Sally Magnusson is one of the most recognisable faces on Scottish television today.
The daughter of the legendary Magnus Magnusson and journalist Mamie Baird Magnusson, she is not only an accomplished broadcaster, but also a writer.
Sally also champions the charity Playlist for Life, a UK music and dementia charity, which uses the music of a person’s life to keep them connected to themselves and their loved ones throughout their dementia journey. It’s one close to her heart, as her mother had the condition.
Having originally been raised in Rutherglen, she later moved into Glasgow. She tells Scottish Field about her Glasgow life.
I went school in the West End of Glasgow, but lived in the very north of the city. My greatest memory of Glasgow as a child is the subway as I used to catch it to and from school everyday. We used to call the Clockwork Orange, it’s a very authentic Glasgow experience. They have modernised it now, but I remember the smell and that slightly spooky feeling when you could hear it rumbling towards you and that of whoosh of air.
My life has both circled Glasgow and dipped in and out of Glasgow with great pleasure over the years. I was a feature writer for the Sunday Standard newspaper for many years before I moved to London.
In the 1990s I returned to work for BBC Scotland at their headquarters on Queen Margaret Drive. I found a great little hairdresser called Graeme Reid on Byres Road just across the road from the BBC. Now the BBC has moved to the Pacific Quay on the Clyde but I still go there.
I go there to get a haircut and then I love to just wander along Byres Road, It’s a great mixture of shops and good coffee places, and a Waterstones full of lovely books. Then I’ll walk through the Botanic Gardens which I have always loved – especially on a summer’s day when the scents of the garden are completely delicious.
The newsroom BBC Scotland HQ on the Clyde have the most amazing views of the city. You can see right down the river, often seeing the sea plane coming in to land, and out over the remnants of the city’s great industrial past and new life and energy.
If I have a guest from England or America I take them to the Ubiquitous Chip on Ashton Lane, fondly called ‘The Chip’ in Glasgow. Before it became fashionable to have authentic Scottish food, The Chip was doing it. You can always get really nice Scottish food there.
I love the Merchant City. It is often said that Glasgow is a city you have to walk around looking up. That is still absolutely true, the buildings are stunning, particularly the Merchant City. I have always loved that part of Glasgow’s history – when the tobacco lords walked the streets. They have made a wonderful job of restoring that part of the city.
This interview originally appeared in June 2016.
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