December 2009 Recap & Poll Results [GlasgowUniPhoto.com]
So that’s it for 2009. Every site and their cat is going through a review of the past year and what the future holds, a time for reflection and making resolutions one doesn’t usually manage to keep hold of for longer than a few weeks, maybe a few months. Relating to that, January’s poll asks what kind of resolutions you made for the New Year. Couldn’t resist asking, kinda curious if studies, health or something else will make it to the top of the list.
I’m not going to review the past year, as the photo blog is only seven months old. Instead, I’ll briefly explain a few minute and mostly aesthetic changes around here.
One, I’ve noticed that I didn’t keep to my original plan of limiting myself to a few sentences per photo as a caption. Instead, some of the posts have become quite wordy. This is a photoblog after all. Starting with the first post of 2010, the photos will be accompanied by brief anecdotal captions, with the occasional longer post. The reasoning behind this is that otherwise I’ll never be able to post a photo a day, instead playing catch up with the calendar and the blog, as I’ve been doing for the past weeks.
Two, I’ve finally figured out a better, no nonsense name for the photoblog: Photos from Glasgow University. The old name, Glasgow University in Photos always seemed a bit off to me.. Problem solved.
Three, continuing with a social outreach, the photoblog can now be found on Facebook. The Facebook logo on the right hand side of the blog will take you to the corresponding page where you can become a fan of Photos from Glasgow University. The other buttons are for Twitter (@GlasgowUniPhoto), Flickr photos and the RSS Feed for subscriptions.
The results of December’s Poll, asking what grade you would give the year 2009, are below. Glad to see that the year was primarily positive for the readers of this photoblog, and here’s to hoping next year will be even better, especially for those who gave 2009 a D or even an F:
Below are the photos from December:
![December 13th: H is for... Hunter [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2630/4175927964_b50bb5bec9_s.jpg)
![December 27th: I is for... Inscription [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/3616099332_2a5ea69ed8_s.jpg)
Hope
A simple chalk graffiti. One single word. I, along with hundreds and hundreds of other students walked past this simple word on our way to Bute Hall and other halls to take exams in December.
I don’t know who wrote the word, or what their motives were, but that individual is a genius. It’s so simple, yet effective. It’s written on the middle level of the stairs, at eye-level, as you ascend the stairs to the West Quadrangle. For lack of a better word, it gave me hope when taking my exams.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Monochrome Cloisters
Oh look, another view of the picturesque Cloisters, minus colours this time. Gotta try different tricks and angles to get that one perfect shot, one day.
Most students will easily recognize the tables around a few of the thicker pillars as the tables at which thousands of students suffer and stress every December and April/May. Why they are outside under the Cloisters, in the cold, no idea. Hope someone didn’t have to take their exams outside in the Scottish winter.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Golden Cloisters
Another attempt at photographing the Cloisters under Bute Hall, this time armed with a tripod (or rather, an improvpod as I balanced the lens of my camera on my cell phone and/or a hole-puncher. Worked surprisingly well, all things considered.) At least the picture is sharp, and a different angle than before. Like I said back in June, “I am not leaving this University without that one perfect shot”. Getting closer?
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Golden Gates
To make up for the gloomy Christmas shot from a few days back, here’s a glowing and golden view of the North Front of the Main Building and the Memorial Gates, taken about a week before Christmas.
Now, for a little game. Can you spot the boat? (Why is there a boat on the Memorial Gates?)
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
I is for… Inscription [ABC Sundae]
![I is for... Inscription [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/3616099332_2a5ea69ed8.jpg)
Spread around campus are numerous inscriptions, signs and plaques commemorating this and that, marking the unveiling or dedicating a building or a piece of art. Some of the inscriptions are pretty new, some old like the one above which sits on the wall of Pearce Lodge. I tried to decipher the Latin inscription above, but no cigar. Anno Domini something. I have no idea. Parts of the Pearce Lodge date from the Old College and the building bears a sign saying “Ann. Dom. 1658″, and the other parts were built in the late 1880s.
All the inscriptions, plaques and signs that I have featured in photos here can be found under the category Signs & Plaques.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Wellington Church Christmas Tree
If you thought the multicoloured Christmas tree outside the Main Building of the University wasn’t very nice, turn around and look at the smaller tree in front of the Wellington Church. Just like last year, the little Christmas tree with the bright blueish lights is overshadowed by the looming pillars of the Wellington Church. It’s a nice, somewhat minimalistic touch.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
This is pretty much the only Christmas scene I could find around campus in the little time I had between revision and exams and Christmas shopping. I’d hoped for a more wintery scene for this Christmas photo, but alas, this is Scotland after all. If you look carefully, there IS snow on the ground. No really, there is.
