The Emergence of Art Deco in Glasgow

Posted March 20th 2025

The Beresford Building on Sauchiehall Street

Thursday 24 April 2025 | 7-8pm | 54 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1 1LQ & Online

***In person tickets have sold out, however you can still get an online ticket which will allow you to watch from the comfort of your own home!***

Join Bruce Peter, Professor of Design History at The Glasgow School of Art, to hear about his new book ‘Art Deco Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age’. Published by Historic Environment Scotland in March 2025, it celebrates the centenary of the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in Paris where the first examples of Art Deco style were displayed.

Bruce will contextualise the emergence of Art Deco in Scotland with a focus on Glasgow, showing how established decorative arts traditions and Beaux Arts-influenced approaches to architectural composition were adapted. He’ll also highlight key works by Glasgow’s architects, sculptors, and designers who helped shape the Art Deco and moderne styles.

This event will be held both in-person at our office on 54 Bell Street and streamed online via Zoom. Please pick the appropriate ticket option for you below. Please note that in person tickets have now sold out but you can still join online via Zoom!

Free, donations welcome, booking essential.

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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.

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Glasgow City Heritage Trust Awards Over £145,000 in Grants to Celebrate Glasgow850

Posted March 7th 2025

Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT) is delighted to announce the awarding of over £145,000 in funding in its latest round of grants to support a diverse range of heritage projects across the city. These grants will help preserve Glasgow’s built heritage, engage local communities, and celebrate the city’s remarkable 850-year history.

This round of funding includes support for essential conservation work on historic buildings, as well as innovative educational and outreach projects that highlight Glasgow’s rich and diverse past.

Among the projects supported is a special project at the Tron Theatre, which will celebrate Glasgow 850 through a unique heritage and educational programme. The theatre will explore its own storied past as part of Glasgow’s cultural fabric, providing new insights into the city’s evolution over the centuries.

Patricia Stead, Executive Director at The Tron Theatre says, “The Tron’s steeple is a much-loved Glasgow icon, steeped in 5 centuries of history, but sadly in much need of restoration to re-establish its presence in the Trongate. With this grant award from GCHT, we can now begin the restoration process – raising the profile of this jewel in Glasgow’s history once again and providing locals and visitors alike with a chance to learn about the building and its significance.”

Other key projects receiving funding include:

Castlemilk Hall – Comprehensive repairs to a Victorian community hall, ensuring its continued use for local activities.
116-124 Nithsdale Road, Pollokshields – Essential conservation work to safeguard a prominent B-listed mid-Victorian tenement building.
The Modernist Society Mobile App Tours – Expanding digital heritage engagement with Glasgow’s modernist architectural landmarks.
Scottish Refugee Council’s ‘Refugee Histories: Community Walking Tours of Glasgow’ Project – A facilitated community research initiative developing walking tours which will give the public a unique insight into historic and modern refugee experiences, through the lens of the city’s built environment.

Heidi Fawcett of Castlemilk Hall SCIO says, “GCHT’s funding award for the Castlemilk Hall Repair and Restoration project has been transformative. In addition to encouraging the whole community and all the unpaid volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain and develop the hall, this generous award has stimulated other grant funders to appreciate we have a recognised need to maintain, sustain and develop our built heritage here in Glasgow and in Carmunnock, Glasgow’s last village.”

Jack Hale of The Modernist Society says, “With the support of the GCHT, Glasgow will be the second city featured on our Modernist App. Glasgow boasts a remarkable wealth of twentieth-century architectural heritage, which we will showcase through our app-based tours. We aim to inspire locals, tourists, and architectural enthusiasts alike to explore the streets and discover the sites that we have carefully identified along the way.”

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Mónica Laiseca, Refugee Festival Scotland Manager says, “Walking has a particular significance for refugee communities, being for many New Scots their main mode of transport and way of navigating the city. Through this project, presented a time of great uncertainty for communities seeking safety in Scotland, we want to celebrate New Scot experiences of Glasgow’s built environment, as well as preserve and make available to the public a fragile heritage of unique community histories that have assembled within the fabric of the city over the last 25 years of providing refugee protection.”

The awarded projects reflect GCHT’s commitment to supporting Glasgow’s historic built environment and amplifying the voices of communities who contribute to the city’s living heritage.

GCHT Director, Niall Murphy says, “As Glasgow celebrates its 850th anniversary, it’s more important than ever to invest in our city’s heritage—both in the buildings that shape our streets and the stories that define our communities. These grants will not only help protect Glasgow’s rich architectural legacy but also ensure that more people can engage with and appreciate our shared history. From major conservation projects to innovative outreach initiatives, we’re proud to support work that keeps Glasgow’s heritage alive for future generations.”

As Glasgow marks its 850th anniversary, these grants will play a vital role in ensuring the city’s stories, places, and people continue to be celebrated for generations to come.

EXHIBITION: Wylie & Lochhead – Scotland’s Most Successful Furniture Maker

Posted February 21st 2025

Discover the story of Wylie & Lochhead, the most successful furniture manufacturer in Scotland. Founded in 1829 by Robert Wylie, a feather merchant, and William Lochhead, an undertaker, the company grew from an upholstering and cabinetmaking business into a leader in interior design, yacht-fitting, and fine furniture. Their ‘Glasgow Style’ pieces, showcased at the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition, are now sought after in museums and auction houses worldwide.

