I took a couple of days off this week since my dad was in Glasgow. On Monday we went to House for an Art Lover,which was built quite recently using plans drawn by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1901 for a competition. As you can see, the weather was not particularly fantastic but luckily we did get round all the outdoor stuff before the monsoon started up again.
It’s built in Bellahouston Park and there’s lots of see without even paying to go inside the house. There was a lot of fun (and weird) public art including those amazing jellies and some giant jelly babies in the play park. I also loved the walled garden, which was in full bloom, no doubt thanks to all the crazy rain we’ve been having. It was all very neat and tidy with topiary and shaped flower beds and lots of perfect flowers.
The house itself is really lovely too, with an amazing contrast between the light and airy music and oval rooms and the dark and serious hallway and dining room. It was all very welcoming too – you’re allowed to sit on the furniture and play the piano, and you get an audio handset to tell you all about the inspirations and how it was built. The only slight disappointment is that a large part of the building is used for meeting rooms and classrooms, which aren’t open to the public, but at least that means it gets used. Anyway, I’d definitely recommend a visit, even just for the gardens.
There’s more photos on my Flickr if you’re interested.
