Friday, October 16, 2009

City Breaks And Cultural Glasgow

By Karl Fraser

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and also the most popular vacation destination in the nation an 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 Museum of Transport: The Glasgow Museum of Transport Technology is located in the Kelvin Hall, opposite the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the West End of Glasgow City. Kelvin Hall was built in 1927, and originally used as an exhibition centre. In 1987 the use was converted to house the Museum of Transport and the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena. It one of the most popular museums of transport in the UK attracting 500,000 visitors a year. The museum houses many exhibits of national and international importance. All forms of transport are featured, from horse-drawn vehicles to fire engines, from motorcycles to caravans, even toy cars and prams.

So there you have it, three world class cultural visitor attractions in Glasgow. So next time you are planning a vacation in Scotland why not consider this interesting city as a base. One word of warning though, book your hotel or accommodation early as there are periods when it is difficult to find vacancies.

About the Author:

0 comments:

Post a Comment