Originally created by the residents of St Andrews Court during their GCHT-funded repair works, this exhibition delves into the legacy of Wylie & Lochhead. The building itself, a Category ‘B’-listed former cabinet works designed c.1879 by James Sellars, once housed their thriving workshop before its conversion into apartments in the 1980s.

Explore the craftsmanship and innovation of Wylie & Lochhead, featuring works by renowned Scottish designers George Logan, John Ednie, and E.A. Taylor.

📍 Glasgow City Heritage Trust, 54 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1 1LQ
📅 Open Wednesday & Friday, 10am- 4pm.

SOLD OUT Workshop: Tailor Made City with Alis Le May

Posted February 18th 2025

A green map of Glasgow with the text 'Tailor Made City' written at the top. In the middle are a pair of scissors and at the bottom it says 'A walking tour and tailoring workshop'.

Saturday 29 March 2025 | 10am-3pm | GCHT, 54 Bell Street, G1 1LQ

Glasgow City Heritage Trust invites you to join Alis Le May for a walking tour to discover the former premises of Glasgow’s most beloved tailors and dressmakers. You will learn about the craftspeople who kept Glasgow in style for decades, and as we explore, Alis will explain some of the fascinating processes that go into making a ‘true bespoke’ suit.

After the tour you will have the opportunity to learn some bespoke tailoring skills for yourself. Alis and her apprentice Abby will instruct you in the basic stitches required to make a suit, how to make a bespoke jetted pocket and (time permitting) how to sew a handsewn buttonhole – the sign of a quality, handcrafted garment!

Glasgow’s shopping streets were once filled with local businesses, offering its citizens a wide variety of locally crafted products. As recently as 1968 there were over 30 bespoke tailors in the city centre, providing excellent fit, and personal service to a broad range of clients. With the rise of globalisation, clothing production moved off the local high street and went overseas, reducing the cost of clothing, changing buying habits and making it harder and harder for local businesses to compete.

Today, Alis Le May runs the only remaining ‘true bespoke’ tailoring businesses in Glasgow, maintaining heritage techniques which have been practised for centuries, and makes everything in-house, from scratch. Alis is a passionate advocate for revival of locally-made clothing economies, and co-runs Clothworks Glasgow C.I.C – a social enterprise focused on teaching hand sewing skills. She is also training an apprentice, Abby Gray, who she hopes will one day go on to start her own bespoke clothing business in Glasgow.

All materials and lunch are provided.

Booking essential, £60 per person

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Moments of Beauty: A Walking Tour

Posted February 18th 2025

Looking down St Vincent Street on a sunny day

Sunday 16 March 2025 | 11am – 1pm | Meet outside The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, G1 3NU

From the 1880s onwards a half century of prosperity gave birth to some of Glasgow’s finest buildings lining the gridded streets of the western City Centre. Join Niall Murphy, Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, on a walking tour exploring Moments of Beauty.

Starting at Mackintosh’s Lighthouse you’ll learn more about Glasgow Central Station; James Salmon’s ‘Hatrack’ and Mercantile Chambers; Greek Thomson’s Egyptian Halls, Grosvenor Buildings and St Vincent Street Church; and, Sir John James Burnet and James Miller’s American influenced commercial buildings to name but a few!

The tour will last approximately 2 hours and will start and finish outside The Lighthouse. Please wear appropriate clothing & footwear.

Booking essential, £18

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Taking Care of Your Tenement

Posted February 7th 2025

Glasgow City Heritage Trust - Annual Report

Saturday 1st March | 11:30am – 1:00pm | Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre | 13 Whitevale Street, G31 1QW

Worried about a leaky roof? Concerned about damp in your flat? Not sure how to talk to your neighbours about joint repairs?

Join GCHT and Under One Roof for a free and informative event aimed at owner-occupiers, landlords or anyone who wants to learn more about maintaining and managing their historic tenement flats.

Topics covered will include tenement maintenance and management, communal repairs and what to consider when undertaking works. There will also be a chance to hear about GCHT’s historic environment grants programme and whether you might be eligible for funding.

We’ll finish with a Q&A session where you can ask us your top tenement questions!

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Designer Brief – Lens on Legacy: Saving Glasgow’s Architectural Heritage

Posted January 31st 2025

Pale blue square with an illustration of a person reading a book and "Call for Designers!"

GCHT is inviting tenders for the design of our upcoming exhibition, which will work in partnership with Queens Park Camera Club to highlight Glasgow’s at-risk buildings, celebrating the city’s architectural heritage while inspiring conservation efforts.

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Drawings of our exhibition space

Deadline: 14th Feb, 2025 at 9:00am

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Celebrating 20 Years of Scotland’s City Heritage Trusts

Posted December 19th 2024

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the first City Heritage Trusts in Scotland. Over two decades, Scotland’s seven City Heritage Trusts have made a significant contribution to the historic environment through the distribution of funding for building repairs, outreach and education. They have become an integral part of the Scottish heritage sector, recognised for their local knowledge and expertise and their ability to be creative and innovative, using public funds wisely to deliver on projects which make a difference to the cities where they operate.

