Finnieston is an area within the city of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, located in the central belt of

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, situated on the north bank of the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

roughly between the city's West End and the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

. The area is home to the

SEC Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest Exhibition center, exhibit ...

and

OVO Hydro The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Scottish Hydro Arena after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro Electric. During construction, Scottish ...

, where many musical concerts, sporting events and conferences are held. It is also the location of Glasgow City Heliport, the former home base of both the

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air support unit and the

Scottish Ambulance Service The Scottish Ambulance Service () is part of NHS Scotland, which serves all of Scotland, Scotland's population. The Scottish Ambulance Service is governed by a NHS Scotland#Special health boards, special health board and is funded directly by t ...

"Helimed 5". Finnieston borders the neighbourhoods of

Anderston Anderston (, ) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and forms the south western edge of the city centre. Established as a village of handloom weavers in the early 18th century, Anderston was an independent ...

, Kelvingrove, Kelvinhaugh, Overnewton and

Sandyford Sandyford () is a suburb of Dublin, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. Sandyford Business District makes up much of the suburb and encompasses 4 business parks: Sandyford Business Park, Stillorgan Business Park, Central Park and S ...

. Historically, it covered a primarily industrial area between the River Clyde and the main thoroughfare at Argyle Street, but in the 21st century the wider area has become a popular tourist destination marketed under the Finnieston name.

History

The village of Finnieston was established in 1768 on the lands of Stobcross by Matthew Orr, the owner of Stobcross House. Orr named the new village "Finnieston" in honour of the Reverend John Finnie, who had been his tutor. The area has had a significant change in land-use since

deindustrialisation Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...

. Previously, Finnieston was an area of warehouses and docks — the film 1980 film '' Death Watch'' used this aspect extensively in location shots. In the early 21st century, Finnieston has been promoted and built up as a modern residential and leisure area, mirroring

Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

in Greater London. To this end many new bars and restaurants have been established. There is modern housing, office, retail, leisure and arts & culture developments. In 2016, Finnieston ranked first in ''The Times'' list "20 Hippest Places to Live in Britain" and ''The Herald'' claimed it the 'Hippest Place in Britain'. Finnieston Street is a major junction on the

Clydeside Expressway Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

, and on 18 September 2006, was augmented with the addition of the Clyde Arc (known locally as "The Squinty Bridge") over the

. Finneiston forms part of the Glasgow City Council ward of Anderston/City/Yorkhill.

Transport

Exhibition Centre railway station, on the Argyle Line was previously known as Stobcross station. Built by the Glasgow Central Railway and opened in 1894, it was closed in 1955. When it was reopened in 1979 it was called 'Finnieston' until it was given its current name in 1986. A separate Finnieston railway station of the Glasgow City and District Railway was opened in 1886 but is now disused, although reopening was under consideration in the late 2010s. However, the line is still in use as part of the North Clyde Line.

Landmarks

The Corunna Bowling Club located on A-Listed St Vincent Crescent has been a key feature of the area since 1850. The Clyde Arc (known locally as "The Squinty Bridge") over the

sits to the south of Finnieston. The

SEC Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest Exhibition center, exhibit ...

, which opened in 1985 and where many musical concerts and important conferences are held, is located in Finnieston along with the

Clyde Auditorium The SEC Armadillo (originally known as the Clyde Auditorium) is an auditorium located near the River Clyde, in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of three venues on the Scottish Event Campus, which includes the SEC Centre and the OVO Hydro. History ...

which opened in 1997. The

(previously known as the SSE Hydro) opened in 2013 next to the

SEC Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest Exhibition center, exhibit ...

and welcomed over 1 million visitors per year to the venue and surrounding area. In 2016 the OVO Hydro boasted the title as 8th largest venue in the world.

Notable people

* Danny McGrain, footballer *

Sharleen Spiteri Sharleen Eugene Spiteri (born 7 November 1967) is a Scottish singer–songwriter and guitarist who has a contralto vocal range, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Texas (band), Texas, who rose to prominence in 1989 with the release ...

, musician

References

External links

*
The Glasgow Harbour Tunnels
{{Areas of Glasgow Areas of Glasgow