Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
this is the only way (apart from enrolling) you can visit the building's interior. They're
worth booking by phone at busy times. Multilingual translations are available.
GALLERY
Gallery of Modern Art
(GoMA;
www.glasgowmuseums.com
;
Royal Exchange Sq; 10am-5pm Mon-Wed & Sat,
to 8pm Thu, 11am-5pm Fri & Sun)
Scotland's most popular contemporary art gallery fea-
tures modern works from international artists, housed in a graceful neoclassical building.
The original interior is used to make a daring, inventive art display. Social issues are a fo-
cal point of the museum but it's not all heavy going: there's a big effort made to keep the
kids entertained.
MACKINTOSH BUILDING
Willow Tearooms
(
www.willowtearooms.co.uk
; Mackintosh Building, 217 Sauchiehall St; 9am-5pm Mon-
Sat, 11am-5pm Sun)
Admirers of the great Mackintosh will love the Willow Tearooms, an
authentic reconstruction of tearooms Mackintosh designed and furnished in the early 20th
century for restaurateur Kate Cranston. You can relive the original splendour of this
unique tearoom while admiring the architect's distinctive touch in just about every ele-
ment; he had a free rein and even the teaspoons were given his attention. Reconstruction
took two years and the Willow reopened as a tearoom in 1980 (having been closed since
1926). The street name Sauchiehall means 'lane of willows', hence the choice of a styl-
ised willow motif.
MECHANICAL THEATRE
Sharmanka Kinetic Gallery & Theatre
(
0141-552 7080;
www.sharmanka.com
; 103 Trongate; adult/child £8/free)
Great fun
for kids and often surprisingly moving for adults, this extraordinary mechanical theatre is
located at the Trongate 103 arts centre. Originally from St Petersburg, it brings inanimate
objects to life, as sculptured pieces of scrap and tiny carved figures perform humorous and
tragic stories of the human spirit, set to haunting music. It's joyful, ironic theatre: inspira-
tional one moment and macabre the next, but always colourful, clever and thought-pro-
voking. Full performances are at 7pm Thursday and Sunday, and there are shorter daily
performances (£5 with two kids free) from Wednesday to Sunday (check by phone or on-
line for times). The gallery is also open between performances.
