The Merchant MP

This is the statue of Kirkman Finlay on the stairs of the Merchant's Hall in George Square in Glasgow where I was for a meeting at lunchtime today.

His Argyll claim to fame was that he built - as his country retreat from the city - Castle Toward which sits at the tip of the Cowal peninsula and which is presently waiting to stop being an outdoor centre of some fame and become an international holiday resort.

Kirkman Finlay stands in this spot because he was not only a very prominent merchant who dominated Glasgow business in the early 19th century but he was also a civic , political and educational leader - Lord Provost, MP and Rector of Glasgow University.

A remarkable combination.