Inside Glasgow's free walking tours captivating tourists and locals

Clues to the community that was once thriving at the bottom of Hope Street are dotted around the station and with the help of Kevin Scott's free walking tour, I notice them for the first time.

Originally from the Borders, Kevin, 60, decided to trace his ancestry several years ago and was surprised to discover that he was a true Glaswegian after all.

He said: "A couple of years ago, I pushed my family tree back and found out, instead of the Borders where I thought I was from, everyone was from this little village called Grahamston.

"At the time, in the early 1700s, it only had 110 people. And my ancestors, mother, father, and nine or 10 children, were 12 of those 110 people.

"So I thought 'I'm more original Glasgow than most of Glaswegians'."

The avid history buff launched Walking Glasgow in June 2022, a series of free tours helping both locals and tourists alike connect to the rich history of the city.

He hosts six different tours around the town, posting details of days, times and meeting points on his ever-growing Walking Glasgow Facebook page.

On a Wednesday morning, I joined Kevin on his tour to discover Grahamston - Glasgow's Forgotten Village.

Armed with anecdotes and an extensive knowledge of the city's history, Kevin is a captivating tour guide.

At the bottom of Hope Street now populated by big hotels, his Grahamston ancestors once owned orchards and a market garden.

Kevin said: "Glasgow was renowned for the quality of its apples and its orchards.

"You think, Glasgow? You can understand Somerset or something like that, but not Glasgow."

Once a thriving centre, the people of Grahamston were slowly evicted by the Caledonian Railway to build Glasgow Central Station which officially opened in 1879.

Kevin said: "Grahamston at its largest only grew to about 2000 people.

"There were probably only about 300 people left when the final evictions took place, and by that time my family had moved on."

Kevin's ancestors tried to take on Caledonian Railway to get money back for their lost acreages and received around £2.

He said: "It was pennies back then but the equivalent is two pounds these days for their acres of land.

"And we're sitting at the bottom of Buchanan Street, where an individual property last year went for £33 million."

"So my legacy is not there, that's why I'm out walking the streets talking about Grahamston," he jokes.

Kevin explains that the railway lines needed to come in for Glasgow to develop.

He said: "Industrialisation really took Glasgow up to the Second City of the Empire from that point.

"Glasgow's population was only 18,000 when we're talking about Grahamston's existence.

"So I mean two nights, maybe three nights, at the Hydro for Kevin Bridges.

"The whole of Glasgow would have fitted in three nights."

Sharing Glasgow's history has become a great joy for Kevin since he started his tours last summer.

He said: "A lot of people ask why I do it for free, you know, when there's people taking money.

"I retired three years ago and I just love the buzz, the interaction - people seeing it for the first time."

He motions to the large group forming in anticipation of his next tour.

"These people here, if it's their first time, they'll go away and tell their friends, neighbours, and just seeing it grow every single week," he says.

He added: "I wasn't a history buff, to begin with, but late in the day I've come into it."

To find out more or join one of Kevin Scott's Walking Glasgow tours, click here.