City Breaks And Cultural Glasgow

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and also the most popular vacation destination in the nation a many tourists fail to see the enormous benefit of visiting the nearby city of Glasgow.

The number of people taking city breaks and weekend breaks in Glasgow is increasing each year but the majority of visitors are arriving to enjoy the city's fantastic nightlife. Below I shall introduce you to three of the multitude of places to visit if your tastes are more cultural.

The Mackintosh House: The Mackintosh House is a central feature of the University of Glasgow's, Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery. The Mackintosh House is a modern concrete building, part of the gallery/library complex, which stands on the site of one of two rows of terraced houses, that were demolished in the 1960s to make room for the University's expansion. One of the buildings lost, was 78 Southpark Avenue (formerly 6 Florentine Terrace), home of the Mackintoshes from 1906 to 1914. As much as possible was salvaged of the original fittings, and put into storage, to enable the future reassembly of the hall, dining room, studio, drawing room, and bedroom. The University rebuilt the form of the house comprising the reassembled interiors.

The Hill House: The Hill House was designed and built for the publisher, Walter Blackie and his family, in 1902-1904. The house nestles high above the Clyde Estuary, in the picturesque Victorian town of Helensburgh, about 30 minutes drive from Glasgow, close to Loch Lomond. The Hill House is considered to be one of Charles Rennie Mackintoshs finest examples of domestic architecture, and most famous works of art, second only to Glasgow School of Art. Mackintosh also designed most of the interior rooms, furniture and other fixtures and fittings. Mackintoshs wife, Margaret Macdonald played an integral part in the lavish project and produced the fabric designs and a customised panel spanning the fireplace in the drawing room.

The Scotland Street School Musem: Scotland Street School Museum, is Scotland's only Museum of Education. The school was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh between 1903 and 1906, and is classed as a must for all Mackintosh enthusiasts. Here one can learn the story of Scotland Street Public School, and the developments in education in Scotland, through a combination of displays, Audio-visuals and reconstructed and restored classrooms. There are classrooms from the Victorian era, through to the Second World War, to the classroom of the fifties and sixties. The Audio-visual room has an introductory video about the school as well as showing educational and historical archive films.

This is only three of the many, many places in Glasgow to visit if you are in need of cultural stimulation. I hope that this article will inspire you to consider having a city break in Glasgow soon. If you do please be aware that it is often difficult finding available rooms in the many hotels and guest houses so book early to be certain that you get somewhere suitable. Remember that you can see much of the city in a single weekend so Glasgow and Edinburgh are highly suitable for a dual destination vacation.

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