Scad

By: Pushpitha Wijesinghe
Settled on the banks of River Clyde towards West Central Scotland, Glasgow - is the largest city with the largest economy and the mildest climate of Scotland. Located around 2.4 km towards the west end from downtown Glasgow, on Argyle Street, right next to the stunning Kelvingrove Park sits the country’s finest repository - the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Archibald McLellan (1797-1854) - a coach-builder and art collector who later served as a magistrate and town councilor of Glasgow – passed down his collection of paintings, sculptures, gold and silver plates as well as the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street to the public, after his demise. A portion of his collection - over 400 paintings - is now exhibited at the Kelvingrove Gallery.

In 1870, the Kelvingrove mansion was occupied by the City Industrial Museum, until the 2nd of May 1901 where it was rebranded and inaugurated as the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Currently the repository boasts of over 200,000 items on exhibit.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was designed as per the winning entry of an intense contest in 1892, where the lucky winners turned out to be the architects - Sir John William Simpson and E J Milner Allen. Incorporating various styles yet maintaining an overall Spanish Baroque style, these joint architects articulated about their work as “an astylar composition on severely Classic lines, but with free Renaissance treatment in detail”.

After a major renovation process, the site includes many interesting additions such as the Multimedia Cinema, History Discovery Centre, Art Discovery Centre, Environment Discovery Centre, and Sudy Centre housed within first floor. In the ground floor you will come across the museum, Campbell Hunter Education Wing, the Royal Bank of Scotland group exhibition gallery, the Conference Room in addition to the café and souvenir shop. There is even a mini museum for children under 5 years of age.

As a tribute to all who donated to the museum and art gallery, the site features two Walls of Honor in the centre hall featuring a ‘Donor’ Wall and an ‘In Memoriam’ Wall containing nearly 9,000 names of warm hearted people who responded readily for the appeal made by the museum. Majority of the donors are from the town Glasgow itself.

A plethora of exciting events – both educational and entertaining - awaits you and your family at the museum, where workshops and many activities are hosted. There are also hands-on exhibits at the Discovery Centers of the site, enlightening the public on History, Art and Environment. What’s more it also provides quality information resources for students of all ages as well as educators. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museums offers an array of special amenities for the disabled as well.

If you are looking for accommodation in Glasgow, you have a wide range of choices from bed and breakfast to 5 star luxury hotels. Offering you a plethora of amenities many Glasgow hotels provide easy access to popular attractions, shopping malls and restaurants, besides presenting a comfortable accommodation in Glasgow.