MidLife Traveller

July 24, 2013 · 6:09 am

Last one for Glasgow, promise

31st May 2013

People’s Palace, Glasgow

Mostly today I just wandered around enjoying Glasgow, but I did visit the People’s Palace in Glasgow Green and just about cried at some of the stories I read there. Their Red Road: Past/Present/Future Exhibition, tracing the story of high-rise living in Glasgow, in these particular flats is quite moving. I’m not sure if any of them are still standing, I got the impression they’ve all been demolished, but I could be wrong. Seems overcrowding of the tenements and the subsequent slums led to these high-rise buildings being built, but they deteriorated too and created the same types of problems all over again. I know it’s happened all over the world, but until you actually see the photos and read the stories it’s all rather distant and doesn’t mean much. I know I’m certainly having my horizons broadened in a huge way on this trip and hoping I’ll be better for it all.

There were the usual nostalgia inducing displays of seaside living, old shops and household objects to lighten the tone, but they didn’t have the impact of the Red Road stories. Coffee and cake at the café in the Winter Gardens glasshouse was a fine end to my visit though.

Doulton Fountain, Glasgow

Outside the People’s Palace building is the Doulton Fountain, the largest terracotta fountain in the world. Apparently it was built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1897, not that it means much to me – it wasn’t even doing much in the way of spurting water, but it is quite spectacular.

I headed back in to the city from Glasgow Green for my last visual feast of the buildings and atmosphere then to the Botanic Gardens to say goodbye to my fave places. Packing again tonight, heading off tomorrow on a 3 day bus tour to the highlands, Isle of Sky and ending in Edinburgh.

I’ve always thought the windows that you can climb through and stand on the fire escape or whatever are really cool. I’ve only ever seen them in movies or on Friends. When I told Sarah I had some, she was pestering me to climb out and take photos. Well, being the wuss I am, I wasn’t quite game to stand out there but I climbed out and took some selfies while sitting on the window sill instead. If anyone saw me I’m sure they’d think I was crackers, but, they wouldn’t be the first – and probably not the last either.

People’s Palace and Winter Gardens, Glasgow

The Winter Garden, Glasgow

Whale Bone Arch, People’s Palace, Glasgow

Necklace details, People’s Palace, Glasgow

Necklace associated with Red Road Flats exhibition, Glasgow

A very modern bath, early 1900’s, People’s Palace, Glasgow

How cool are the controls for the bath

Housing numbers per area, People’s Palace, Glasgow

Winter Garden, Glasgow

Tiles in toilets at People’s Palace, Glasgow

About the Doulton Fountain, Glasgow

Old Mortruary, Glasgow – often used in movies, apparently!

Glasgow

Gallowgate, Glasgow – where the gallow used to be

Part of hotel inside Central Station, Glasgow

cool floor in Glasgow

One of my favourite sights in Glasgow

Flower, Glasgow

Taking selfies out on the window sill, Glasgow

House for an Art Lover

30th May 2013

After you’ve done it once, the anxiety is less – that’s the way it’s supposed to work anyhow. I’ m not so sure about that, but I keep plugging away. To get the ‘The House for an Art Lover’ I could get the subway but then the walk had tons of turns, so I took numerous screen shots of the maps, hoped for the best and took off. You’d think after this long I wouldn’t think twice but my tummy still gets all tied in knots doing new things. I keep hoping one day I’ll all of a sudden realise it’s not happening anymore.

House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Okay, enough of the deep and meaningful, I got there without any dramas – I usually do, so I don’t know what all the stress is for. The house is in Bellahouston Park, and was built from plans that Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with his wife, Margaret Mackintosh, drew up for a competition in 1901. His plan didn’t win the competition as some of his drawings were submitted after the closing date. Then the house was built by a charitable organization in the early 1990’s as an aid to stimulating interest in art and architecture.

Drawing for House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

It was great to see their designs up close, to be able to touch and sit on the furniture, take photos and just have time to take it all in. Everything has been made using as close to original methods and materials as possible and the gesso panels and wall hangings designed by Margaret really are quite special. I’m still amazed at how modern their work was for the times.

I met a couple of Scottish blokes while going through the house and we ended up sitting together for lunch as well. I thought one of them might have been a Victorian when I first saw him – socks and sandals, with jeans! But no, they were both pure-bred Scotsmen. Nice blokes and it’s always great to talk to locals,
I was sooooo tempted to buy something from the gift shop, but once again, I thought about how much easier it is the less stuff you have. That usually does the trick, or else I try and decide what I’m going to dump if I buy something new, that works too!

Interior at Glasgow City Chambers

After another wander through the house I made my way back to the city for a quick squiz inside the Glasgow City Chambers building. Then it was back to the comfort of my ‘hood and the library again, not terribly exciting but good for the soul to have some downtime.

Love this font at the House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Glass paneling at House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Dining room, House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Margaret Mackintosh designs at House for an Art Lover

Fireplace in House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Piano in House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Even got talked into having my photo taken, that doesn’t happen often!