I apologise for the odd photo and the angle, but for some bizarre reason one of the guards at the Main Gate told us that we weren’t allowed to take photos on University grounds without official permission. That includes students taking those photos. First time I heard something along those lines. Anyone else hear of some rules like this? Might kinda hinder the progress of this photo blog.
Fear not, photos will appear as planned. =) Happy holidays everyone!
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
1939-1945
In 1948 the University of Glasgow erected memorial tablets in the University Chapel to commemorate those associated with the University who died in the Second World War. The tablets are located to the East of the stalls on both sides and contain the names of the 452 members of the University who perished in WWII. The tablets above are from the South side of the Chapel and contains the names from Adam to McCallum. You can see a larger version here.
There’s more on the Chapel on the University of Glasgow Story website, including a Roll of Honour detailing all the names on the six tablets.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Memorial Gates and Round Reading Room
I’ve shown the Memorial Gates a few times, from the University Avenue side. Yes, it looks pretty much the same from the other side, except the names of the important people associated with the University of Glasgow are only on the other side.
Instead of the North Front of the Main Building, the round building on the other side of the gates is theRound Reading Room. With the exception of the University Tower and the Cloisters, the Memorial Gates is probably the most often photographed part of the University, typically from either right on the other side of the gates or from the front of the Round Reading Room. This, however, is not a typical shot. Enjoy. (I’ll get one late at night one day.)
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Hunter Memorial Inscription
This is a close-up of the Hunter Memorial which I featured on Sunday. I was going to use an online translator or something similar to figure out what it says, but they all fell a bit short or didn’t offer Latin-English translation.
The heavily abbreviated version of it is the following:
In memory of brothers William and John Hunter, and then something about natural sciences, surgery, London, being an alumni of Glasgow and the University Museum. Or something in that direction.
If there’s anyone reading this who possesses a working knowledge of Latin, please translate in the comments below. Please? Thank you!
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The GUU on Daft Friday 2009
Last one from Daft Friday, at least for now. I just wanted to highlight the colours that the outside of the Glasgow University Union building had been lit up in. They should light up the building more often, methinks. I took this shot as we headed out the door on our way home (at 5:21am). Yes, we skipped the complimentary breakfast.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Daft Friday Ceilidh
After a year and a half at Glasgow University, I finally took part in a ceilidh for the first time, at the 100th Daft Friday. The ceilidh took place in the Debates Chamber of the GUU as part of the night’s festivities. Alternatively, we could have gone a floor down to the Dining Room for Laserquest, but eventually, after watching the ceilidh from the sidelines for a bit, we were persuaded to give it a go.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The Theme for Daft Friday 2009…
…was Looney Tunes. At Daft Friday 2009 the walls were decorated with the usual crowd of cartoon characters, such as Jessica and Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Porky Big, Wile E. Coyote, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian and Daffy Duck, Pinky and the Brain, and greeting you as you walk up the stairs upon entering the building, a “life-size” manikin of Yosemite Sam standing on a barrel of TNT.
I could have posted a collage of the various decorations spread around the building, but I decided to just post this one, as I found it to be one of the best ones, and one of the more entertaining ones.It appears to be a rendition of the Beer Bar, located down in the basement of the GUU. Duckfast was also a nice touch.
Last year’s theme was the world of video games, which I showed in a photo back last July.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The 100th Daft Friday
Back in 1909, the Glasgow University Union held a Christmas ball known as Daft Friday, a black-tie event which this year saw it reach its 100th year. At £35 per ticket (£65 for couples), it’s not a cheap thrill, but nevertheless 2,500 people bought a ticket (and I presume also showed up). The line, when we showed up at 9.15pm, was around the corner to Oakfield Avenue. As we got closer to the door I heard that the queue went all the way to the University Library, or to the Stevenson Building. Don’t know what the truth is. Perhaps both were wrong, can’t say.
The building you see before you, the old part of the Glasgow University Union, was lit up outside in purple and yellow. Inside, as per tradition, the place is entirely devoted to the event and is redecorated in accordance to a particular theme, kept a secret until one walks into the building on Daft Friday. And the theme for 2009 was… (see tomorrow’s post.)
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Working Late On A Foggy Night
I wonder if that lone bicycle belongs to whoever’s working late in that window right there. I’ve seen that particular light on a few times before late at night, so I assume someone is either a hard and studious worker, or likes to sleep late and work at night.
