It was created by a Victorian merchant, boasts a stunning park and is one of the few areas to have an original Carnegie Library.
With a few famous sons and daughters, including singer Lulu, Dennistoun has always had a lot to shout about and now the area in Glasgow’s East End has been named among the coolest in the world.
According to a new Time Out survey, Dennistoun has been ranked eighth coolest in the world and it is the only UK neighbourhood to make the top 20.
With Esquerra De L'Eixample, Barcelona and Downtown, Los Angeles topping the list, Dennistoun have even passed areas in Paris and Sydney.
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It was established by Alexander Dennistoun, Scottish merchant, bank director and MP who bought several small estates neighbouring his Golf Hill property, including Craig Park, Whitehill, Meadow Park, Broom Park, Annfield, Bellfield, and Wester Craigs. The area was laid out in streets, terraces, and drives, overseen by Glasgow architect James Salmon.
In recent years it has become a go to restaurant destination with the likes of new venues Bilson Eleven and Barb-B-Que alongside the ever-popular family run Coia’s Café now in its fourth generation.
More than 38,000 residents of cities across the world were surveyed for the list, questioned on where they most loved spending time around their city. Time Out took into consideration community spirit as well as food, drink, nightlife and independent culture in compiling the rankings of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world.
Dennistoun was described as a feeling like a "secluded island in Glasgow's East End", with an influx of students having altered the demographic of the historically working-class neighbourhood in the past decade.
Local councillor Alan Casey says the survey reinforced a feeling he already have.
Councillor Casey said: “I have lived in the area for most of my life and have seen it transform over the years. One of the secrets to its success is its community."
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Owner of Coia's Cafe on Duke Street, Alfredo Coia, says the area has weathered the storm and transformed itself.
Mr Coia said: "We have a long history here and have seen it go through a number of changes. It was affected by the Forge Market opening a few decades ago and that saw the loss of some local names and at one stage we thought how were we going to survive, but we got through it. We are very much linked to the community here and we have seen families grow up here."
Angela Bretherton, chair of Dennistoun Community Council, thinks the diverse mix of people and the community spirit is what makes it cool.
"We are a community that comes together and sticks together when we are threatened by anything," said Ms Bretherton. "It is always busy and buzzing and now we are cool as well."
One of the recent success stories in Dennistoun is eaterie Bilson Eleven which opened four years ago.
Owner and chef Nick Rietz feels Dennistoun has an edgy feel to it and has always felt it was quite hip.
“We were always going to set up our restaurant here. It’s where we live and we love it and it think it has always been a bit hip. It is good to know we are cool as well.
“It is an amazing place and has such history. We are in a building which is 160 years old. I think there is a great blend of people as well and we are really proud to be here.”
Said to have an "sense of independence unlike any other corner of this city", community initiatives including the Zero Waste Market - a refill grocery shop which prepared food boxes during lockdown - and Alexandra Park's Food Forest were praised, along with coffee shops, pubs and an art gallery.
Barcelona's Esquerra de l'Eixample was named the coolest neighbourhood in the world.
Downtown LA took second place, followed by Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong. Dublin's Phibsboro came 27th on the list while Soho, London, was 31st.
James Manning, International Editor of Time Out, said: "Glasgow is a fantastic city with cutting-edge culture and nightlife, and right now Dennistoun is at the cutting edge of the city's cool, with independents popping up and artists brightening up the winding streets.
"We were really blown away by the amazing initiatives that businesses and locals started at the beginning of the pandemic - it showed there was real heart in the neighbourhood."
He added: "With global travel in disarray, this year our annual list of the world's coolest neighbourhoods is less about planning your next trip and more about celebrating the hotspots that are pointing the way forward for city life.
"In tough times, neighbourhoods are more important than ever - and these are places where the soul of the city is on full display, thanks to independent businesses, local culture and community initiatives
"Consider this list a worldwide shout-out to the strength, spirit and resilience of city-dwellers."
Top 10 cool places
- 1 Esquerra De L'Eixample, Barcelona
- 2 Downtown, LA
- 3 Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
- 4 Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York
- 5 Yarraville, Melbourne
- 6 Wedding, Berlin
- 7 Shaanxi Bei Lu/Kangding Lu, Shanghai
- 8 Dennistoun, Glasgow
- 9 Haut-Marais, Paris
- 10 Marrickville, Sydney
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