Architecture of Glasgow

Last updated

The western facade of the Moorish Revival Templeton's Carpet Factory. Teppichfabrik.jpg
The western façade of the Moorish Revival Templeton's Carpet Factory.

The city of Glasgow, Scotland is particularly noted for its 19th-century Victorian architecture, and the early-20th-century "Glasgow Style", as developed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Contents

Very little of medieval Glasgow remains, the two main landmarks from this period being the 15th-century Provand's Lordship and 12th-century St. Mungo's Cathedral. St. Mungo's Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk and Glasgow Cathedral, is the oldest building in Glasgow and is an example of Scottish Gothic architecture.

The vast majority of the city as seen today dates from the 19th century. As a result, Glasgow has a heritage of Victorian architecture: the Glasgow City Chambers; the main building of the University of Glasgow, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott; and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, designed by Sir John W. Simpson are examples.

Glasgow Style

Western facade of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Glasgow School of Art. Glasgow School of Art 52.JPG
Western façade of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Glasgow School of Art.

The city is notable for architecture designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928). Mackintosh was an architect and designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and the main exponent of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom, designing Glasgow buildings such as the Glasgow School of Art, Willow Tearooms and the Scotland Street School. Also designed by Mackintosh is the Queen's Cross Church, the only church by the artist to be built. [1]

Victorian era

The Holmwood House villa in Cathcart, designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson. Holmwood.jpg
The Holmwood House villa in Cathcart, designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson.

Another architect who had an impact on the city's appearance was Alexander Thomson (1817–1875). Thomson produced a style of architecture based on fundamentalist classicism that gave him the nickname "Greek". Examples of Thomson's work can be found over the city, [2] with notable examples including the Holmwood House villa and St. Vincent Street Church.

The buildings reflect the wealth and self-confidence of the residents of the "Second City of the Empire". Glasgow generated wealth from trade and the industries that developed from the Industrial Revolution. The Templeton's carpet factory on Glasgow Green was designed to resemble the Doge's Palace in Venice and epitomises Glaswegians' desire to demonstrate architectural opulence during this era. [3]

Typical red sandstone Glasgow south side tenement (Shawlands). TenementGlasgowSouthSide.jpg
Typical red sandstone Glasgow south side tenement (Shawlands).

Many of the city's buildings were built with red or blond sandstone, but during the industrial era those colours disappeared under a pervasive black layer of soot and pollutants from the furnaces, until the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956. In recent years many of these buildings have been cleaned and restored to their original appearance.

Ecclesiastical architecture

Many important historicist churches were built in Victorian Glasgow, including the St. Vincent Street Church and the Romanesque Revival Garnethill Synagogue.

Modern era

Modern buildings in Glasgow include the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and along the banks of the Clyde are the Glasgow Science Centre and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, whose Clyde Auditorium was designed by Sir Norman Foster, and is known as the "Armadillo". Zaha Hadid won a competition to design the new Riverside Museum to house the Glasgow Museum of Transport [4]

Glasgow's historical and modern architectural traditions were celebrated in 1999 when the city was designated UK City of Architecture and Design, [5] winning the accolade over Liverpool and Edinburgh. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Rennie Mackintosh</span> Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist (1868–1928)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdonald, was influential on European design movements such as Art Nouveau and Secessionism and praised by great modernists such as Josef Hoffmann. Mackintosh was born in Glasgow and died in London. He is among the most important figures of Modern Style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow</span> Largest city in Scotland

Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 635,640. Straddling the border between historic Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, the city now forms the Glasgow City Council area, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and is governed by Glasgow City Council. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryhill</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Maryhill is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. Maryhill stretches over 7 miles (11 km) along Maryhill Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery</span> Museum in Glasgow, Scotland

The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology Museum and the Anatomy Museum, which are all located in various buildings on the main campus of the university in the west end of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian architecture</span> Series of architectural revival styles

Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 and later. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles (see Historicism). The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture, and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Thomson</span> Scottish architect

Alexander "Greek" Thomson was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was little appreciated outside Glasgow during his lifetime. It has only been since the 1950s and 1960s that his critical reputation has revived—not least of all in connection with his probable influence on Frank Lloyd Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townhead</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Townhead is an area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated immediately north-east of Glasgow city centre and contains a residential sector, a commercial/industrial sector and an educational zone containing the main campuses of both the University of Strathclyde and City of Glasgow College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kelvinside</span> Human settlement in Scotland

North Kelvinside is a residential district of the Scottish city of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland Street School Museum</span>

Scotland Street School Museum is a museum of school education in Glasgow, Scotland, in the district of Kingston. It is located in a former school designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh between 1903 and 1906. The building is one of Glasgow's foremost architectural attractions. It is located next to the Shields Road subway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmacolm</span> Village in Inverclyde, Scotland

Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, 7+12 miles southeast of Greenock and around 15 miles (24 km) west of the city of Glasgow. The village has a population of around 4,000 and is part of a wider civil parish which covers a large rural hinterland of 15,000 hectares containing within it the smaller settlement of Quarrier's Village, originally established as a 19th-century residential orphans' home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Necropolis</span> Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland

