The Riverside Museum
For the locomotive fanatic or museum junkie in general, the
Riverside Museum is a must see. Since 2011, it has housed the Glasgow Museum of
Transportation, which has a collection of over 3000 objects ranging from bicycles,
vintage cars, prams, and locomotives. In addition to the indoor displays, the
Museum also has the UK’s only floating Clyde-built sailing ship, the Glenlee, and
guests are allowed to clamor aboard and explore!
Unfortunately, due to being completely intrigued by the
displays in the museum, I only snapped one picture. Oops!
 |
| The River Clyde |
If we learned anything during our first few days in Glasgow,
it was that the weather can change rapidly in a very short period of time. We
practically huddled together for warmth in the bus shelter while waiting for the
Hop On Hop Off bus to return, our calm sunny day having turned cloudy and
rainy. When we got back on the bus we quickly took a pair of seats in the
interior, opting not to be rained on while we were whisked back towards the
city center. The remainder of the Hop On Hop Off tour took us through
Kelvingrove and the University campus before heading back downtown to George
Square.
With a few more hours of time left in our touristy day we
decided to head to the Mackintosh at the Willow for afternoon tea.
Mackintosh at the Willow
The Willow Tearooms was the fourth and final tearoom to make
up Miss Cranston’s Tearooms. Miss Kate Cranston
opened her first tearoom in 1878, with the intent on creating a more welcoming atmosphere than the typical tearooms of the day. Each of the tearooms was
designed in the latest style by a different designer. In 1903, Miss Cranston opened
the Willow Tearooms, designed in its entirety by the Scottish architect and artist
Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is one of
the world's most significant examples of a complete Art Nouveau scheme.
In 2014, ‘The Willow Tea Rooms Trust’ purchased the building
at 217 Sauchiehall Street to preserve its historical importance with respect to Scotland’s design heritage. This past July the restoration
of the Mackintosh at the Willow (the Willow Tearooms) was completed and reopened
to the public.
Who knew we were such history buffs?! After frantically navigating
the streets of downtown Glasgow in the sputtering rain, we entered the
Mackintosh at the Willow in a whirlwind. We arrived just in time to partake in
afternoon tea and welcomed the break from our touristy expeditions. Our sore
feet were far from our minds as we took in the incredible interior design and
furnishings of the tearoom, all while enjoying our specialty tea and tiny
sandwiches. To say that we were famished might be an understatement, and we not-so-slowly
consumed our way from bottom to top of the tiered platter. After a lovely hour
of enjoying the ambience of the tearoom, we were once again on the streets of
Glasgow, making our way back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment