The eastern end of George Square is dominated by the remarkable City Chambers. It was built in the 1880s in a French-inspired blend of neoclassical and neo-Renaissance architecture and was opened by Queen Victoria in 1888 after going five times over budget.
Step into the foyer, an impressive space with polished red granite columns, caryatids glistening with mica and elaborate mosaic work on the floor and ceiling; a real artisanal labor recalling Glasgow's former preeminence as "the second city of the British Empire." The floor mosaics include a rendering of the city's crest with the motto, "Let Glasgow Flourish."
To see beyond here, you'll need to join one of the free guided tours (10.30am and 2.30pm Monday to Friday; pop in 30 minutes before to get your first-come-first-served pass).
Stunning staircases decorated with Carrara marble and alabaster – the largest of their kind in Western Europe – lead to the ornate Council Chamber, lined with handcarved Spanish mahogany. Sit at one of the councillors' very comfortable red leather seats, which are arranged in a semicircle in front of the Lord Provost's throne.
The breathtaking Banqueting Hall, with a ceiling more than 50ft high, is decorated with mural and canvas paintings by artists of the Glasgow Boys movement, with depictions of arts and crafts, the virtues, the rivers Tay, Forth, Clyde and Tweed, and paintings of St Mungo, shipbuilding and the Glasgow fair.
