Mackintosh Glasgow

With all the fridge magnets and the hair dressers with their Mockintosh lettering, it is easy to forget how good Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s architecture and design work actually is. To set the record straight we’ve put together a list of the ten best stops on the Mackintosh tour.

Click the links in the description for maps and opening times.

1. Glasgow School of Art
An icon of 20th-century design and arguably the world’s first modernist building, Mackintosh’s masterpiece is full of surprising details. The best angles on this fantastic building are around the facades of the north and west wings. The interior is only open to guided tours but it is well worth booking for a trip that includes a visit to the extraordinary library and its wonderful lights and desks.

2. Scotland Street School Museum
A real Mackintosh treat, this majestic school building is now a newly refurbished museum offering an insight into Glaswegian schooling in the first half of the 20th century. It also presents a detailed look at the architectural plans of Mackintosh’s final commission in Glasgow, showing how he added numerous ornamental details once the drafts had been approved, much to the annoyance of the School Board.

3. The Lighthouse
Tucked away down an alleyway off Buchanan Street, The Lighthouse was central to Glasgow becoming UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999, transforming Mackintosh’s Glasgow Herald building into a modern Centre for Architecture, Design & the City. With an evolving programme of exhibitions and events, it’s an exciting part of Glasgow’s cultural scene. The well-contextualised Mackintosh Interpretation Centre leads you to a daunting helical staircase which offers those fit enough to climb it a stunning view over the whole city.