Merchants Hall interior

Introduction

The photograph on this page of Merchants Hall interior by kim traynor as part of the Geograph project.

The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk

Merchants Hall interior

Image: © kim traynor Taken: 26 Mar 2012

The Merchants Guild, representing the city's mercantile community, is one of Glasgow's oldest institutions. The office of Lord Dean of Guild ranks next in line to that of Lord Provost. Before the 1975 reform of local government the Dean was an unelected ex offico member of the Town Council, but now attends its meetings in an honorary non-voting capacity. Guild members elect representatives to numerous public bodies involved in the affairs of the city, but concentrate mainly on its charitable activities. The portrait occupying the most prominent position in the Hall is that of John Aird (1655-1730) who was elected Dean of Guild three times and Provost of Glasgow on ten occasions between 1705 and 1722. In 1696 he subscribed £100 of his personal wealth to the Darien Scheme and £1,000 on behalf of the Guild. During serious rioting in 1706, caused by economic hardship, pro-Jacobite sympathies and anti-Union feeling, he twice had to flee from the city for his personal safety.

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