All Points East

WEST is a fantastic bar and restaurant located at the far side of Glasgow Green. It specialises in artisan lagers, wheat beers and traditional German food. Its beer hall’s dark wood-panelled walls, seats and floors also feel very German, but the German-style lager and beers, which are brewed on-site, have been given Glasgow-inspired names (King Tuts and St. Mungo feature).

Some of its German specialities include currywurst and weiner schnitzel.

One of the best things about WEST is their dog friendly policy. This means you are almost guaranteed to bump into a cute four legged friend on any visit there. West has a large beer garden with lots of benches which makes it the go to place for many people on a sunny day.

WEST is situated in the former Templeton Carpet Factory Building, a beautiful building which was modelled on the Doge’s Palace in Venice. The building was built as a carpet factory in 1892 for James Templeton and Son Carpet Makers. The design of the building was based on a palace as the wealthy people living around the area where it was to be built did not want to look out on to a factory.

Debs M on Yelp Glasgow gives a great review of the brewery side of WEST:

“The main thing about West is, of course, the brewery - I love that you can look down and see all the...brewing stuff (technical term) and I also like that they brew different seasonal beers throughout the year, it means you can't really get bored of their offerings! (As if I would anyway, pfft.) All West products adhere to the German Purity Law of 1516, or Reinheitsgebot (bless you) which means the only ingredients are hops, barley and water - no rubbish and tasty beer as a result. I went to their Day of Beer last year with some pals to learn a bit more about the brewing process and beers themselves, which was really interesting!”

Visit WEST brewery in the Templeton Building on Glasgow Green.

The Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery to the East of Glasgow Cathedral. In 1651 the area was known as Fir Park due to the grounds being covered in fir trees. In 1831 city merchants decided that the park would be better suited to being used as Glasgow’s version of the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Over 50,000 people were buried at the Necropolis with 3500 tombs of varying size and stature.

Many wealthy merchants and noble people were buried here, and tombs were built to represent each person’s importance and wealth. Many major architects and sculptors of the time created tombs for the dead, including Charles Rennie Macintosh, Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson and JT Rochead.

John Knox has the tallest and earliest monument; others are not far behind in height. Undiscovered Scotland recommend viewing the mausoleum of Major Archibald Douglas Monteath.

“This is a highly ornate 30ft diameter structure modelled on the Church of St Sepulchure in Cambridge. The level of detail is amazing, with every window-arch on the lower level bearing a different pattern. Perhaps the most imposing monument in terms of its combined location, bulk, height and detail is the 35ft high William Gavin Monument shown in the header image. Others are much more modest in scale, like the memorial erected by public subscription to William Miller, author of the nursery rhyme "Wee Willie Winkie".

Today the Necropolis is a great place to visit, with spectacular views over the city of Glasgow from the top. Once within the Necropolis the winding paths can seem confusing. However, there are walking guides on sale in the nearby St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, and walking tours are also available. However, if you just keep following the path uphill you soon find yourself at the top of the Necropolis which hosts the largest tombs.

For more information about the Necropolis visit their website http://www.glasgownecropolis.org/ or visit the site itself, just off Castle Street, Glasgow.