Around Glasgow

I'm in danger of being back in Canada before finishing up this blog!  So let this one be a few "bits and bobs"  to help me catch up.....

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Charles Rennie Mackintosh is a big deal.  I hadn't heard of him until I began preparing for this trip.  In brief he was an architect, designer and artist born in Glasgow in 1868 and died in London in 1928. His significance to the art and design world grew in the years since his death and Glasgow just oozes admiration for his work.  My experience has been brief but meaningful in having eaten twice in two separate Willow Tea Rooms (run now as social enterprises) and have seen some of his work in the Kelvingrove Museum.  I have also enjoyed the frequent and unexpected reminders around town.  Like this mural when I was exploring down by the River Clyde.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

In a city of amazing architecture the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of the best.  We arrived in time for a late lunch in the cafe and then didn't have much more than an hour to explore so we chose carefully.  The Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibit was a given of course.

The Peoples Palace

Before I say anything about the Peoples Palace I have to say something about Alex.

Who is Alex you ask.  Well he is a friend of Nan in Vancouver who is a friend of Linda.  Nan and Alex met in Egypt in 1980 and have kept in touch ever since.

Alex came over late morning on Sunday and after having a good natter to get to know each other (and we got on superbly) we got into his car and drove through the rain to the Peoples Palace and spent the next few hours there.

Another wonderful building with a wonderful raison-d'etre - to pay tribute to the long working class history of Glasgow and to demonstrate through many media how Glaswegians have lived, worked and played since 1750 .  (It also has a cafe 😋).

Alex is a retired high school teacher from Oban and is the Amnesty International UK representative for Eritrea which was only one of the interesting things about him!

Mitchell Library

The Mitchell Library is one of Glasgow's most recognizable buildings with its distinctive copper dome.  It is the second location for the library which began in 1877 with a bequest by Stephen Mitchell (he made his money from tobacco).  A move to the current location was necessary when a huge collection was purchased from the University of Glasgow.  This new building was opened in 1907.  An extension was added in the 1980's in order to house what at the time was the largest reference collection in Europe.

I took a break from family history research in the ScotlandsPeople hub to take a tour of the library. It was great to go behind the scenes and to hear  the history and the stories of this grand place.  It's been a lending library since 2005 (before that it was reference only) and today it is a real hub for the community with the library working with organizations and services to support the people of Glasgow.  They have of course a very nice cafe.  Also nice chairs.