Glasgow

Victorian Architecture Trip to Glasgow 

Colin Milligan lead members of the Victorian Architecture Group together with some U3A members from the Stewartry and Dumfries U3A on a mini-bus trip to Glasgow.

After a quick comfort break at Cairn Lodge (on the M74) we just made it in time for our guided tour of the City Chambers – a very impressive Victorian building designed by William Young of Paisley after he won a competition in 1882. The building was completed and inaugurated by Queen Victoria in 1888.

From its marble pillared entrance hall (with mosaics provided by Ludwig Oppenheimer, father of Charles) up the Carrara marble and alabaster staircase, looking up to the gold leaf ceiling and the stained glass dome, one can be lost in an earlier life of pomp and ceremony. Our guide amused us with stories of events and problems that have arisen over the life of the building and before we knew it we were back downstairs and off to lunch.

In the afternoon we had a fascinating walk around the Necropolis with one of the guides who is a volunteer and gives her time so that this unique graveyard and memorial to so many Glasgow greats can be maintained.50,000 burials have taken place at the Necropolis and most of 3,500 tombs have been constructed up to 14 feet deep, with stonewalls and brick partitions.

On the top of the Necropolis tombs were blasted out of the rockface. In 1877 the Molendinar Burn, running under the Bridge of Sighs, was culverted. This burn in which St Mungo was said to have fished for salmon is now underground on its way to the Clyde.  There is so much of interest at the Necropolis that I am sure you could spend several days there reading the tombstones.

My favourite headstone is the one designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh at an early stage in his career. (see photo).

Thanks to the very smooth and safe driving of Stephen we were back in Kirkcudbright by 7.30 p.m. after a very busy day.

Visit to Charles Rennie Macintosh exhibition, Kelvinhall, Glasgow

30 members visited the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Exhibition at Kelvinhall and the late watercolours owned by the Hunterian, which are kept at their Research Centre at Kelvin Hall. The day started badly because I miss-counted the people on the coach and we waited for two people who were already there but once I got my brain in gear we were fine, apart from forgetting to take a photograph of the group!

Our visit took place only a few days after the second devastating fire at the Glasgow School of Art and I could hear many comments about this as we went round the main exhibition at Kelvingrove. I could also hear many expressions of delight from our Group at the huge variety of exhibits and the amount of information there was about Mackintosh himself and the times he lived in whilst in Glasgow and later in Suffolk and London and latterly in the south of France. We felt that there was something for everyone at this exhibition from his iconic chairs to the designs of buildings that, unfortunately, never saw the light of day.

As well as the exhibition we had a private viewing of the Hunterian’s watercolours painted by Mackintosh in the last years of his life, around the village of Port Vendres in southern France. Mackintosh’s change of style from the days of his flower paintings and move back to his more architectural mood speaks volumes. Some of the Group felt that this period of his life was a happy one. I certainly hope so.

We arrived home in good time. Thank you to my husband, John, who supported me throughout the day and enabled me to have plenty of time to see the main exhibition.

Vanessa Enos