addition by Smug to his growing portfolio of work, this mural was completed in February 2016. Officially untitled, the mural acquired its name due to massive social media interest when an image of this installation was shared approximately 1.5 million times within the first week

• Location: Around the corner from St Enoch & Child
• Address:  287 High Street, Glasgow G4 0QS
• Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)

4. Fellow Glasgow Residents

Before the gable end wall overlooking Ingram Street car park featured peeling paint and graffiti. Now it shows all types of animals found in Glasgow’s parks and green space appearing through what looks like holes in the wall

• Location: Ingram Street Car Park
• Address: Merchant City. Glasgow G1 1NQ
• Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)

5. Badminton

Installed for 2014 Commonwealth Games, this mural is part of a series depicting various sports. The Badminton mural includes action shots of Scotland player Kieran Merrilees and conveys the speed of the game, as well as the athleticism required to succeed in competitive sport.

• Location: Merchant Square surrounded by eateries
• Address: 22 Wilson Street. Glasgow G1 1SS
• Artist: Guido Van Helten

6. Spaceman

It has been informed by Pop, graphic novels, graphic design, and Japanese culture, which you can see in the slick clean lines, colour choice and geometric patterned backgrounds. A great pop of colour to the urban landscape.

• Location: Corner of New Wynd
• Address: : 117 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HD
• Artist: Recoat and Alie Wylie

7. Study of a Woman in Black 2

The first of three very detailed art works. A portrait of the artists anonymous subjects dressed in black. This companion piece to his work in Bridgegate Path seems to beckon to the viewer, invoking mystery and intrigue.

• Location: Near St Andrews Square, dating back to 1754
• Address:  1-21 Street. Andrews St, Glasgow
• Artist: James Klinge

8. The Woman in Black 1

To the West is the Briggait; a Victorian fish-market now converted into an artists’ studio and event space. To the North is the Tolbooth Clock Tower; all that remains of the original City Chambers, which was destroyed by fire in 1926. To the North-West are the independent retailers of Kings Court and Parnie Street. To the east is St Andrews in the Square, dating back to 1754 and described as one of the top six classical churches in the UK.

• Location: Glasgow Green
• Address: : 24-6 Bridgegate, Glasgow
• Artist: James Klinge

Adjacent to the South-East is Glasgow Green, the oldest of the city’s parks and a great spot for a stroll if you have the time or a rest after all the walking.

9. The Clutha

This mural pays homage to the history of the area, as well as celebrating a variety of personalities who visited this iconic location, famous for its atmosphere and live music. This mural was also part of renovations to the bar, after a helicopter crash left it destroyed. It’s a great memory of what was there before and adds some quirky colour and brightness.

• Location: Close to River Clyde, near the Court of Justiciary
• Address: 33 Gorbals Street, Glasgow G1 4SP
• Artist: Rogue-One, Art Pistol and Ejek

10. Billy Connolly

To commemorate of Billy Connolly’s 75th birthday BBC Scotland commissioned three portraits of the comedian by top Scottish artists. In conjunction with Glasgow City Council representations of these original works were then installed around the city centre. Three of his actual portraits are now on show at the Peoples Palace and the two murals (you’ll see the other soon) are adaptations of the portraits by John Byrne

• Location: Close to the St Enoch’s shopping centre.
• Address: 118 Osborne Street, Glasgow G1 5RP
• Artist: Rogue-One.

11. The World’s Most Economical Taxi

Rogue one painted bricks onto the wall when creating this mural just because he wanted a brick wall! The detail in this mural is phenomenal. The taxi is shown to be economical as it is floating on balloons.

• Location: Near to Glasgow’s Style Mile and GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) This mural is located in the very centre of Glasgow and a good place to stop if you want a shorter tour.
• Address: : 33 Mitchell St, Glasgow G1 3LN
• Artist: Rogue One

12 Honey…I Shrunk The Kids

A photo-realistic street art that spans the whole length of the wall covers the gable end of a building on Mitchell Street, off Argyle Street. The colossal image, The art work shows a girl with a magnifying glass who seems as if she’s

picking up an object off the street.

• Location: Mitchell Street
• Address: 34 Mitchell Street, Glasgow
• Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)

13. Wind Power

This mural was originally made for a live installation as part of the Doors Open Day 2014 event and celebrates the diversity of sustainable energy production within Glasgow and Scotland nationally.

• Location: Mitchell Lane onto Mitchell Street
• Address: The Lighthouse, Glasgow G1 3LX
• Artist: Rogue-One and Art Pistol

14 Glasgow Panda

This Giant Panda is located on Gordon Lane and is completely adorable.

Be sure to pop into the Lighthouse, when you pass by. The Lighthouse is a design centre, which has great views over the city from the top floor and also has Free entry.

• Location: Bamboo Gates of Gordon Lane.
• Address: 10 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow G1 3NU
• Artist: Klingatron

15 Dr Connolly, I Presume?

This is the second of the two Billy Connolly murals installed by Rogue One. It is a reproduction of the Jack Vettriano painting from the comedian’s World Tour of Scotland series in 1994 titled “Dr Connolly I Presume” and features a windblown Billy on a storm-lashed coast near John O’Groats.