This report showcases the Trusts’ achievements and highlights their ongoing importance in caring for the historic built environment and contributing to a more sustainable Scotland.

GCHT’s Window Display

Posted December 4th 2024

Photograph of front of GCHT office with brightly coloured painted buildings and wooden cutouts of tenements

A colourful screen print of a historic Glasgow tenement

"The Greenest Building is the One That is Already Built"

This idea was the jumping off point for Glasgow City Heritage Trust’s new window display from students in the Design Practice BA(hons) course at the City of Glasgow College. With the World Economic Forum estimating that the building sector creates almost 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, the students wanted to focus on how properly repairing and maintaining Glasgow’s historic buildings is a key part of a sustainable future and trying to reach net-zero.

By incorporating the colours of thermal imaging the design playfully contrasts the technological with the creative, merging the precision of modern building diagnostics with artistic expression to deliver a message about sustainability and built heritage.

Glasgow’s tenements are a major part of the city’s historic built environment, providing the city both with housing and a unique urban landscape. These older building, however, do require care and maintenance to avoid issues of damp, draughtiness and structural failures. As part of our window display, GCHT has put together some helpful resources and information about looking after tenement flats. We also regularly host “Taking Care of Your Tenement” events for homeowners, landlords and tenants to find out more about managing their flats. As a grant-funder GCHT might be able to help with the cost of repairs – see the section below about the Trust and its work.

Maintaining Glasgow's Built Heritage

The repair and maintenance of Glasgow’s built heritage is essential to preserving the city’s identity and ensuring it is able to meet goals around sustainability and lowering carbon emission. However, they require proper upkeep to ensure they remain functional, energy-efficient and appealing as spaces to live and work in.

Important Points to Consider

Maintenance is an ongoing process and buildings should be checked regularly. Dealing with smaller issues in the short-term (such as blocked gutters or poor ventilation) will prevent much larger issues that require more intensive and expensive solutions in the long-term.

Traditional buildings, typically those built before 1919, are designed to “breathe,” using vapour-open materials like lime, stone, and timber that allow moisture to move freely. When modern, impermeable materials (such as cement) are used for repairs they can trap moisture, leading to mould, rot, and structural damage. Therefore, it’s essential to use materials and techniques compatible with their original design.

Owners in tenements have a legal duty to maintain the parts of the tenement that provide support and shelter.

Resources

Under One Roof is a Scotland-wide charity that provides free and impartial information to tenement flat owners, and housing professionals, on issues related to tenement maintenance, common repair management, and retrofit.

Their website can walk you through the ins and outs of taking care of a tenement flat, including the types of repairs you might need to undertake, working with neighbours to do repairs and how to find the right contractors to do the works.

Link to Under One Roof's Website

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. They regularly publish free guides on properly repairing and maintaining historic buildings.

HES Guide to General Historic Building Maintenance

HES Guide to Tenement Maintenance

Thermal Imaging & Energy Efficiency

Thermal imaging is a diagnostic technology that uses thermal cameras to detect infrared radiation, which helps show heat patterns and changes in temperature. By looking at heat patterns, we can identify and address building issues such as heat loss, dampness or insulation gaps.

HES Guide to Thermal Imaging

Energy efficiency means improving the way buildings work. More efficient buildings stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer, providing better thermal comfort for those inside while using less energy. This both lowers energy bills and, as the vast majority of households use gas to heat their homes, also reduces carbon emissions.

Sympathetically retrofitting historic buildings to improve their energy efficiency is a major part of making the historic built environment as sustainable as possible.

HES Guide to Energy Efficiency

HES Guide to Retrofitting Historic Buildings

More About Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity and grant-funder that helps people access funding and expertise which will ensure the sustainability of Glasgow’s heritage for current and future generations.

We do this by:

Grant-aiding historic building repairs, project development, traditional building skills training, education and outreach projects and other historic environment focussed projects.
Giving technical advice
Running a series of talks, events and other activities designed to engage people and communities with Glasgow’s heritage.

Find out more about our grants programme

Click here to join our mailing list

Let us know what you think of the window!

Workshop: Weave A Reindeer & Christmas Tree Decoration

Posted November 1st 2024

A willow Christmas tree and a willow reindeer decoration with fairy lights long the top

Thursday 5th December 2024 | 6:30-9pm | GCHT, 54 Bell Street, G1 1LQ

Join Max Johnson Basketry for weaving and mince pies at this cosy festive event! Max is a longtime forager, foodie and crafter, who lovingly weaves baskets & decorations using materials found in a range of landscapes, from idyllic rural riversides to derelict post-industrial sites.

People have been weaving with willow for at least 10,000 years. Using ancient willow basketry techniques with a modern twist, you’ll make both a reindeer and a Christmas tree to take home in this fun festive workshop.

This session is suitable for beginners, no weaving experience necessary. All equipment, materials and refreshments provided.

£30 per person

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