The Spirit of Glasgow

When Glasgow was designated the 1990 European Capital of Culture, it seized the opportunity to invest heavily in both creating culture as well as celebrating what already existed. The result is that the city is now the third most visited in the UK, after London and neighbouring Edinburgh. But despite carefully dovetailed efforts to market its history and its modernity, this complex cosmopolitan city is as much a mystery as it ever was. Glasgow celebrates its sardonic humour through the likes of Billy Connolly and Rab C. Nesbitt, and its architectural genius through Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is full of united patriotic fervour yet is fiercely divided by loyalties to its two principal football teams. It is being developed, especially along the Clyde waterfront, at breakneck speed while it steadfastly hangs on to the memories of its founding fathers. Its transport system, especially its road network, panders to the twenty-first century need for speed and carves its elevated way through the very centre of the city, giving travellers an eye-level view of graceful elderly facades of monumental buildings constructed when the automobile was still a rarity. Seen through the lens of unrivalled photographer Andy Stansfield, Glasgow is a European Capital of Contrasts. It is this dramatic juxtaposition of ancient and modern which dominates his photographic record of recent visits to the city capturing the true spirit of Glasgow. Andy Stansfield is a photographer, feature writer and author specialising in travel and outdoor leisure. Having an extensive portfolio of magazine work, he now concentrates almost entirely on writing and illustrating books, mainly for Halsgrove.