The Barras Market

A slice of Glasgow history, the Barras Market is famous for reasons both good and bad. A warren of shops and covered stalls based beneath and in the streets surrounding the iconic Barrowland Ballroom on the Gallowgate in the East End, this colourful, noisy, tumbledown, eccentric and sometimes slightly intimidating flea market has come to represent practically a heritage site for old working-class ideas of life, work and community in Scotland’s biggest city. Even if its reputation as a place for a quality bargain, – and with it footfall – has dwindled across the last couple of decades, it’s still well worth a visit.

Today shady-looking guys selling hooky DVDs, knock-off tracksuits, tobacco products of questionable provenance or just the contents of their garage tend to unfairly typify a place where once, many moons ago, you could shop for quality fresh fish and veg at bargain prices.

Still, keep your wallet safe and your wits about you and you’ll experience a side of the city almost completely obscured by contemporary café culture. Treasures include antiques, collectibles, bric-a-brac, vintage books and comics and much more besides, much of which is often sold with a healthy dose of banter by Barras veterans. Even with imminent investment, the Barras probably won’t be around forever, so antiquated has it become, and that’s all the more reason to visit while you still can.