Last Day in Glasgow

It was our last day in Glasgow and was, once again, bitterly cold. There were a couple of museums that I wanted to visit but they would have to wait until next time. After tidying up the flat I took the bus into Glasgow for a last walk around. The sidewalks were a strange combination of melted grit where the sun was shining and slippery ice where it wasn't. Bruce and I had agreed to meet at the Willow Tea Rooms, a very old establishment that had been designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. To escape the cold, I walked partway up the hill indoors, courtesy of a giant shopping mall. It was teeming with people, if not holiday cheer.

I arrived at the Willow Tea Rooms and looked for Bruce. Not there yet. Got a text asking where I was sitting, told him, and he said he couldn't see me. I called over the waitress and asked if there were two Willow Tea Rooms. Yes, apparently there were and he was at the other one. I had already ordered a cup of tea so Bruce left his and came to mine, which was the actual tearoom that Mackintosh had designed and which donated a portion of its profits to the National Trust for Scotland. We had a rather frosty lunch; I guess I should have downed my tea and offered to walk to Buchanan Street. I took lots of photos

then popped over to their gift shop where I saw that there was a Mackintosh exhibit upstairs. The exhibition was about the partnership between Mackintosh and Catherine Cranston, the owner of the tea room, though it also goes into the details of the tea trade, how to mix your own tea blend, etc.

Hers is a fascinating story and, if you're interested, do look her up on Wikipedia. I was more interested in Mackintosh's designs, however, and was not disappointed.

There was an interesting film about Mackintosh and Miss Cranston and the best part was that you could sit in a reproduction of one of Mackintosh's chairs while you watched.

In the very large and somewhat complicated layout of the building is the Salon de Luxe. It was considered the height of opulence in its day.

I was terribly disappointed to learn that the room is still there and on Thursdays, the Salon de Luxe is open and serves a special afternoon tea. This was Thursday - I had missed it! Damn! Another reason to return. On display was a reproduction of the original doors to the Salon de Luxe.

This is a rendering of one of the gesso panels designed by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh.

They must have made quite a pair.

A rather sad last panel wraps up the story of Mackintosh and Miss Cranston.

He left architecture, devoting himself to watercolor, developed cancer and died at age 60. Miss Cranston lived to 84, and left 2/3 of her sizable fortune (worth about $5,000,000 today) for "the benefit of the poor of the city of Glasgow."

A short day out, but quite interesting and a good cuppa, to boot.