Celebrating 200 years of the Ramshorn Kirk - Talk Series

Following our talk about the Ramshorn Theatre for Glasgow Doors Open Days 2026, we're pleased to share the three others in the series!

From its beginnings as a church for the wealthy merchants of Glasgow at the end of the Regency period and into the Victorian era, to its time as a vibrant arts venue with the Strathclyde Theatre Group and its most recent conversion into an events space, the Ramshorn has always sparked curiosity once you notice it tucked in between its taller neighbours on bustling Ingram Street. This year we are celebrating 200 years since the building's completion through a series of talks:

1 November: Hallowtide talk and Ramshorn Graveyard tour - Friends of the Ramshorn Graveyard and Lorraine Murray

Opened in 1719 the Ramshorn Graveyard was the burial place of choice for the good and the great of the City of Glasgow including the Buchanans, the Glassfords and many other Tobacco Lords and Merchants whose mercantile activities helped Glasgow to eventually become the second City of the Empire. Predating the Necropolis by over 100 years the graveyard has witnessed the growth of the City and buried along with the merchants and craftsmen who made this happen are Lord Provosts, ministers and other notables including David Dale and John Anderson the founder of Strathclyde University.

Join a special out-of-season one-hour tour of the graveyard with FORG, the Friends of the Ramshorn Graveyard, then come inside for a cup of tea and talk about the darker side of the Ramshorn by archivist and historian Lorraine Murray. (Option to book tour+talk or talk only.)

Timings:

- 14:00-15:00 Graveyard tour
- 15:00-15:30 light refreshments inside
- 15:30- 16:30 talk by archivist and historian Lorraine Murray
- 16:30-17:00 questions and event close

18 November: No Stone Unturned - Paul Noble

Come face to face with David & Betty McHaffie, whose will and determination saw them build a family and a fortune, hard won against the unimaginable challenges of life in the grime and growth of the boomtown that was Georgian Glasgow. This tale unfolds against the backdrop of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions, from the 1750s to the 1850s, following the lives of one extraordinary couple who represent the very essence of Glasgow's Georgian Merchant City. They worshipped and celebrated all stages of human life within the Ramshorn Kirk and its surrounding graveyard, experiencing deep joy and profound sorrow along the way. Now, we follow the tracks of their tears to look beneath the surface of history—leaving no stone unturned to uncover the truth of their extraordinary lives.

Timings:

- 18:00 - 18:30 doors open + light refreshments
- 18:30 - 19:30 talk
- 19:30 - 20:00 questions and event close

Date TBC: Learn about the wonderful stained-glass windows, including their benefactors, the artists, and the process of creating them.