Glasgow Sights: Architecture

Full Glasgow Travel Guide »    Glasgow Interactive Map »    Print This Article »

As befits a city that was at its richest through the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, the centre of Glasgow has a fine legacy of Victorian and Edwardian buildings with their lavish interiors and spectacular carved stonework. Outside of the central area the main streets are lined with the legendary tenements - the city's trademark 2 or 3 story residential buildings built from red or blonde sandstone which positively glow during the summer. The decline of Glasgow's economy during the mid to late 20th Century led to the mass construction of high-rise tower blocks and concrete housing estates during the 1960's and 1970s. The dramatic and striking Red Road Flats form the tallest residential property in Europe. Many 1970s office buildings in the centre have been cleared away by state-of-the-art glass structures as Glasgow's burgeoning financial services industry continues to grow.

Glasgow was also the home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the "Glasgow Four," a group of leading proponents of art nouveau architecture. Indeed, during his lifetime, Mackintosh was probably better regarded abroad than he was in his native Glasgow, even apparently inspiring Frank Lloyd Wright. However, he was recently resurrected as one of the cities most beloved sons. You will notice, along with quite a few of his buildings to see in the city, including his magnum opus, the Glasgow School of Art, many other knock-offs and impersonations exist. However, despite the 'cult' of Mackintosh, Glasgow produced many other fine architects, the best known of whom is probably Alexander 'Greek' Thomson.

The following list is a selection of significant buildings in Glasgow.

Clyde Auditorium

• The Clyde Auditorium, (train: Exhibition Centre), www.secc.co.uk/gallery. Affectionately known by Glaswegians as the Armadillo, it is a concert hall which forms part of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre complex. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, and contrary to popular belief, not inspired by the Sydney Opera House it is in fact supposed to represent ship's hulls. Has now garnered some world fame for being the place where the Susan Boyle audition - the most downloaded YouTube video clip in history - was filmed.
• The imposing City Chambers www.glasgow.gov.uk (train: Glasgow Queen Street) in George Square was built in 1888 in Italian Renaissance style and is the headqurters of Glasgow City Council. Tours of the building are available daily, and visitors can see the magnificent marble staircases, lobbies, see the debating chamber and the lavish banqueting hall.
• Glasgow Cathedral is a fine example of Gothic architecture dating from medieval times and built on a site first consecrated in 397 AD.
• The Mitchell Library, North Street, Charing Cross (rail: Charing Cross) www.mitchelllibrary.org One of Glasgow's best public buildings, it is the largest municipal public reference library in Europe, the imposing structure houses a spectactular reading room, although it has to be said much of the Mitchell's extensive collection is housed in the rather ugly 1970s extension attached to the rear. You can easily lose a day in here!
• Glasgow School of Art, Renfrew Street (subway: Cowcaddens) www.gsa.ac.uk. Seen as one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's finest buildings and is one of Britain's pre-eminent schools of art, design and architecture. Guided tours of the building are available (you must book in advance), or if you want to create your own art in the building, you can enroll for evening classes or the summer school.
• Glasgow University, University Avenue (subway: Hillhead), www.gla.ac.uk. Contains the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, including a reconstruction of Mackintosh's house. The exterior is fine in its own right; the current main University building is of the neo-gothic and dates from 1870, although the University as an institution was founded in 1451. The front of the building commands views over Kelvingrove Park and the western fringes of the city.
• The House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park (train: Dumbreck or subway: Ibrox), www.houseforanartlover.co.uk. Built in the 1990s to Mackintosh's original 1901 entry for a design competition. Opening times vary; cost is £3.50.
• Scotland Street School, 225 Scotland St (subway: Shields Road), www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/index.cfm?venueid=12. Charles Rennie Mackintosh's last major building - thoughtfully designed, with an excellent museum covering both Mackintosh and the changing faces of schools. Open daily. Free.
• Holmwood House, www.ntseducation.org.uk/students/case-holmwood.html. Now run by the National Trust, and currently in the process of being renovated, Holmwood House is one of the best examples of the work of Glasgow's other great architect: Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. It is in Cathcart, in the South Side of the City, and is open throughout the Summer.
• The Willow Tea Room

If this just whets your appetite for information on Glasgow's architecture, try and get hold of a copy of Central Glasgow: An Illustrated Architectural Guide, by Charles McKean and others. There are various editions (ISBN:1873190220, ISBN:1851582002, ISBN:1851582010).