. To the east is the commercial and residential district of
Merchant City. The Merchant City was formerly the residential district of the wealthy city merchants in the 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly the
Tobacco Lords from whom many of the streets take their name. As the
Industrial Revolution and the wealth it brought to the city resulted in the expansion of Glasgow's central area westward, the original medieval centre was left behind. Glasgow Cross, situated at the junction of
High Street, Gallowgate,
Trongate and Saltmarket was the original centre of the city, symbolised by its
Mercat cross. Glasgow Cross encompasses the
Tolbooth Clock Tower; all that remains of the original
City Chambers, which was destroyed by fire in 1926. Moving northward up High Street towards
Rottenrow and
Townhead lies the 15th century
Glasgow Cathedral and the
Provand's Lordship. Due to growing industrial pollution levels in the mid to late 19th century, the area fell out of favour with residents. From the late 1980s onwards, the Merchant City has been rejuvenated with luxury city centre apartments and
warehouse conversions. This regeneration has supported an increasing number of cafés and restaurants. The area is also home to a number of high end boutique style shops and some of Glasgow's most upmarket stores. at night (
Merchant City) The Merchant City is the centre of Glasgow's growing 'cultural quarter', based on King Street, the Saltmarket and
Trongate, and at the heart of the annual
Merchant City Festival. The area has supported a huge growth in art galleries, the origins of which can be found in the late 80s when it attracted artist-led organisations that could afford the cheap rents required to operate in vacant manufacturing or retail spaces. The artistic and cultural potential of the Merchant City as a 'cultural quarter' was harnessed by independent arts organisations and
Glasgow City Council, The area also contains a number of theatres and concert venues, including the
Tron Theatre, the Old Fruitmarket, the Trades Hall,
St Andrew's in the Square, Merchant Square, and the
City Halls. A large part of Glasgow's
LGBT scene is located within the Merchant City. This includes many clubs, along with a couple of saunas. Recently the city council defined (and perhaps expanded) the area known as Merchant City as far west as
Buchanan Street, marking these boundaries with new, highly stylised metal signage. ==Financial district==