City Halls and Old Fruitmarket

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

city halls were used as a venue for music, exhibitions and entertainment. Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Harriet Beecher Stowe are amongst some of the significant names who have appeared here.

Question 2

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Answer 2

American pro-abolitionist and writer.
In 1853 she was invited to Scotland by the Glasgow Ladies’ New Anti-Slavery Society. She appeared in front of a packed audience in the City Hall, before embarking on a UK tour. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (which depicts the severe conditions experienced by enslaved people) was the biggest selling novel in the 19th century (surpassed only by the bible)

Question 3

reopening

Answer 3

city halls and fruit market re-opened in January 2006 after undergoing a period of extensive renovation. the refurbished halls are now the home of the BBC Scottish symphony orchestra and the Scottish Music Centre, both members of a partnership with the City Council and Glasgow Cultural Enterprises.
- the hall is also the regular performance space for the Scottish chamber orchestra in glasgow and is a centre for music education with the city’s Education Department as a key participant.