Out of the past...
This impressive building in the city centre, was the former Scottish Orange HQ in Cathedral Street taken over by compulsory purchase which the Order had to fight the authorities over, for proper compensation some years ago. The building was never taken down and is now a church.
Frontispiece of a booklet on
Glasgow Orangeism in the
early days written by the Rev Dr G A McCracken
THE NEED FOR COUNTY GRAND LODGES:
By the 1970's the geographical spread of the Orange Order in Scotland needed a re-think on the structure and the Grand Lodge created "County Grand Lodges". Lodges are grouped into District Lodges and they in turn into these wider "County Grand Lodge" jurisdictions then the national Grand Lodge.
Geographical counties as such no longer essentially exist in much of Scotland today but it was different back then so the 4 County Grand Lodges cover a wider provincial area. They are as follows.
GLASGOW: Covering the city and greater Glasgow area including Rutherglen, Dumbarton, Kelvin Valley and Cambuslang.
AYR, ARGYLE RENFREWSHIRE: The west of Scotland beyond Glasgow, the southwest and part of lower west Highlands.
CENTRAL SCOTLAND: As it suggests, around the former Lanarkshire and central area of the country.
EAST:
Again as the name suggests, from the Borders to Aberdeen.
Glasgow remains the largest and main base for the Order north of the Border and during Victorian times as well as much of the 20th century a number of leading Glasgow businessmen, churchmen and politicians were Orangemen
"KING BILLY" STATUE STORY OF THE STATUE:
This is the statue of William Prince of Orange erected for the citizens of Glasgow in 1787 by a man named McCrae who had been a Provincial Governor in the Empire.
In Victorian times it sat in the main city centre area of Glasgow Cross but it became a focal point every year
for crowds in Victorian times, celebrating the night before the 12th of July Battle of The Boyne Parade. A man (perhaps thinking he could relive the battle?!) climbed up onto it and the tail came off.
The statue was removed and no doubt relieved the authorities of the annual problem of the celebrating crowds. It languished in a builders yard for some time but there was such an outcry it was re-erected up the hill in Cathedral Square which is a quieter area. The tail was put back on in via a ball and socket and it the an old hoary Glasgow tale alleges that in a strong wind the tail moves (!?).
Each year city Orange leaders march past it on the way to lead the main parade in July. He is dressed rather strangely - not in 17th century clothes but in Roman garb. Apparently sculpturs of the time thought Roman clothes very classical!
