History
The City Halls are part of a market complex designed by John Carrick in 1882, but the grand hall itself was designed by George Murray and opened in 1841. It was the first hall suitable for large gatherings and concerts to be built in the City and played host to the likes of Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens, Hungarian patriot Lajos Kossuth and William Ewart Gladstone. The Old Fruitmarket directly adjoins the grand hall and was a functioning market until the 1970s after which it was in occasional use for jazz and folk music events. The adjoining buildings were home to bustling produce markets such as the fresh fruit and flower market and the cheese market.
In the past it featured concerts by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. For a number of years, after the destruction by fire of the St Andrews Hall in 1962, it was used for concerts by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, until the opening of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 1990. It has also been a venue for many of Glasgow's Festivals, including Celtic Connections, Mayfest and the Jazz Festival, as well as political and trade union gatherings. It has been protected as a category A listed building since 1970.
Read more about this topic: Glasgow City Halls
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