In the 1890s Glasgow was one of the most prosperous cities in the world. Industry and engineering had reenergized the old port and had made Victorian Glasgow a shipbuilding hub. Newly on the world stage, Glasgow was primed for its own architectural movement. At the time, Art Nouveau had swept the European continent as the reigning standard in architecture and the decorative arts. A group of Scottish artists emerged from circles in and around the Glasgow School of Art. They were known as the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys. Two of the Glasgow Girls, sisters Margaret and Frances Macdonald, both painters and glass artists, married architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and painter Herbert MacNair, respectively. This group was dubbed the Four and dominated the Glasgow art scene in a time when artists around the world looked to the city for cutting-edge inspiration. Mackintosh singlehandedly defined the Glasgow Style, a subdued take on Art Nouveau architecture. Drawing from the natural world as well as Japanese, Celtic, and Scottish influences, Mackintosh’s Glasgow Style would eventually influence early schools of modernism. Here are six examples of Glasgow’s best Mackintosh buildings.
Glasgow School of Art
Blending Art Nouveau, Japanese, and traditional Scottish decorative elements, this turn-of-the-century Charles Rennie Mackintosh building put the designer and his Glasgow Style on the map. However, it was not the building’s ornamentation that set it apart, but rather its lack thereof. Mackintosh’s creative restraint put him well ahead of his time.
The Willow Tea Rooms
This re-creation of one of the 1903 tearooms features Mackintosh-designed furniture, which bears a distinct Art Nouveau geometry and craftsmanship. The Willow Tea Rooms, which are currently being restored, were once part of a series of successful eateries opened by Glasgow’s famous Miss Cranston.
House for an Art Lover
Visit House for an Art Lover and tour one of Mackintosh’s best concepts. The architect and his wife, Margaret Macdonald, submitted their plans for the house to the German magazine Zeitschrift für Innendekoration in 1901, entering the Haus Eines Kunstfreundes, or Art Lover’s House, competition. The entry, partially late, was automatically disqualified. It was not until 1989 that the house was built by Graham Roxburgh and a team from the Glasgow School of Art.
The Hill House
You can find the Hill House in seaside Helensburgh, a short drive from Glasgow’s busy city center. Every detail of this Art Nouveau–era house was designed by Mackintosh and Macdonald.
Queen’s Cross Church
Mackintosh designed Queen’s Cross Church in 1896. It can best be described as Gothic with touches of Art Nouveau. The more closely you examine this building, the more modern it seems.
Scotland Street School
It’s hard to believe that the Scotland Street School was built in 1904. The modern movement in architecture, specifically the Bauhaus, would draw from Mackintosh’s designs, like this one.
