By Rachel Kacir, GCHT Heritage Outreach Manager
“A TREASURE-BOX OF SPECIALNESS’
The Room de Luxe at the Willow Tea Rooms has been described as “a kind of glittering treasure-box of specialness” by author Perilla Kinchin. But following a lack of investment, by the time the building was bought by the Willow Tea Rooms Trust in 2014 it had lost its shine. Supported by grant funding from Glasgow City Heritage Trust, a four year restoration project followed, securing the future of the only surviving example of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s work for his patron, local entrepreneur Kate Cranston.
A WARM GLASGOW WELCOME
After graduating I worked at the Willow Tea Rooms for several years. We were usually run off our feet, welcoming visitors from around the world who had come to see what was left of the original interiors designed by the well known Glasgow architect. Sometimes the queue would spill down the stairs and onto the street, and servers would rush around, taking orders, delivering food, and sometimes searching for an elusive teaspoon when the cutlery supply couldn’t keep up with the demand for afternoon teas!
THE ROOM DE LUXE
Occasionally though I would take a step back and daydream about what the tea rooms must have looked like in their heyday, the Room de Luxe in particular. It had always been the jewel in the Willow crown. The decoration here was particularly plush, indeed those who chose to dine in this room had to pay an extra penny for the privilege.
‘DRIPS OF GLASS’
Leaded mirrored glass panels adorned with willow motifs lined the room, culminating in a spectacular set of doors at the entrance. What fascinated me most though was the light fittings and what had become of them. When I worked there replacements in a standard Mackintosh style were in place. However, I’d seen the one surviving photo of the originals, and a quote from Mary Newbery Sturrock, daughter of Glasgow School of Art Director Frances Newbery, where she described the light as “drips of pink glass” and laments that “nobody knows what happened to that light. It was absolutely, perfectly beautiful”.
RECREATING MACKINTOSH’S UNIQUE DESIGNS
Luckily, the Willow Tea Rooms Trust were able to draw on the skills of a range of craftspeople to recreate Mackintosh’s unique designs, including these lights. In this video glass specialists Rab MacInnes and Ingrid Phillips explain how they had to depart from their usual practice to achieve the desired result for the chandeliers, such as including glass bubbles or ‘seeds’ in the glass when usually the goal is to eliminate them.
TRADITIONAL CRAFTS
You might also be interested in...
Indoor Ghost Signs: Old Fruitmarket, Britannia Panopticon and Argyll Arcade. By Julie Paterson
Explore some of the city’s indoor ghost signs with our latest blog post.
Bandstands and Glasshouses: The loved and lost treasures of Glasgow parks
If you enjoyed our #glasgowparkoftheweek feature on social media over the last few months, then check out this blog, which takes a look back over the series and celebrates some of the iconic structures to be found in Glasgow’s parks, the companies that made them and the groups working to save them.
Workshop 1: Transcript
TRANSCRIPT: GAGOG Workshop 1: Building Repair & Traditional Skills Grants SPEAKERS Silvia Scopa, Colin Baillie, Gemma Park, Erin Walter, Niall Murphy Silvia Scopa Welcome, everyone to Get a Grip on Grants discussion and the step by step guide to Glasgow City Heritage Trust grant process. So as I’m sure you are aware, this is
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.
