TALKS PROGRAMME: Hugh and David Barclay and The Golden Summer of Glasgow’s Architecture

Niall Murphy, Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust and conservation architect, will talk about the buildings of brother architects Hugh and David Barclay (1828-1892 and 1846 – 1917) both members of Alexander Thomson’s circle, who were best known for the many schools they designed often as Italian Palazzos. Amongst others, these include Glasgow Academy at Kelvinbridge. In 1879 they won the commission for Greenock’s Municipal Buildings which, with its landmark tower, took them into the premier league of Glasgow practices. After his brother’s death David embraced a more flamboyant Northern European Renaissance style in a series of vast warehouses doted around Glasgow’s city centre. His crowning achievement was winning the 1901 competition for the enormous Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Science and Technology on George Street which rivals the City Chambers in scale. Glasgow, wouldn’t be Glasgow without the buildings of the Barclay brothers.

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