Panel in House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

Glasgow City Chambers

Glasgow City Chambers building

Building in Glasgow

Just some cool features in Glasgow

Dinner!!

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Filed under Mid-life travel, Scotland, Travel

Tagged as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow City Chambers, House for an Art Lover

July 21, 2013 · 8:14 pm

Yep, you guessed it – I’m still on Glasgow

28th May 2013

Specimen jars at the Hunterian, Glasgow

The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery and the recreation of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow flat are in the grounds of the Glasgow University, so another walk to visit them today. The older university buildings in Britain really are treasures in themselves and the Hunterian is no exception, great lofty ceilings and ornate decorations everywhere. I seem to walk around permanently looking skywards at times. The museum houses a hugely diverse collection – anatomical specimens in old fashioned glass jars, items from Captain Cooks voyages, Roman objects from the Antonine Wall – enough variety to keep even me, with my deficient attention span, entertained for hours. I guess, when you’re visiting so many places, it’s bound to happen, but, I was again disappointed, because the mezzanine gallery was closed for renovation – bugger! The art gallery and Mackintosh house are just across the road from the Hunterian, and because I had to cool my heels waiting for the next available tour of the house I had a look around the art gallery. Then I found all the James McNeill Whistler’s work – the Hunterian has the largest amount of his work on display in the world – and had to drag myself away for the tour. I think being on my own has helped opened my eyes to the benefits of going slow and learning to really look at art work. In saying that, I still find I need to mix it up and not go to too many of the same sort of places or I don’t appreciate them as they deserve.

The Mackintosh house was amazing, but, no photos allowed, and there were always two guides with the group to keep you on the straight and narrow. Then they told us how much one piece of his furniture was worth – and I understood their attitude! His ideas are so far removed from the norm at the time it’s not surprising he was not overly successful, the house and furniture would fit right in today’s world. I totally loved the tour, just wish we could have lingered at times but with another group hot on our heels we had to keep moving – at least I got to see it, that’s the main thing I suppose.

My new home, Glasgow

Is it a sign of something – being a nerd, tiredness, what? A couple of days ago, I realized I walk past a library on my home, so I’ve been joining the locals sitting there reading for an hour or so. I’m working my way through their books on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow and art – it actually makes me feel less like I’m travelling too.

Oh, I forgot to write about my move next door too. I had originally booked 3 nights but decided to extend my time here and found the hotel had a studio apartment next door for £5 more a night than I was paying for my single room. What a bargain – and it’s fantastic, I absolutely love it!!

Hunterian Museum, Glasgow

What the Hunterian used to look like

Roman exhibition at the Hunterian, Glasgow

Roman artefacts, Hunterian, Glasgow

Up close and personal in the Hunterian, Glasgow

From the Hunterian, Glasgow

Just cool at the Hunterian, Glasgow

At Glasgow University

Glasgow University

Cool lamp post, Glasgow

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Filed under Mid-life travel, Scotland, Travel

Tagged as Antonine Wall, Glasgow, Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, James Abbott McNeill Whistler

July 21, 2013 · 7:35 pm

But wait, there’s more – it’s Glasgow again!!

27th May 2013

On the tall ship at Glasgow Riverside Museum

Feeling very brave today, I tackled getting to the Riverside Museum via public transport. Glasgow has a little subway system consisting of just two circular lines, the inner and outer lines. I have been using this great system for the last few days but today I tried the buses out as well. My plans went slightly astray when one of the bus drivers told me the Riverside Museum bus I wanted to catch didn’t run anymore – I later found out it does still run, but anyway, it just meant I had a longer walk than I anticipated. The Riverside Museum is quite a way from anything else, sort of stuck in the middle of nowhere with not much around it. So, when I saw other people heading in my direction I kind of stalked them for a while, but also was following my map, just in case – and we all arrived in no time!

Glasgow would have to be one of the most budget friendly places for visiting museums, this one was free entry also – and absolutely full of families. The main museum is chock a block full of every conceivable means of transport, and a tall ship that was built in the Clyde, is permanently moored outside. The fact that you can climb all over a large number of the exhibits really makes it popular with the dads and kids, I saw lots of mums standing by looking just a tad bemused; and had a little chuckle to myself a few times, thinking, hehehe, I can leave any time I want!!

I found the bus stop and had a much quicker trip back to the city, thank goodness, because it had turned really cold and wet by the time I left. Glasgow rain is not at all like the rain I encountered in Ireland. You could walk around in the misty Irish rain for hours and hardly get wet, but this stuff was like ours a home – really heavy and wet you through.

CRM model at The Lighthouse, Glasgow

More Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the afternoon, this time at The Lighthouse Centre for Design and Architecture. Mackintosh originally designed the building for the Glasgow Herald Newspaper, so the architecture has his imprint all over and several floors inside are dedicated to his work.

More quiet time at the botanic gardens produced another sort of acceptable sketch later in the day. I even had a walk through the big round glasshouse instead of just looking at it from the outside – more “firsts” since I left home than you can poke a stick at!!