Every day, tourists in Glasgow pass several locations that represent a story so nightmarish it feels like Halloween-inspired fiction. However, it's true.
The bizarre tale of the Gorbals Vampire is outlandish to the extent that it forced me to pause in the middle of a Scottish street to try and verify it.
I had just spotted a huge mural of this mercurial beast in central Glasgow. After some research, I discovered how in the 1950s, gangs of children roamed the city’s cemeteries hunting a supernatural creature terrorising the city.
While the world brims with stories of infamous monsters – from America's Big Foot and Romania's Dracula to the Himalayan yeti – few people outside of Glasgow would know of the Gorbals Vampire. My unexpected discovery of it was fitting given the curious and eerie experiences I’d been having up until that point in Scotland’s biggest city.
My day had revolved around a controversial skeleton and a miraculous witch's son. The latter is St Mungo, Glasgow’s founder and patron saint, who was thrown from a cliff as a baby but survived to become a revered monk. After visiting historical sites linked to Mungo, I sought out the skeletal remains of St Valentine, though they have never been verified, on display at the Duns Scotus Friary church.
The Gorbals Vampire only leapt into my life because I couldn’t find a taxi after leaving the church. As I walked west along Ballater Street, I saw a big, pale hand stretching towards me. It belonged to a six-metre-tall vampire spray-painted on a railway overpass.
My first thought was to dismiss it as another generic piece of street art. With veiny skin, glowing red eyes and menacing fangs, this figure standing in a graveyard was a classic depiction of a vampire. I wouldn’t even have stopped to ponder it if not for the text beneath.
This explained how, in 1954, Glasgow was spooked by reports of a ghostly figure in the city’s Gorbals district. Some witnesses claimed it was two metres tall. Others described it as having shiny, metallic teeth. More still believed it to be a creature not of this world.
All that wild speculation triggered fear and panic among residents who'd long heard of vampires and stories as part of Scotland's centuries-old mythology. They include the notorious Baobhan Sith, said to haunt the Scottish Highlands, where beautiful women with hooves for feet would prey on nomads and drink their blood.
In the current internet-filtered era, such legends are easily debunked. However, only a few decades ago superstitions and folklore had far greater influence. Glasgow of the 1950s is a case in point. Perhaps out of terror, maybe motivated by fun, or even seeking mischief, Glaswegians circulated the Gorbals Vampire tale so widely that even the city’s children became gripped by it.
Had I heard of such a roaming ghoul when I was a boy growing up in Perth, Australia, I would have been scared to head outdoors at night. The children of Glasgow, however, decided to go on the attack. When word spread that two students had allegedly been devoured by the Gorbals Vampire, children reacted with fury.
News reports from September 1954 state hundreds swarmed out of their homes to seek revenge. Wary of the supposedly lethal powers of this towering beast, they armed themselves. Some wielded sticks, others had knives or rocks. If the vampire showed its head, it would be met with the force of an army of angry boys and girls.
This impromptu child infantry swarmed cemeteries, which they believed to be the home of this shadowy being. Their patrols spread as far as one of the city’s landmarks and tourist sites, the Glasgow Necropolis. While cemeteries aren’t typically attractions, this sprawling burial ground lures many visitors due to being decorated by beautiful gardens and an array of magnificent 19th-century tombs.
It also attracts tourists thanks to being next to the spectacular Glasgow Cathedral, where St Mungo is buried. Eventually, after three nights of furiously searching, this city’s children gave up their hunt. Many adult Glaswegians, meanwhile, were so shocked by what had happened, they began their own hunt.
They pinned the blame on the corrupting influence of eerie tales being told in popular comic books, which ended with the UK enshrining laws restricting the sale of horror-themed material to children.
The strange incident eventually faded from view and became a distant memory, until recently. It has experienced a resurgence in attention on the back of several stage plays based on its story – and a certain wall mural. Now, as Halloween approaches, the Gorbals Vampire may once more haunt the city’s streets.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
