One of the most thrilling cities in Scotland is Glasgow, the popularity of which, as a vacation destination has, over the last few decades, increased dramatically. The diversity of the huge list of visitor attractions makes the city suitable for a wide range of visitors and many arrive intent on taking in some of the stunning architecture, not least the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the famous Scottish designer and architect strongly associated with Art Nouveau.

Glasgow born (in 1868) Mackintosh worked as an apprentice to the architect John Hutchinson from the age of 16. In 1890 he took a tour of Italy, financed by the prize money he gained from winning the Alexander Thomson Travelling Studentship. In 1893 he returned from Italy and began work on the Glasgow Herald Building which was his first large scale project.

Visiting Glasgow you will be able to visit many places which show the work of Mackintosh including House for an Art Lover and the stunning Glasgow School of Art. A short distance away, in Helensburgh, is Hill House which is also well worth visiting as it is considered one of his finest works. Below I look at two buildings in Glasgow associated with Mackintosh, the Lighthouse and Queens Cross Church.

The Lighthouse

The Glasgow Herald Building mentioned above is now a fantastic visitor attraction called the Lighthouse. Featuring six floors containing various temporary and permanent exhibitions it is Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. Within the building you will find the excellent Mackintosh Centre and few can resist the views available from the Mackintosh Tower. If you can not manage the helical staircase a lift is available which takes you to a modern viewing platform up on the sixth floor.

Queens Cross Church

Glasgow’s Queens Cross Church, though no longer an active church, is famous for being the only church ever designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh that was completed. Many people know it as the Mackintosh church and it first came into use in 1899 and was decommissioned in the 1970′s. It is now open to the public and home to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society.

If you have an interest in architecture and you are visiting Glasgow you should take the opportunity to visit some of the other amazing buildings in this fascinating city. Top of my list is the incredible medieval Glasgow Cathedral (the only one to survive the Scottish Reformation complete).

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