Tower sheds light on Mackintosh heritage
Building launched glittering career
East Kilbride Probus Club set off to find a Lighthouse in the centre of Glasgow on October 26.
It is, in fact, the old Herald newspaper offices in Michell Lane and the word lighthouse alludes to the fact that the building is now Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture.
It is also an exhibition space which acts as a beacon for the creative industries in Scotland and promotes design and architecture through a programme of exhibitions and events.
There is an ever-changing programme but one of the permanent ones is an exhibition of Charles Rennie Mackintosh which has plans, models of some of his buildings and a display of some of his chairs.
There are many Mackintosh buildings in and around Glasgow but this could be a good starting point to explain where they are.
This gallery was much enjoyed by the Probus members.
There were others, such as ‘A life in Letterpress’ which was a retrospective of Alan Kitching’s life and work through typographic design and printmaking.
The tower of the building was originally a water tower of some 8000 gallons, installed for when the newspaper was being printed and to be used in an emergency if there was a fire in the print room.
It was also used as a dovecot/ pigeon loft. When football matches were finished someone in the ground let off the pigeon with the final score for the Herald.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a young draughtsman in the architectural practice of Honeyman and Keppie when he designed the Mitchell Street building which now houses The Lighthouse. The Herald building was Mackintosh’s first public commission and he designed it in 1895.
The members thought that it was a fascinating building, tucked away down Mitchell Lane, with its contents often forgotten or not known about. It is well worth a visit.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 7, at 2pm for 2.30pm in the Old Parish Church hall, Glebe Street, East Kilbride.
Ian Thomson will give a talk entitled ‘No Strings Attached’.
There will be an outing for members to the Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow today at 11am. Make your own way there.