After the foundation of the University of Glasgow in 1451, accommodation was rented in Rottenrow (the origins of the street name are obscure) near the Cathedral, for living quarters and lecture rooms. The building was occupied by the University for about four years, and became known as the pedagogium or "Auld Pedagogy" (from the Greek, paedagogia, meaning the practice of teaching) until other more suitable accommodation was rented from James, Duke of Hamilton on the east side of High Street. It is thought that the old buildings had already fallen into disrepair by the time the new College buildings were erected in the 1650s.
In 1847 Allan and Ferguson published a lithograph entitled Views and Notices of Glasgow in Former Times from which this engraving is derived. The ruined building in the foreground on the left is thought to be the "Auld Pedagogy."
Reference: Mitchell Library GC 941.435 GOR
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Auld Pedagogy, crow-stepped gables, houses, pedagogia, University of Glasgow, Views and Notices of Glasgow in Former Times