Charing Cross is a major road junction in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde at the intersection of Sauchiehall Street, St George's Road, Woodlands Road, North Street and Newton Street, as well as being at a major interchange of the M8 motorway.
Taking its name originally from a block of tenements named Charing Cross Place built in the 1850s, which continue at the south-west corner with North Street, the junction of Sauchiehall Street was formed as part of the original development of Blythswood Hill including Blythswood Square, St George's Road and North Street becoming known as Charing Cross, linking the city centre and the new West End, commencing at Woodlands and Sandyford.
Much of its architecture was destroyed when the motorway was built through it in the late 1960s, notably the Grand Hotel at its heart. It still marks the boundary between the City Centre and the West End of the city. There are ornate red sandstone tenement blocks dating from the late Victorian period at two corners of the junction, at the north-west (St George's Mansions, Frank Burnet) and south-east (Charing Cross Mansions, John James Burnet), while nearby landmarks include the Mitchell Library. In 2019, Glasgow City Council put forward plans to cover over more of the motorway (which is in a cutting through the area) with a parkland area to better connect the areas on each side.
Charing Cross was also part of the so-called Square Mile of Murder, the location of a series of sensational murders which scandalised Victorian society.
Charing Cross railway station is a short distance to the south; the nearest Glasgow Subway station is St George's Cross, located at the junction of the same name to the north of Charing Cross, also much diminished in its importance by the installation of the M8.
Nearby is an abstract concrete relief mural by Keith McCarter, made in 1971 as part of the Elmbank Gardens office complex
Future Developments
In 2022 a consultation was launched by Glasgow City Council on the regeneration of the area and plans to improve the public realm of Charing Cross and relink the communities that were severed by the construction of the M8 in the late 1960s. Central to this is the construction of a raised garden over the "trench" in which the motorway runs The Charing Cross Masterplan ("CXM") was unveiled in August 2023 by the council in conjunction with London and Scottish Property Investments (L&SPI) - the owner of the Tay House and Elmbank Gardens office complexes which occupy much of the required land.
Under the proposals, Tay House (300 Bath Street) which spans the infamous Charing Cross Podium will be demolished. Elmbank Gardens will see both of its low-rise blocks demolished with only its iconic 13-storey hotel tower remaining in place, which will be integrated into the new development. The surface buildings of Charing Cross Station will also be demolished and replaced. The podium structure over the motorway will be retained and integrated into the garden plans, whilst the city block bordered by Bath Street, Newton Street and Elmbank Streets will be repurposed for new office developments and student apartment towers. Additional proposals for the adjacent block further south on India Street - presently occupied by Portcullis House, and the now-demolished Nye Bevan House (both government office buildings constructed in the 1970s) - will be cleared and redeveloped with a new 30-storey tower also containing student accommodation.