WestFest

After WW2, Glasgow's infamous 'Bruce Plan'; proposed motorways encircling a completely remodelled futuristic city centre. So many key assets were demolished for modernisation that by 1964 our Victorian heritage was in mortal danger. This was part of a national problem, and Westminster passed the protective Civic Amenities Act in 1967. Glasgow quickly designated its first […]

In talent, Sir JJ Burnet’s was as great as Thomson and Mackintosh while his career was even more stellar in achievement - yet he remains little known, the most mysterious of the Glasgow architects. Has Burnet's ability as stylistic chameleon contributed to this overshadowing? Niall Murphy, Deputy Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust discusses the […]

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 […]

Share in the compelling and historically rich journey from Glasgow’s first Lunatic Asylum at Dobbie’s Loan to Gartnavel Royal Hospital, with Eileen Ross as your guide. She will reflect on how our local services have promoted wellbeing and provided mental health care to their communities over the last two centuries. Presented in conjunction with Art […]

Ewen Donaldson, former General Manager, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, will present the prestigious 200-year history of the Botanic Gardens from its inception in Sandyford, to the current location in Kelvinside. Includes recent milestones such as the major refurbishment of the “Main Range” glasshouses, restoration of the “A” Listed Kibble Palace, and the Tearoom in the Curator's […]

"Fragments of Glasgow" was published in 2022 and documents Glasgow’s rich architectural heritage through photographs mainly from the Victorian Era. The wealth and prosperity of the time provided Glasgow architects unprecedented opportunities to innovate and use the finest quality building materials. Rosalie Menon, Glasgow School of Art, shares the impressive conservation, creativity, and investment undertaken […]

Glasgow Building Preservation Trust (GBPT) was established in 1982 to rescue, repair, restore and rehabilitate significant historic buildings at risk across the city. The retention of our historic built environment is pivotal to our sense of place and contributes to making Glasgow a beautiful and vibrant city to live, work and visit. Without the Trust’s […]

Veteran festival and events director Michael Dale, who founded the West End Festival in 1996, reviews his experiences of being the boss not just of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the 1980s but also the very successful Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 and many more besides. Michael left WEF in 2021 to take on other […]

Websters Theatre, formerly Lansdowne Parish Church, is home to stained glass windows by highly acclaimed Glasgow designer Alf Webster. David Robertson, Director of Four Acres Charitable Trust describes this wonderful stained glass, and the massive glass conservation project which the public will be able to visit and observe. Along with the public realm upgrade at […]

Rowena Statt, local resident and architect, presents old maps and archive images to explain the Victorian evolution of North Kelvinside, when speculative building rapidly consumed the R. Kelvin's beautiful wooded north bank. The tenements, terraces and villas remain, still in demand today, as are churches, shops, schools, bridges and even an industrial relic, the North […]

Michael Meighan, author and historian, remembers riding a trolleybus or tram to visit relatives and taking a steam train and paddle steamer ‘doon the water’ to Dunoon. Since then, trams and trolleybuses have given way to modern buses, the electric ‘Blue Train’ and the diesels arrived, and paddle steamers, ferries, ships and shipyards disappeared from […]