University of Glasgow

UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

 
Part of the Library and University Services

Please note that these pages are from our old (pre-2010) website; the presentation of these pages may now appear outdated and may not always comply with current accessibility guidelines.

Scottish Tourism & Leisure in the Nineteenth Century

Material from Special Collections


newspapers, journals & directories 

Contemporary newspapers and journals are an invaluable resource when investigating the growth of Scottish tourism. The type of  information which may be found includes: details about transportation, including sailing times of different vessels; the travel conditions of that time; columns from various resorts; reports of any interesting or unusual events or visitors; advertisements for excursions and hotels.

Special Collections has a large holding of these nineteenth century newspapers and journals, although runs tend to be incomplete; in some cases, only a few issues of a particular journal are held here. Particular titles can be located on the online catalogue in the usual way. Alternately, browse through the shelf registers (found on the reference shelves  in the Special Collections reading room) which list holdings of newspapers and serials by alphabetical order of title and by geographical location. Many odd issues of early newspapers have been bound up together and details of some of these are given below:

Sp Coll Mu23-x.6: Illustrated Glasgow News (June 16 & 12 1855, June 30 - Oct 17 1855)

Sp Coll Mu60-a.23: Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser (April 7 1855, June 23 1855, Sept 22 1855); Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald (Nov 1 1853, Feb 1 1854, March 24 1855); Bute Observer & Dunoon and Kirn Review (May 5 1855, June 9 1855); Bute Observer & Dunoon Journal (July 6 1855); Buteman & Advertiser for the West (Aug 25, 1855); Edinburgh Courant (Aug 31 1855); Hamilton Advertiser (July 19 1856, Aug 16 1856, Sept 13 1856, Aug 29 1857)

Sp Coll Mu60-a.27: Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald (June 2 1855); Caledonian Mercury [Edinburgh] (Oct 1 1829, July 5 1855); Clydesdale Journal & Upper Ward Weekly Advertiser (Jan 15 1856); Daily Scotsman (June 29 1855, July 2 1855, Oct 27 1859); Greenock Telegraph & Clyde Shipping Gazette (Feb 16 1860); West Highland Journal (July 22 1859); Peebles County Newspaper (July 20 1858); Saturday Stirling Journal & Advertiser (Feb 13 1864)

Sp Coll Mu60-g.17: Daily Bulletin & General Advertiser (Jan 14, 18 & 21 1861, Feb 12 1861); Daily Herald & General Advertiser (May 5 - June 4 1858 [imperfect]); Glasgow Advertiser (Jan 4 1855); Glasgow Daily News (July 20 1855); Glasgow Times (June 25,26 & 28 1855, Aug 8 1855, Nov 14 1855, Jan 16 1856, Feb 13 1856); McWilliam's Property Circular and West of Scotland Weekly Advertiser (Sept 29 1863); National Penny Press and Saturday Family Newspaper (March 6 1858); North British Mail & Glasgow Daily Advertiser (Oct 31 1849)

Sp Coll e207/24-25: Town & Country Advertiser (June 1 & 8 1825)

Sp Coll e209/8-9: Edinburgh Advertiser (Feb 19 1833, Jan 24 1843)

Sp Coll e210/1: Glasgow Citizen, or West of Scotland Journal & Advertiser (Dec 3 1842)

Sp Coll e211/16-17: Inverness Courier (Oct 5 & 12 1831)

Sp Coll e212/3: Perthshire Courier & General Advertiser for the Central Counties of Scotland (Aug 26 1830)

Contemporary satirical periodicals such as Punch can also provide a useful social commentaries on the fashions of the time: see particularly the Glasgow Looking Glass for 1825 (Sp Coll RF 249-351), continued as the Northern Looking Glass 1825-1826 (Sp Coll Bh14-x.8-10)
Click on thumbnail to see cartoon of Glasgow Fair from the Northern Looking Glass Vol. 1 no. 4 1825 (Sp Coll Bh14-x.8)

Directories also contain invaluable details such as train times, tide tables and sailing timetables, as well information about accommodation and hotels; later issues also include many advertisements, usually bound in towards the back of the volume. 

See particularly the Glasgow Post Office Directory of which there is an almost complete run from 1828-1900 in Special Collections (NB. locations vary, with earlier volumes held in the Wylie Collection eg. Sp Coll Bh11-h.1-24 and Sp Coll Bh11-i.28-32, and later volumes located at Sp Coll reference: if  in doubt, please consult Reading Room Supervisor for assistance)
Click on thumbnail to see details of hackney carriage charges from Glasgow Post Office Directory 1855-56 (Sp Coll Bh11-h.23)

Return to Scottish Leisure & Tourism index