This illustration purports to represent the main square of an ancient Scottish burgh, complete with its Auld Tartan Shop. The buildings formed part of the Auld Toon, or Olde Toun, built for the Scottish Exhibition in 1911. The contemporary costumes of the visitors contrast with the traditional outfit worn by the town crier, standing beside the mercat cross.
Facing the Palace of History on the other side of the Kelvin, the Auld Toon was a temporary village realistically recreated using wood, plaster and canvas. Many of the houses were modelled on old Glasgow buildings long disappeared. A castle keep outside the square provided another reminder of Scotland in days gone by.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC f606.4 (1911)
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries and Archives
Keywords:
Auld Tartan Shop, Auld Toon, castle keeps, exhibitions, mercat crosses, Olde Toun, Palace of History, Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, spires, towers, town criers
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