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A tree-lined West End street at sunset, a church spire at its far end and tenements down one side.
Glasgow

Hillhead

The Victorian West End on the hill between Byres Road and Great Western Road, named for a villa on a drumlin and a burgh of its own from 1869 to 1891.

Welcome

Hillhead is the heart of Glasgow's West End: the hill above the River Kelvin between Great Western Road and Byres Road, built over in Victorian villas, terraces and tenements of sandstone.

It takes its name from Hillhead House, a long pavilion-style villa on the hilltop, one of the drumlins left by the ice, sheltered from the west by a ring of beech trees. Andrew Gibson took the lands of Hillhead and the Byres of Partick in 1702, and his family sold them off in plots through the 1800s.

The first houses were villas with gardens, and Granby Terrace, put up around 1856, still stands on Hillhead Street. On 14 May 1869 Hillhead became a burgh of its own, with its Burgh Chambers on what was then Victoria Street, until the city took it in on 1 November 1891. Walk the steep streets up from Byres Road and the lanes behind it, and the old suburb is all still there.

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The Daily for 1 November, from Scotland with love. A misty lane runs past slate-roofed cottages toward a wooded hillside.
Close bySix by NicoNico Simeone's six-course tasting menu, on a new theme every six weeks, now in the Merchant City on Albion Street.Under a mileSee itSix by Nico
Before you go

Hillhead subway station on Byres Road is the way in.

The streets climb steeply from Byres Road towards Great Western Road; take the lanes behind as well as the main streets.

Where
Between Byres Road, Great Western Road and the River Kelvin.
Getting there
Hillhead subway station, on Byres Road.
Look for
Granby Terrace on Hillhead Street, one of the first terraces.

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Where it is

Glasgow's West End, on the hill between Byres Road, Great Western Road and the River Kelvin.

Close byIn Hillhead, or at its edge.
  1. Cresswell Lane in the West End, whitewashed buildings and hanging baskets along the setts, the De Courcy's Arcade sign on the right.Cresswell LaneA lane of small shops and De Courcy's Arcade behind Byres Road.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Kochchi's yellow brick building on Ruthven Lane at night, with its balcony lit above and its masks painted on the walls.KochchiUnder a mile as the crow flies
  3. Mural of a girl in a headscarf on a Glasgow tenement wallByres RoadThe high street of the West End, from Partick Cross to the Botanic Gardens.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Ashton LaneAshton LaneA cobbled lane of 1890s stables and workshops, lit overhead, with a cinema of 1921.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Glasgow Botanic GardensGlasgow Botanic GardensFree gardens and the Kibble Palace of 1873, at the top of Byres Road.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. The spire of Òran Mór over the corner of Byres Road.Òran MórA church on the corner of Byres Road, now a bar, restaurant and theatre.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
Starry Starry Night's green timber front on cobbled Dowanside Lane, with a rail of vintage clothes under a striped awning and framed pictures on the wall.ShoppingStarry Starry NightA step away
The Chip's whitewashed front on the cobbles of Ashton Lane.RestaurantsUbiquitous Chip0.2 miles
Brel's garden at dusk under a tree lit pink, tables full.RestaurantsBrel0.2 miles
A pulled beef burger topped with onion rings, and a bowl of chips.RestaurantsOld Salty's0.2 miles
Copper leather banquettes, brick walls and hanging plants.RestaurantsThe Parlour0.2 miles
The counter at 1841, pale wood and a coffee machine under hanging lamps, shelves of coffee bags behind.Cafe18410.2 miles
Restaurant interior with globe pendant lights, wooden tables and shelved plantsRestaurantsKa Pao0.2 miles
A box of decorated donuts under Nic's pink lid.CafeNic's NYC Deli0.2 miles
Bartender behind the counter with shelves of spirits and cake displayCafeNaked Soup0.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near Hillhead, and when each is next free.

A grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Glasgow
  • A mile from Hillhead
Check datesA grey corner sofa with cushions and a sheepskin throw sits before a shelf of books and a round mirror, a wood burning stove and log store to the right.Talli House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dunlop
  • 12 miles from Hillhead
Free 11–13 JanPlaces to stayEvery stay in GlasgowAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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