What on earth do they represent? Who were they made for? What was their purpose?

When you stand next to one of Govan’s enormous ‘hogback’ stones and run your hand over its scale-like surface, a horde of unanswered questions assail your mind like an invading army. They have such a presence that part of me wouldn’t even be surprised to hear that they got up and prowled around at night. Lurking darkly in one of the transepts are the strangest sculptures I’ve ever had the fortune to see. I’m not talking just about the fabulously carved Jordanhill Cross or the Sun Stone with its writhing bouquet of serpents, although in any other place they’d be the centre of attention. “One of the best collections of early medieval sculpture anywhere in the British Isles.” Gareth Williams, curator of the British Museum Viking exhibition The building itself isn’t really that old – it dates from 1888 – but it’s surrounded by a much older graveyard and if you step inside, you’ll come face to face with some jaw-dropping medieval treasures. Secreted within this concrete jungle is a little time-bubble in the shape of Govan Old Parish Church. Not the most obvious place to start looking for early medieval history. Shipbuilding was once a major industry here, and now it’s a busy urban area of houses, flats, businesses and shops.

On the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow is a district called Govan.