The photo was taken early last week when the fog started. I know it’s the third foggy photo, but Glasgow’s been quite foggy recently so it’s a current meteorological event. So shush.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Infinity Stairwell
I apologise if this view gives anyone a minor case of vertigo. It might have been the early morning and the lack of coffee, but morning vertigo gives me a headache. Try following the stairs down with your eyes. Try it.
The photo above is from the smaller staircase of the Adam Smith Building, the place where you usually find Miller, the Adam Smith Building cat, curled up next to a radiator.
I spend way too much time in the Adam Smith Building, don’t I? I blame the 9am Politics Lectures.
(P.S. I know the stairwell is not infinite, it ends in the basement. Where you can’t go? What are they hiding there, one wonders.)
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Spires in the Fog
There is an eerie element to the Main Building of the University. My girlfriend noted that the Tower feels like the Eye of Sauron, following her everywhere she goes, which is understandable as the University Tower is visible from quite a few places around Glasgow, being one of the tallest non-residential structures in the city on one of the tallest hills in the city.
I kinda wish it was foggy every day around the West End of Glasgow, especially on days when I have time and my camera with me. The recent days have been quite foggy, which isn’t very common around the University area of the city. The grey skies are, unfortunately, very common in Glasgow.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Warming Up
You can tell it’s cold outside when Miller, the Adam Smith Building Cat, is sitting comfortably inside the Adam Smith Building, next to a heater in the smaller stairwell.
Is it just me, or does Miller look much older? It looks as if he’s got a beard. You can compare it to the previous photo of him that I posted back in July.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
H is for… Hunter [ABC Sundae]
The name ‘Hunter’ has popped up every now and then on this blog, and around campus, usually in the form of ‘Hunterian’. The name “Hunter” refers to not one, but two people with connections to the University of Glasgow.
The photo above is of the Hunter Memorial, just behind the Memorial Gates and in front of the Hunterian Museum part of the Main Building, which was unveiled on June 24th back in 1925. (Photo of the Hunter Memorial in 1951) The two names on the memorial, next to the round representations of their faces, are William Hunter on the right, and John Hunter on the left. The middle bit accommodates a statue of St Kentigern and a Latin inscription, of which I’ll post a closer photo soon.
William Hunter (1718-1783) was a graduate of the University and a distinguished anatomist and obstetrician. He bequeathed his extensive collections of “anatomical and pathological preparations, coins, books and manuscripts and botanical, geological and other materials” (source) to the University and financed the creation of a museum to house this collection. That extensive collection has grown to be the broad Hunterian Museum spread around campus. (Bio) (Wikipedia)
John Hunter (1728-1793), William’s younger brother, was a professor at Glasgow University, among other vocations such as surgeon to King George III, and is primarily known as a surgeon and scientist. The Hunterian Society of London, a society of physicians and dentists based in London, was founded in his honor. (Bio) (Wikipedia)
Most of the information presented here came from The University of Glasgow Story, a website maintained by the University’s Archive Services.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
GUU at Night
Back on this day in 1930 the Glasgow University Union moved down the street from the John McIntyre Building to the newly purpose-built University Union building at the foot of University Avenue, opened on this day by the Rector at the time, and future Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin.
I took the photo from the little outside part of the Beer Bar, just next to the main entrance.
More “On This Day” entries can be found on Glasgow University Story website at universitystory.gla.ac.uk maintained by the Archive Services. Information also from University Story site.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
A Dolphin?
Yes, that is a dolphin, swimming around in the Bower Building. I suspect it has something to do with Marine and Freshwater Biology, which is based in the Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences (FBLS). This has to be one of the weirdest double-takes I’ve had at Uni so far. Well, with the exception of one particular door.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Dirty Dishes
On top of the newly renamed Sir Alexander Stone Building, formerly the Modern Languages Building, is this little array of satellite dishes and other receivers. Are they there so students can get foreign TV for the Languages department? Or is there a super secret command centre tucked away within the building?
I’ll go with the latter (too many spy movies…).
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Glasgow University Panorama (from the roof of the QMU)
Last week when I was up on the roof of the Queen Margaret Union taking photos and video of the World AIDS Day flashmob, I also took advantage of being at a location I might not be at again, and took the above panorama and a bunch of other photos which’ll be featured in coming days.
The buildings visible in the panorama, from left to right, are as follows: Lilybank House, Adam Smith Building, University Library, Sir Alexander Stone Building, University Gardens, Main Building, Hetherington House, Maths Building, Wolfson Medical School Building, Boyd Orr Building, and the Gregory Building.
If you click the above photo, you’ll be taken to the corresponding Flickr page, where the aforementioned buildings have been tagged on the photo.
For the best view, download or view the original 13777 x 2399 panorama photo.
[Poll #7: What grade would you give the year 2009?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
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