• Location: Beer garden of a bar in the city centre on Dixon Street near St Enochs.
• Address: 19 Dixon St, Glasgow G1 4AL
• Artist: Rogue One & Art Pistol

16 The Gallery

This boarded up store front has interpretations of famous paintings, such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Munch’s, The Scream, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and many more. The Mona Lisa is said to be renamed ‘The Mona Lassie’ as it features a lady holding a can of Iron-Bru.

• Location: Old Storefront on the corner of Argyll Street
• Address: Argyll Street
• Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)

17 The Swimmer

The Swimmer celebrates the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

At the Kingston Bridge, a concrete wall is emblazoned with huge Commonwealth swimmers greeting drivers waiting at the traffic lights, created by Smug (Sam Bates).

• Location: Below the Kingston Bridge, can be seen at the lights.
• Address: : Anderston Quay, Glasgow
• Artist: SMUG (Sam Bates)

18 Glasgow Crocodile

The image is designed to work with the backdrop, using a gap in the bricks for the eye slit, and areas of old brickwork amongst the scales. It’s a giant croc hunting in the concretet jungle of Glasgow.

• Location: Charing Cross Bridge
• Address: : Charing Cross Bridge. Glasgow G3 7UL
• Artist: Klingatron and Art Pistol Collaboration

19 Charing Cross Birds

Located right next to Glasgow Crocodile, the Charing Cross Birds and provides something a little different to the rest of the murals you see in the city. It represents, birds, foliage and fruit.

• Location: Charing Cross Bridge
• Address: Charing Cross Bridge. Glasgow G3 7UL
• Artist: Klingatron and Art Pistol Collaboration

20 The Lost Giant

The artists “Lost Giant” series has installations in various major towns and cities all over the world. The Glasgow one has a specially decorated scarf made from the Glaswegian tartan. The Lost Giant series can be seen in Florence, and Perth.

• Location: Entrance to Sauchiehall Lane
• Address: : 156 Elmbank Street, Glasgow G2 4NY
• Artist: Stormie Mills

21. Shadow Hand Puppets

This dark and dingy tunnel is spruced up by some shadow graphy or Ombromanie. Spot hands emulating squirrels with big ears!

• Location: Tunnel leading to Cowcaddens subway
• Address: 1, 11 Dundasvale Court, Glasgow G4 0SN
• Artist: Mr Rogue

22 The Musician

This mural reflects the city’s huge music scene between the bars making this a perfect spot for the Musician  

• Location: Lanes around back of City Centre Bars.
• Address: Sauchiehall Lane, Glasgow
• Artist: Rogue-One collaboration with Art Pistol

23 Portrait Gallery

These portrait style murals, are an emerging gallery and help give a splash of colour in an inductrial surrounding.

• Location: Below Central Station railway tracks
• Address: : 5 Midland Street, Glasgow
• Artist: James Klinge

24 Today we’re in Love aren’t we?

This celebrates 30 year’s of Glasgow’s Doors Open Days Festival and also around 500 buildings which have murals on them. It shows the wide range of architecture in Glasgow whilst representing a line from The Bargain by Glaswegian poet, Liz Lochead

“Yes today we are in love, with the whole splintering city”.

• Location: Not far from the Broomielaw
• Address: : Brown Street, Glasgow G1 4RU
• Artist: The Cobalt Collective (all female collaborative)

25 Bubbles

Two facing walls featuring two little girls blowing bubbles on one side with a cute little pug on the other. It was inspired by the fact that bubbles can cast some beautiful shadows.

• Location: Renfield Lane
• Address:  Portland House, Glasgow
• Artist: Rogue

26 Good as Gold

This mural takes the micky out of the chocolate bar. Freddo and how they used to cost just 10p. The price since rises every couple of years and this is a very fun representation of humour.

• Location: Springfield Court.
• Address: Buchannan Street
• Artist: Conzo & Globel

27 Are Ye Dancing?

A representation of true Glaswegian humour, this mural captures the true essence of the city in humility as well as colour.

• Location: Lane next to Sloan’s Bar
• Address: Argyl Street.
• Artist: Conzo & Globel

28 Study of a Woman in Black 3

This last mural in the series of 3, takes the Study of a Woman in a reclining pose in a intimate setting tucked away off a side street location.

Our final mural on this route is the third instalment of the Study of a Woman in Black series

• Location: Lane off Royal Exchange.
• Address: 32 Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
• Artist: James Klinge

29 Crazy Cat Lady

More of a cartoon-like mural, filled with fun art work, this mural stretches quite a length, is colourful and cat-lovers this one is for you! It is at the spot of the demolition of Victoria’s nightclub which was destroyed by a fire.

• Location: Middle of Sauchiehall Street
• Address: 112-76 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow
• Artist: Art Pistol and Rogue Collaboration

That’s the end of the Glasgow City Mural, a self-guided tour of all 29 murals. Please use this article as a guide to plan your own mural walking itinerary in Glasgow in conjunction with The City Central Mural Trail, Glasgow.

Related Street Art Tours

Glasgow Guided Street Art Walking Tour

Further Street-Art Related Articles

• Bring The Paint 2017, Leicester
• The Leicester Street Art Scene
• The Bushwick Collective Tour, Brooklyn, NYC
• The Mural Mile, Philadelphia: The World’s Largest Outdoor Gallery

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