The Spirit of Scotland at its very best

Roddy Martine talks...

As a cradle for the visual arts and treasure trove of antiquities, Scotland looks more impressive than ever nowadays. First there was the opening in July of the spectacular playfair extension to the National Galleries of Scotland on the mound, in Edinburgh. And next we have the breathtaking extension to the Kelvingrove art gallery and museum in Glasgow to look forward to.

I use the word “breathtaking” because I have just enjoyed the privilege of an exclusive “hard hat and wellie” tour in the company of Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden, chairman of the Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal, and Alan Horn, the director.

Twenty years ago, when I worked in publishing in Glasgow, I often sought refuge during my lunch hour in this imposing, red stone building. But only by stepping out onto the rooftops last week, was it possible for me to appreciate the full scale and intricacy of this magnificent Victorian edifice, erected for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 and opened as a museum the following year. 103 years on it has weathered the passage of time with immaculate dignity. I wonder how many of our contemporary architectural wonders will do as well?

Now Lord Macfarlane himself is a remarkable man who follows in the tradition of the great figures of Glasgow's merchant past, benefactors and patrons of the arts, men of the calibre of Sir Thomas Lipton, the tea magnate; Lord Bilsland, the baking tycoon, and Sir William Burrell, the shipping philanthropist, all of whom, ...

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• By : Roddy Martine
• In : Roddy Martine's World
• Issue : 18
• Page : 7
• Words : 739