The historic sandstone Customs House building, with its distinctive Greek revival frontage, now forms a centrepiece for a brand-new hotel quarter with the modern buildings of the 303-bed four-star Clayton Hotel together with a 164-bed Adagio Aparthotel. The development opened in 2022. Our photographs shows the building undergoing renovation work in 2021. The Customs House was opened in 1840 and designed by an Irish born customs official John Taylor. An important building for the maritime trading city of Glasgow.
Customs House – Photo: B. Porr
Walking Route Instructions: Directly opposite the Customs House on the Clyde Walkway, you will spot the La Pasionaria Statue
PLEASE NOTE : THIS SCULPTURE IS DUE TO BE TEMPORARILY REMOVED AT SOME POINT WHILE THE CLYDESIDE WALKWAY IS REDEVELOPED.
La Pasionaria” (“The Passion Flower”) sculpture by Dan Dooley (http://www.glasgowsculpture.com/) La Pasionaria was Dolores Ibárruri, a Spanish Republican politician, communist, and prominent anti-fascist propagandist during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939.
Her phrase “Better to Die on your feet than live forever on your knees” is carved on the plaque. La Pasionaria served as inspiration for sculptor Arthur Dooley in 1974, when various trade unions and Labour movement supporters funded the memorial. It is a memorial to British citizens who served in the brigades during the war.
On the plinth it says: “2,100 VOLUNTEERS WENT FROM BRITAIN; 534 WERE KILLED, 65 OF WHOM CAME FROM GLASGOW”.
These volunteers from across Europe went to Spain to join the brigades and help in the fight against a fascist insurgency, all sadly in vain as the fascists rose to power under the leadership of Francisco Franco.
A link for further reading : https://radicalteatowel.co.uk/radical-history-blog/no-pasarn-and-the-resistance-led-by-dolores-ibrruri-gmez
Walking Route Instructions: Continue along the River Clyde walkway Route. You can either pass under Glasgow Bridge which has the A77 on it or you can walk over it via the pavement. Look out for our next stop on our route – the disused pillars from the First Caledonian Railway Bridge with the text by Ian Hamilton Finlay carved on them next to the Second Caledonian Railway bridge.
