Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
have done worse—a lot worse. The setting high above Kelvingrove Park is befit-
ting of a center of learning. Englishman Sir George Gilbert Scott (who designed
the hotel at London's St. Pancras Station) won the commission. His Gothic
revival is punctuated by a 30-m (100-ft.) tower, which rises from the double
quadrangle, and provides a virtual beacon on the horizon of the West End. There
are fragments of the original university brought from across town, too. For
example, the facade of Pearce Lodge, as well as the salvaged Lion and Unicorn
Stair at the chapel. The cloistered vaults and open columns under the halls
between the two quads evoke a sense of meditation and reflection. From here
you can enter the Hunterian Museum, whose exhibits include ancient coins, as
well as geological and archaeological discoveries (p. 198).
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Cross University Avenue north to Hillhead Street and view the:
10
Hunterian Art Gallery
Built in the 1980s next to the university library, the Hunterian Art Gallery
(p. 198) houses the school's permanent collection, which includes 18th- and
19th-century Scottish art as well as many works by American James McNeill
Whistler. Scottish-Italian pop art pioneer, the late Eduardo Paolozzi, designed
the chunky, cast-aluminum internal doors to the main exhibition space.
Incorporated into the building past the gift shop is:
11
Mackintosh House
Charles Rennie Mackintosh's and his wife, Margaret Macdonald's, West End
home (originally nearby and demolished by the university in the 1960s) has
been replicated here, with furniture and interiors designed by the pair. Visitors
to the Mackintosh House (p. 198) enter from the side (the front door is actu-
ally several feet above the level of the plaza outside) to see the entry hall,
dining room, sitting room with study, and the couple's bedroom. On the top
floor is the replica of a bedroom he designed for a house in England: His final
commission.
Return to University Avenue, exit turning right to:
12
University Gardens
This fine row of houses was designed primarily by J. J. Burnet in the 1880s, but
it is worth stopping for—especially to admire no. 12, which was done by J. Gaff
Gillespie in 1900 and exemplifies Glasgow Style and the influences of Mack-
intosh and Art Nouveau.
Continue down University Gardens past Queen Margaret Union and other university
buildings, going left down the stairs just past the Gregory Building. At the bottom,
follow the sidewalk and turn right onto:
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Ashton Lane
This cobbled mews is the heart of West End nightlife, although it bustles
right through the day, too, with a mix of students, university instructors and
staff as well as local residents. The host of bars, cafes, and restaurants
includes the venerable Ubiquitous Chip, which can be credited for starting
(in 1971) the ongoing renaissance of excellent cooking of fresh Scottish pro-
duce (p. 188).
