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A short tour of Glasgow's Merchant City area. The entire tour is on pavements or footpaths. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed at the final location.
Until the plaque at 224 Ingram Street is available again, please note that C=8 and D=9.
The Merchant City lies at the heart of Glasgow’s City Centre, where historically the tobacco lairds and traders who once made Glasgow the Second City of the Empire came to do business, socialise, build their townhouses and later their warehouses.
The area demonstrates a strong civic pride through the number of buildings adorned with carved coats of arms. This tour will take you along one of the main thoroughfares, Ingram Street. This street was named after Archibald Ingram (1699-1770), a tobacco lord and who had been Provost in 1762. The street was opened in 1781 and was previously known as Back Cow Lane.
The above coordinates are for the front of the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art in Queen Street. Queen Street was opened in 1777 and is named after Queen Charlotte. It was previously known as Cow Lane. Built in 1778 as the townhouse of William Cunninghame of Lainshaw, a wealthy Glasgow Tobacco Lord, this building has undergone a series of different uses. It was bought in 1817 by the Royal Bank of Scotland who later moved onto Buchanan Street; it then became the Royal Exchange. Reconstruction for this use was undertaken by David Hamilton between 1827 and 1832 and resulted in many additions to the building, namely the Corinthian pillars to the Queen Street facade, the cupola above and the large hall to the rear of the old house. In 1954, Glasgow District Libraries moved the Stirling's Library into the building. When the library returned to Miller Street, the building was refurbished to house the city’s contemporary art collection and was opened in 1996.
How many windows are on the front of the building? This equals ‘A’.
How many stone steps lead to the front door? This equals ‘B’
We head east along Ingram Street to number 224 which is opposite Ingram House. Here you will find a plaque in the pavement. In what year were Angus’ School and the neighbouring Gaelic Church removed?
This equals ‘1C3D’.
We continue to 191 Ingram Street and when you arrive, if you look up South Frederick Street you can see the City Chambers. The City Chambers are the headquarters of Glasgow City Council, the largest local authority in Scotland, and were completed in 1889. Located on the eastern side of the city's George Square, Queen Victoria performed the inauguration ceremony in August 1888, and the first Council meeting was held in October 1889. The buildings are a good example of Victorian civic architecture. The entrance hall of the Chambers displays a mosaic of the city's coat of arms on the floor. The arms reflect legends about Glasgow's patron saint, Saint Mungo, and include four emblems - the bird, tree, bell, and fish - as remembered in the following verse:
Here's the Bird that never flew
Here's the Tree that never grew
Here's the Bell that never rang
Here's the Fish that never swam
At the back of number 191 Ingram Street is the site of the former Virginia Mansion which was redeveloped to create the Union Bank - with a magnificent tellers hall added by James Salmon in 1853 and then as the Lanarkshire House court rooms. It is now used for something completely different.
Look above the top right window in Ingram Street for the name of a Scottish city. By using the method a=1, b=2 and so on, ‘E’ equals the second letter and ‘F’ equals the fifth letter. ‘
Now continue eastwards and as you cross Glassford Street you can see Trades House designed by Robert Adam in 1791. The building was designed to accommodate the offices of Glasgow's rising trades and is Adam's only surviving Glasgow building. Many of his hallmarks are present, such as Venetian windows, unfluted Ionic columns, and the distinctive play of advanced and recessed wall plains. Inside, the Hall has rich panelling and a Belgian silk tapestry of 1902 depicting the various trades - fleshers, tanners, bonnet makers, and bakers amongst others.
Soon you come across what was previously the home to Glasgow Sheriff Court at number 149. Limpylil spent many happy years here in the Sheriff Clerks Office as a Sheriff Clerk Depute. We noticed that the Scottish Youth Theatre is currently using what used to be the ‘Whipping Room’. How many columns are on the front of the building? This equals ‘G’.
The cache is a nano size, so please bring your own pencil and the log is so small it has room for initials only please.
The proximity of the buildings makes it difficult to get an accurate reading, so the hint has been amended.
The cache can be found at N.55 51.GEF W.004 14.(D-B)(A+E)(C/2)
THE GATES MAY ONLY BE OPEN DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS UNTIL THE END OF 2018.
Further updates when available.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
N ovg furrcvfu ohg nggenpgvir nyy gur fnzr. Evtug ng gur onpx, ba gur vagreany tngrf.