Explore the City Chambers with our new digital tour!

Posted October 24th 2023

The City Chambers is one of the most prestigious buildings in Glasgow. It’s a place where famous visitors are welcomed, and where big events such as civic receptions and award ceremonies are held. However, many Glaswegians have never been inside, or are unaware that free public tours take place every day. Our new online learning resource, ‘Our City Chambers’, aimed mainly at primary school aged children, enables them to explore the building in a way that is accessible, engaging and fun, even if they aren’t able to visit in person. Explore the resource here

It features animations of key rooms within the building, including the Banqueting Hall and Council Chambers. It also shows areas that are not always accessible to the public, such as the Councillors’ Corridor, the Lord Provost’s Office and the Portrait Gallery. It covers the architecture, design and social history of the Chambers, identifying the materials and the traditional skills and techniques employed in its construction and decoration. It also demonstrates how the building is still a functioning workplace for the council, and the role it plays in providing key public services to the people of Glasgow.

We worked closely with the design team at SUUM studio to create this resource. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to them and to the staff at the City Chambers for their support and insights during the project. Children at St Mungo’s Primary School participated in a series of workshops in the development stages of the project, including a visit to the Chambers. Their perspectives on the building and the city of Glasgow were inspiring and joyful, and were instrumental in shaping the final resource.

A free printed resource to accompany the website has also been produced. It is available to pick up from the City Chambers and from GCHT’s office at 54 Bell Street in the Merchant City. A downloadable PDF will also be added here in due course.

We’d love to see some pictures of you visiting the Chambers – you can show them to us on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages – use the hashtag #ourcitychambers

Gallus Glasgow Learning Resources for schools

Posted June 16th 2023

Our Gallus Glasgow Inter- Disciplinary Learning Resources are now available online. Click on any of the images below to download, and print if required.

The resources, developed and written by educators, are based on the family characters from our Gallus Glasgow animation. Each contains activities for learners alongside relevant curriculum links. They also provide information on suitable Glasgow Museums workshops, available free to all Glasgow City Council schools.

Kids Trail Toolkit

Posted February 10th 2023

Our Kids Heritage Trails have been so popular that we’ve decided to develop a toolkit to help you create your own! So if you fancy making a trail and learning a little bit about the heritage of your local area along the way, just click the image below!

The toolkit is full of advice, ideas and resources to help you.

Need a hand with the design? Access our kids trail template on Canva. Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Teachers can access additional resources such as lesson plans, infographics, posters, video, and more by signing up with your education email address or upload proof of your teaching certification.

We’d love to see pictures of you enjoying our trails or creating your own – you can show them to us on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages – use the hashtag #glasgowkidstrails.

Video Recording: Spotlight on…Gallus Glasgow for educators

Posted March 9th 2022

Support us

Like many other charities, the coronavirus outbreak is having a major impact on our activities, threatening our crucial work to protect, repair and celebrate Glasgow’s rich built heritage. As a result, we expect to lose an important part of our income this year.

We are therefore asking that if you are able to support our conservation and outreach work,
please consider donating to the Trust.

Donate Now

This session was first delivered for the Glasgow City Council Education Improvement Service Spotlight series of CPD session for teachers. It offers a guide to the Gallus Glasgow resource, how you might use it in the classroom and some resources to assist you.

This video is fully subtitled – please click the caption button on the video player. A transcript is also available.

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Online Talk: 19th Century Retail and the Rise of the Department Store

Wednesday 8th December 2021 | 7.30pm GMT | via Zoom

Focusing on architecture, window displays, and internal design, this talk will examine how Glasgow department stores, like their Parisian counterparts, became spaces not just of spectacle, but also of manipulation and disorientation.

Become a Friend of Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity and your support is crucial to ensure that our charitable work promoting the understanding, appreciation and conservation of Glasgow’s historic buildings for the benefit of the city’s communities and its visitors continues now, and in the future.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our loyalty scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Click to find out all the benefits of membership

Gallus Glasgow Events Archive

Posted March 8th 2022

Here are some of the events we’ve held online during the Gallus Glasgow project. Watch back in your own time!

The events are password protected – to gain access please contact us from your Glow email address and we will send you the password.

Video Recording: From Brides to The Bridewell: Women’s Lives in a Glasgow City Block

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Video Recording: Maps, Myths & Misrepresentations

Support usLike many other charities, the coronavirus outbreak is having a major impact on our activities, threatening our crucial work to protect, repair and celebrate Glasgow's rich built heritage. As a result, we expect to lose an important part of our income this year. We are therefore asking that if you are able to support [...]

Video Recording: Gruesome Glasgow

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Video Recording: The TREE, the BIRD, the FISH, the BELL …and the PHOTOGRAPHER: Thomas Annan’s Glasgow

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Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Be a Building Detective!

Is there a building in your area that you’ve always been curious about? Want to know where to find out more?

Online Talk: 19th Century Retail and the Rise of the Department Store

Wednesday 8th December 2021 | 7.30pm GMT | via Zoom

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Click to find out all the benefits of membership

Be a Building Detective!

Posted September 13th 2020

Is there a building in your area that you’ve always been curious about? Want to find out more?

Here are some resources that may help:

To find out more about the building:

Historic Environment Scotland’s designations portal provides information on listed buildings across Scotland. You can search by keyword or on a map.
Does the building look derelict? The Buildings at Risk Register provides information on buildings that are vacant or have fallen in to disrepair.
The Dictionary of Scottish Architects is a database providing biographical information and job lists for all architects known to have worked in Scotland during the period 1660-1980. you can search by building or architect.

To see information on a map:

Explore Scotland’s Historic Environment via modern, historic, aerial and data maps using PastMap
The National Library of Scotland has a large collection of maps that can be searched by place name.

To find old photos of the building:

The Virtual Mitchell service by the Mitchell library enables the user to search for historic photos of a particular location.
Scran aims to provide educational access to digital materials representing our material culture and history.

Here are some things to think about when considering the significance of a building:

Look at the building on its own and in its context
What is it made of? Where did the materials come from?
When was it built? What else was built at the same time? Is this building similar or different?
Who designed it? What else did they design in Glasgow?
Are there details on the building eg. carved decoration?

Happy investigating!

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Ever wondered which buildings in your neighbourhood are listed, or even on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register?

Our new interactive map shows data collated between February and April 2018 which gives a snapshot of the current state of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

Blog Post: Ghosts and Zombies

Read our latest blog post about our Ghost Signs of Glasgow project, pondering the nature of ghost signs and what they tell us about the urban landscape.

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Download our Kid’s Heritage Trails!

Each year, our events help over 2000 people to understand and appreciate Glasgow's irreplaceable built heritage. Can you help us to reach more people?

We are hugely grateful for the support of our Friends whose subscriptions help cover the costs of these events, thereby ensuring accessible pricing for everyone in Glasgow in these challenging times.

The easiest way to support the Trust’s work is to join our Friends scheme. Our tiered loyalty scheme means you can choose the level that’s right for you.

Click to find out all the benefits of membership

Enjoy Family Fun with our Kids Trails!

Posted March 31st 2020

Our Kids Heritage Trails are now available online. Click on any of the images below and then you’ll be able to download and print the trails in a new easy-to-print format.

We’d love to see some pictures of you enjoying the trails – you can show them to us on our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages – use the hashtag #glasgowkidstrails.