The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral. Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone. Approximately 3,500 monuments exist here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blythswood Hill</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Blythswood Hill, crowned by the elegance of Blythswood Square, is the wealthiest part of central Glasgow, Scotland. It extends from the west edge of Buchanan Street to Gordon Street and Bothwell Street, Charing Cross, Sauchiehall Street and Garnethill. Developed as the city's wealthiest and healthiest residential area from 1800 onwards, its Georgian and Victorian architecture continues as a Conservation Area of international note. It started as the "Magnificent New Town of Blythswood" becoming an integral part of the city-centre's business and social life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martyrs' Public School</span>

The Martyrs’ Public School, in Parson Street in the Townhead area of Glasgow, Scotland, is one of the earlier works of architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Until recently, an arts centre run by Glasgow Museums, it is now home to Glasgow City Council's Social Work Leaving Care Services. It is protected as a category A listed building. Stranded above the main road it was once set in the middle of a densely populated area of tenement buildings. It was built following the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 which provided for increased public expenditure on education. Commissioned by the School Board of Glasgow and built between 1895 and 1898, the architects were Honeyman and Keppie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the culture in the United Kingdom

The architecture of the United Kingdom, or British architecture, consists of a combination of architectural styles, dating as far back to Roman architecture, to the present day 21st century contemporary. England has seen the most influential developments, though Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have each fostered unique styles and played leading roles in the international history of architecture. Although there are prehistoric and classical structures in the United Kingdom, British architectural history effectively begins with the first Anglo-Saxon Christian churches, built soon after Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Great Britain in 597. Norman architecture was built on a vast scale throughout Great Britain and Ireland from the 11th century onwards in the form of castles and churches to help impose Norman authority upon their dominions. English Gothic architecture, which flourished between 1180 until around 1520, was initially imported from France, but quickly developed its own unique qualities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Scotland</span> Overview of the architecture of Scotland

The architecture of Scotland includes all human building within the modern borders of Scotland, from the Neolithic era to the present day. The earliest surviving houses go back around 9500 years, and the first villages 6000 years: Skara Brae on the Mainland of Orkney being the earliest preserved example in Europe. Crannogs, roundhouses, each built on an artificial island, date from the Bronze Age and stone buildings called Atlantic roundhouses and larger earthwork hill forts from the Iron Age. The arrival of the Romans from about 71 AD led to the creation of forts like that at Trimontium, and a continuous fortification between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde known as the Antonine Wall, built in the second century AD. Beyond Roman influence, there is evidence of wheelhouses and underground souterrains. After the departure of the Romans there were a series of nucleated hill forts, often utilising major geographical features, as at Dunadd and Dunbarton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Leiper</span> Scottish architect (1839–1916)

William Leiper FRIBA RSA (1839–1916) was a Scottish architect known particularly for his domestic architecture in and around the town of Helensburgh. In addition, he produced a small amount of fine ecclesiastical and commercial architecture in Glasgow and the Scottish Lowlands. He was also an accomplished watercolour artist, and from the late 1870s spent much spare time painting in oils and watercolours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vincent Street</span>

St. Vincent Street, is one of the major streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in the early 1800s as part of the residential New Town of Blythswood developed by William Harley of Blythswood Square. St. Vincent Street was named to commemorate the victory of Sir John Jervis, on 15 February 1797, off Cape Saint Vincent, Portugal. when the Royal Navy defeated the Spanish fleet which was on its way to join Napoleon's French fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture in modern Scotland</span> Buildings in Scotland during the 20th and 21st century

Architecture in modern Scotland encompasses all building in Scotland, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the present day. The most significant architect of the early twentieth century was Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who mixed elements of traditional Scottish architecture with contemporary movements. Estate house design declined in importance in the twentieth century. In the early decades of the century, traditional materials began to give way to cheaper modern ones. After the First World War, Modernism and the office block began to dominate building in the major cities and attempts began to improve the quality of urban housing for the poor, resulted in a massive programme of council house building. The Neo-Gothic style continued in to the twentieth century but the most common forms in this period were plain and massive Neo-Romanesque buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church architecture in Scotland</span>

Church architecture in Scotland incorporates all church building within the modern borders of Scotland, from the earliest Christian structures in the sixth century until the present day. The early Christian churches for which there is evidence are basic masonry-built constructions on the west coast and islands. As Christianity spread, local churches tended to remain much simpler than their English counterparts. By the eighth century more sophisticated ashlar block-built buildings began to be constructed. From the eleventh century, there were larger and more ornate Romanesque buildings, as with Dunfermline Abbey and St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney. From the twelfth century the introduction of new monastic orders led to a boom in ecclesiastical building, often using English and Continental forms. From the thirteenth century elements of the European Gothic style began to appear in Scotland, culminating in buildings such as Glasgow Cathedral and the rebuilt Melrose Abbey. Renaissance influences can be seen in a move to a low-massive style that was probably influenced by contacts with Italy and the Netherlands.

References

  1. Watch video of the church Archived 5 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine and Interview with Stuart Robertson, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society Director
  2. Thomson Buildings
  3. "Templeton's Carpet Factory, Glasgow - Princes Regeneration". Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  4. "Museum of Transport Glasgow". Glasgow Architecture. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  5. Glasgow: Scotland with style - City of Reinvention By Nancy McLardie Archived 2010-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Glasgow City Council: Regeneration - into the new Millennium Archived 26 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine