Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MUSEUM
Hunterian Museum
(
www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk
;
University Ave; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun)
Housed in the glorious sandstone building of the university, which is in itself reason
enough to pay a visit, this quirky museum contains the collection of a renowned one-time
student of the university, William Hunter (1718-83). Hunter was primarily an anatomist
and physician but, as one of those gloriously well-rounded Enlightenment figures, he in-
terested himself in everything the world had to offer. Pickled organs in glass jars take their
place alongside geological phenomena, potsherds gleaned from ancient brochs, dinosaur
skeletons and a creepy case of deformed animals. The main halls of the exhibition, with
their high vaulted roofs, are magnificent in themselves. A highlight is the 1674
Map of the
Whole World
in the World Culture section.
GALLERY, MUSEUM
Hunterian Art Gallery
(
www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk
;
82 Hillhead St; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun)
Across
the road from the Hunterian Museum, the bold tones of the Scottish Colourists (Samuel
Peploe, Francis Cadell, JD Fergusson and Leslie Hunter) are well represented in this gal-
lery, which also forms part of Hunter's bequest to the university. There are Sir William
MacTaggart's Impressionistic Scottish landscapes and a gem by Thomas Millie Dow.
There's also a special collection of James McNeill Whistler's limpid prints, drawings and
paintings. Upstairs, in a section devoted to late-19th-century Scottish art, you can see
works by several of the Glasgow Boys.
MACKINTOSH BUILDING
Mackintosh House
(
www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk
;
82 Hillhead St; adult/concession £5/3; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat,
11am-4pm Sun)
Attached to the Hunterian Art Gallery, this is a reconstruction of the first
home that Charles Rennie Mackintosh bought with his wife, noted artist Mary Macdonald.
It's fair to say that interior decoration was one of their strong points; the Mackintosh
House is startling even today. The quiet elegance of the hall and dining room on the
ground floor give way to a stunning drawing room. There's something otherworldly about
the very mannered style of the beaten silver panels, the long-backed chairs and the surface
