• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Glasgow "Queen Street"

Status
Not open for further replies.

MOONY

Member
Joined
15 Jan 2009
Messages
76
Hi does anyone know why Glasgow Queen Street was renamed as such? I cannot find any reference to a Queen Street on the National Library of Scotland's excellent website

Moony
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Joined
6 Jan 2018
Messages
109
Location
Carluke
The station looks directly down Queen Street, only separated from it by the west side of George Square, and the station has always been named that since the day it was built.
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,265
Hi does anyone know why Glasgow Queen Street was renamed as such? I cannot find any reference to a Queen Street on the National Library of Scotland's excellent website

Before the railway came, in the 1800s, the three named streets south of George Square each extended North of George Street, namely North Queen St, North Hanover St, and North Frederick St. I expect that means that the George Square name was probably superimposed onto the 3 existing streets.

The new station’s east entrance is built over the site of North Queen St. (I wonder if the previous 1960s layout taxi drop off was still considered a stub of the street?)

If using NLS maps, switching to “Scotland, Town plans” as the map type finds an 1807 plan, it shows clearly there’s been no street renaming.
 
Last edited:

86247

Member
Joined
12 Feb 2017
Messages
305
Location
clock face
Their is a vid on YouTube that says it was originally named Dundas Street station and was later renamed Queen Street.
 

86247

Member
Joined
12 Feb 2017
Messages
305
Location
clock face
The vid on YouTube is called amazing stations by trains trains trains and I don't know if the information is wrong on there, but in it they say it was called Dundas Street station before it was called Queen Street.
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,265
Googling “Dundas Street station Glasgow” found a few articles saying it was the original name:
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Co obtained an Act of Parliament in 1838 and opened, in 1842 , a line between Glasgow Dundas Street Station (later re-named Queen Street) to Edinburgh Haymarket station, giving a swift direct passage between the two cities for the first time.
But I haven’t found a date it changed. But clearly it is as close to (North) Queen St as Dundas St. Maybe a later company such as the NBR preferred the new name?
 
Joined
30 Jul 2015
Messages
774
Perhaps it changed its name between the Act of Parliament and the station opening?

It may have no relevance at all, but the coronation of Queen Victoria took place on 28 June 1838, the same year as the Act of Parliament and the use of the "Queen" name may have seemed more appropriate? If that did happen, it would not be too dissimilar from LT Fleet line becoming the Jubilee line during its construction.

It would be interesting to know when/what the reason for the change.
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,265
I had a quick look at the British Newspaper Archive, and it’s referred to as Dundas St in the 1850s and more as Queen St in the 1860s.

I wonder if the upper and lower stations had different names on opening?
 

86247

Member
Joined
12 Feb 2017
Messages
305
Location
clock face
According to the vid Queen Street low level opened in 1886 with that name so the name changed for the upper part between the 1850s and 1886.
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,265
According to the vid Queen Street low level opened in 1886 with that name so the name changed for the upper part between the 1850s and 1886.
So whenever it changed, it’s fairly ancient history anyway...
 

Scott M

Member
Joined
14 Aug 2014
Messages
395
It was named Glasgow Waverley until the rock band Queen did a live performance on the adjacent street, after which the street was renamed Queen Street in their honour and the station changed names accordingly.
 

Mag_seven

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Global Moderator
Joined
1 Sep 2014
Messages
9,994
Location
here to eternity
I suggest that for the definitive story of "Glasgow Queen St" you look no further than the excellent Railscot website entry:

 

pdeaves

Established Member
Joined
14 Sep 2014
Messages
5,632
Location
Gateway to the South West
Michael Quick's book links Dundas St with Buchannan St (the former being named in an operating notice but probably not used in favour of the latter).
 

alxndr

Established Member
Joined
3 Apr 2015
Messages
1,467
According to Quick's entry for Buchanan Street entry the "Glasgow, Dumbartonshire & Helensburgh company's opening notice said trains 'Leave Dundas Street station' (this company used Buchanan Street for its first month, switching to Queen Street on 30 June 1858); according to notice trains returned to 'Glasgow Station'." It doesn't mention any alternative name for Queen Street though.

I suspect that the GD&H's opening notice wasn't updated to account for the fact that they'd fallen out with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway and that Queens Street was referred to as Dundas Street station by some. Things weren't quite as standardised as they are now after all.

I agree with the idea that it was named Queen Street due to the presence of North Queen Street.
 

Dr Hoo

Established Member
Joined
10 Nov 2015
Messages
3,910
Location
Hope Valley
The actual street was (re-)named in honour of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, and laid out by John Barry in 1766. (It was a rather more dignified name than continuing with the colloquial "Cow Loan", so named because it was the route along which cattle were driven to their pastures at - you've guessed it! - Cowcaddens.)
 

Journeyman

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2014
Messages
6,295
One opportunity that seems to have been missed, regarding station names, was renaming the Subway station during the 70s/80s rebuild. Buchanan Street main line station was long gone by then, and the rebuild provided much more direct access to Queen Street station, so it would have been a much more sensible name.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top