Autumn Is Almost Over

The trees are almost completely bare, the leaves of fiery colours disintegrating into a brown mush on the ground, the air feeling a bit crisper. Yep, Autumn is almost over and “winter” is approaching. (The bunny ears are there because last winter didn’t feel very wintery here in Scotland, so here’s to hoping this year will bring more snow etc.) It also means that be can look forward to persistently dull overcast skies, revision, exams, Christmas parties, and the crazy loons who insist on wearing a t-shirt and shorts throughout the winter.

This shot was taken from next to the Round Reading Room, visible on the left there. The building on the left is the Wellington Church and the Fraser Building is peeking from behind the Round Reading Room.

[Poll #6: What is the UGLIEST BUILDING at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

On A Cloudy Autumn Day

As I mentioned yesterday, I was up on the 12th floor of the University Library taking some pictures of the Main Building and its surrounding area. The little windows on the side of the tall tower of the Library offer a very limited view out of them, hence the slight fuzziness of the picture. I was trying to blend three different exposures taken without the aid of a tripod.

The round building in the bottom right corner is a part of the Hunterian Art Gallery and the Mackintosh House is right behind that. The John McIntyre Building is just between the Main Building and the little green patch with the autumn trees.

[Poll #5: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

Autumn Yellow

Thought I’d somehow highlight the autumn trees outside the Library and the Fraser Building and this is what came out of that. I don’t know about you, but I kinda like the way the library looks in this photo.

Speaking of which, don’t forget to take part in this month’s poll on ‘What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?’ You can find the poll on the sidebar just to the left there, or you can go to the Polls page.

[Poll #5: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

Autumn Is A Stressful Time

The first week of the 2009/2010 Academic Year is almost over and people are slowly starting to recover from Freshers’ Flu (or it’s just about to hit them).

This is also the time when the whole weight of University Life comes down on everyone full force as everything you signed up for on Freshers’ Week is now emailing you and inviting you to whatever social gathering or event they’re throwing. Pub crawls, fancy dress parties, pub quizzes, society elections, you name it. Everyone of your friends from last year who had their birthday during the summer months is having a belated birthday party. Everyone who moved into a flat with some friends is hosting a flat warming party in the next week or so. The first essays are due in the month. You’re filling in various forms for council tax exemption and student loans and grants and your letting agency. If you’re from England you haven’t gotten your student loans yet, adding a huge amount of stress on your shoulders. You’re running to Ikea to buy cheap furniture to fill the emptiness of your new flat. The reading lists for all your subjects are daunting. Hundreds of pounds are being spent on your course books and materials, new or second-hand. And it’s almost Halloween, so better start thinking about what to wear.

It’s a stressful time for University students.

To balance that I offer a simple solution. If at any point the sun comes out, or at least the rain stops for an hour or so, head down to Kelvingrove Park and appreciate the leaves turning many shades of fiery colours. Just go for a stroll or even a small picnic during lunch time. Grab your course reading list, find one of the books from the library, and go sit in the park to read for a bit. Get away from the chaos of the first weeks of the Academic year on campus.

I took the above photo on a short stroll though Kelvingrove Park. It was windy, yes. The sun came out for 20 seconds and then disappeared for a minute. It rained for about 45 seconds a few times. But it was a whole world away from the stress of this time of the year.

[Poll #4: Which Student Union(s) do you belong to (or use to belong to)?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

Through the Cloisters

Taking a step back from yesterday’s post, we find ourselves underneath Bute Hall, by the Cloisters once again.

Some of the main aspects of the Main Building which are generally considered the most grand and aesthetically significant parts of the Main Building were interestingly not built by the man whose name the building carries.

The Main Building of Glasgow University, also known as the Gilbert Scott Building (after the main architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott), formally opened in 1870. The entire building wasn’t actually completed until way into the 1920s. Significantly, due to financial issues, work on the Cloisters and Bute Hall didn’t begin until 1877. The original architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott, died in 1878, leaving his son, John Oldrid Scott, to take over the construction of the Tower and the spire which sits on top of it, Bute Hall, and the Cloisters.

[Poll #2: What is your connection to Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

“It looks just like Hogwarts!”

I once heard a rumour that the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, of Harry Potter fame, was based on the Main Building of the University of Glasgow. Furthermore, another rumour claimed that when the first Harry Potter movie was to be filmed, the producers wanted to film many of the Hogwarts scenes at the University of Glasgow, but the University turned them down for some reason.

Whether or not either one of the rumours is true, I can’t base either on any solid information. Instead, I offer my personal speculations on the matter:

• In the stories, Hogwarts is located somewhere in Scotland.
• J K Rowling lived in Edinburgh at the time of writing, so it has been suggested that her inspirations for Hogwarts would have included the Edinburgh Castle and the University of Edinburgh.
• Edinburgh Castle has no Hogwartsy spires.
• The University of Edinburgh has no Hogwartsy spires.
• Christ Church College in Oxford, where much of the movie version of Hogwarts was filmed, has no Hogwartsy spires.
• The Main Building of Glasgow University has many Hogwartsy spires.
• J K Rowling is said to have based Diagon Alley on Ashton Lane, which is located right next to Glasgow University in the West End.
• Neil Murray, J K Rowling’s husband, graduated from the medical school at Glasgow University in 1994.

If anyone actually knows what the actual inspiration for Hogwarts was, do tell. In the mean time the students of Glasgow University will have to settle for not seeing wizards and owls or a game of quidditch at their very own Hogwarts.

[Poll #2: What is your connection to Glasgow University?]
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© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com