Scotland's second university
The University of Glasgow was established on 7 January 1451 by a papal bull from Pope Nicholas V, at the request of Bishop William Turnbull and with the enthusiastic support of King James II. It was Scotland's second university (after St Andrews, founded in 1413) and the fourth-oldest in the English-speaking world.
The university began life in the Chapter House of Glasgow Cathedral, with a handful of students and teachers. Its early purpose was to train clergy and lawyers — the professionals who ran medieval Scotland. But over the centuries, Glasgow would grow into one of the most important intellectual centres in Europe. By the 18th century, it was at the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, was both a student and later a professor at Glasgow. James Watt developed his improved steam engine while working as an instrument maker for the university. Joseph Lister pioneered antiseptic surgery here. Lord Kelvin, whose work on thermodynamics changed physics, spent 53 years as Glasgow's professor of natural philosophy. The university didn't just educate — it changed the world.
Today the University of Glasgow occupies a magnificent Gothic Revival campus on Gilmorehill in the west end of the city. The main building, completed in 1870, is one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Britain. The Hunterian Museum, housed within the university, is Scotland's oldest public museum. Glasgow's university heritage is a central part of any visit to the city.