Clydesdale Bank Building

Category: Historic Building/Architectural Interest

30-40 St Vincent Place.

John Burnet (1814-1901) designed this building in 1874, and it served as the Clydesdale Bank's Headquarters until 1902. Burnet chose to use a lot of ornamentation on the front. Over the doorway is the head of Father Clyde, representing the River which had brought the city so much of its prosperity. This was sculpted by Charles Grassby, but the rest of the sculpture is by John Mossman (1817-1890). In the small roundels are bas-relief figures, which are protected by nets to stop birds from damaging them. The larger figurative sculptures represent values which the bank wanted to associate themselves with - this one shows Industry.

This pair of figures represent Commerce. Below is a small carving showing a galleon sailing the ocean. At the start of the new Millenium, it is easy to forget how vital the shipping industry was for Glasgow. But in the architectural sculpture of the city, there are many poignant reminders.