Visit to Glasgow & Edinburgh - August 2005 |
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Our first point of call was the Cathedral - the oldest building in Glasgow, dating largely from the end of the 13th century. The focal point of the Lower Church is the Tomb of St. Kentigern or Mungo as he is often called in Glasgow. Across the road, the St. Mungo Museum of World Religion houses Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John on the Cross. At present the Kelvingrove Art Museum is undergoing refurbishment but on completion Dali’s painting and many of the city’s arts treasures temporarily in the MacLellan Gallery will be displayed there. |
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The second day focussed on the
legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, born in Glasgow in 1868. Mackintosh
grew up in the city where he received his architectural education
and where he spent his entire professional life as a practising architect,
eventually becoming a partner in the firm of Honeyman, Keppie and
Mackintosh. He retired to London at an early age in 1914, where he
died in 1928. Like other great men before him, Mackintosh was slow
to find honour in his own city, although almost all his extant work
is located in the Strathclyde Region. |
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The day began with a visit to the
Glasgow School of Art, a fine example of Mackintosh's architecture
demonstrating an intriguing blend of traditional Japanese, Scottish
baronial and Viennese secessionist styles. Designed in 1896 and built
between 1897-1909, highlights were the library, the furniture gallery
and a meeting room simply called Mackintosh where every detail is
his from the number on the door to the light fittings. |
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We then continued to Queens Cross
Church, headquarters of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and
the only church designed by him. The director of the Society gave
an introduction to the church, following which we had lunch in the
Mackintosh-designed refectory. |
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In the afternoon we visited the
House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park. The house was designed
by Mackintosh in 1900 for an international competition, however the
realisation of the plans was only completed in 1996. We were able
to view some of Mackintosh’s finest interiors, including the
famous Music Room with its elaborately carved piano and spectacular
lighting - then on to the famous Willow Tea Room |
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The next day was spent in Edinburgh
visiting Holyrood House (right), closely associated with Scotland’s
turbulent past and perhaps best known as the home of Mary, Queen
of Scots. Also located within the palace is the Queens Gallery where
we were able to see the delightful collection of watercolours from
the Queen Mother’s collection. In the afternoon we had a guided
tour of the new Scottish Parliament Building - reactions and comments
were very mixed - both from our guide and members of the group. |
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The following day saw us at the
Hunterian Art Gallery with its superb collection of paintings by
Whistler and several turn-of-the-century 'Glasgow Boys' such as Horne,
Guthrie, Walton and Mann, whose loud colours and radical themes were
the first challenges to Edinburgh's cultural supremacy. An integral
part of the Art Gallery was the Mackintosh House where the principal
interiors of the architect's own home have been reconstructed from
the original site only 100 metres away. |
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We then travelled to Pollok Country Park in the south of Glasgow to visit the world-renowned Burrell Collection. The astonishing array of treasures amassed by Sir William Burrell, a wealthy ship owner, was presented to the City of Glasgow in 1944. The collection includes medieval stained glass and suits of armour, Flemish tapestries, oriental jades, Degas pastels, a Ming Dynasty table and chair, and paintings and drawings from the 15th to 20th centuries. |
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In the afternoon, we moved on to Pollok House - built in 1752 and displaying furniture from the Glasgow Museums' collections and one of the finest collections of Spanish paintings in Britain, including works by Goya and El Greco, and other European Masters such as William Blake.
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For our final day, we travelled
to Helensburgh for a visit to Hill House, Mackintosh’s domestic
masterpiece, built for the Mackie family. This was the largest house
designed by the architect and here he was given freedom to express
his ideas on the integration of architecture, decoration and furniture. |
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Finally, winding down for our return
flight, we had lunch on the banks of Loch Lomond, and relaxed in
Luss and Balloch with their stunning views of Ben Lomond. |
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