Latest news with #CharlesRennieMackintosh
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I visited the UK city famous for jam - it's changed completely'
Scotland's fourth biggest city used to be famous for the three Js…jute, jam and journalism. But now Dundee's J, J & J have been replaced – by the V&A! Part of the city's £1billion waterfront regeneration, this super-modern design museum – the first V&A outside of London – celebrates Scotland's influence in fashion, architecture, innovation and culture. It was devised by esteemed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma – the man behind Tokyo's Olympic Stadium – with 2,500 exterior stone panels to emulate Scotland's rugged coastal cliffs. The interior whips your breath away too. Its full height atrium is filled with light and texture and a wide sweeping staircase linking the ground and first floors adds to the feeling of space. When we visited it was filled with a Shylight installation, where large silk flowers bobbed up and down while opening and closing. Upstairs houses three galleries and the Oak Room – an original two-storey tearoom by Charles Rennie Mackintosh that was discovered in pieces ready for scrap – and currently there's a colour-filled Garden Futures: Designing with Nature ticketed exhibition focusing on our passion for gardens. We couldn't leave without popping into the V&A's Tatha restaurant where floor-to-ceiling windows provide views down the River Tay. Their Taste Of Tayside afternoon tea went down a treat, with delicious locally inspired nibbles such as a haggis and cheddar scone, a Forfar Bridie – a semi-circular mince beef pie – and a mini Dundee fruit cake. Next door was another prime attraction: RRS Discovery, Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic exploration ship. Scott and his crew, including Ernest Shackleton, travelled further south than anyone before aboard this Royal Research Ship between 1901 and 1904, defying tempestuous seas, blizzards and -45C temperatures to carry out pioneering research. Both the immaculately preserved ship and an immersive museum give you a glimpse into the crew's incredible ingenuity and the hardship they faced. Such was the cold that ice would form on sailors' bunks. The officers' saloon was used as an operating theatre when the ship's doctor had to remove a man's cyst. Meanwhile zoologist Edward Wilson, who reared two emperor penguins in his cabin, would defrost animal specimens in front of the stove, causing putrid smells (adult £13, child £7, ). Dundee was once the UK hub for making jute (a fibre used for cord, cloth and sacks), employing 50,000 people in more than 120 mills and earning the city the moniker 'Juteopolis'. It also became famous for another J…jam. Janet Keiller created the first ever marmalade while trying to use up bitter Seville oranges. Her son James developed it and launched the world-renowned Keiller's jam and marmalade brand, once Britain's largest confectionery company. Publishers DC Thomson gave the city its third J… journalism. Established 120 years ago, it became famous for The Beano and The Dandy as well as several newspapers. Today, Dundee is a UNESCO City Of Design, busy yet compact and packed with independent shops and cafes, fine architecture and plenty of green spaces. On the way up there my husband Tim and I had a whale of a time on the Caledonian Sleeper, a night train that leaves London Euston most evenings. Standard tickets provide you with a reclining seat but upgrading to Club as we did gives you a twin bunk room with a sink, small en-suite with toilet and shower and comfy beds with duvets – and access to an on-board Club Car. It costs more but saves another night in a hotel, which helps even it out. And we found a meal in the Club Car – appropriately we went for haggis, neeps and tatties served by the cheerful Natalie – plus a wee tipple from the bar helped ensure a smooth sleep. I loved the novelty of going to bed in one place and waking up in another, although the downside came with the slightly daunting 6am arrival. Once in Dundee the Malmaison hotel proved to be a fabulous place to stay, handily located in a magnificent Victorian building steps away from the station. Staff were friendly, breakfasts were hearty and our stylish black and burgundy room provided views out towards the Tay, while the hotel's fabulous wrought iron spiral staircase was a city landmark in itself. For a closer look at the Tay, we hired e-bikes from Dundee Cycle Hub and peddled east along the wide riverside cycle-and-footpath, through the docks and past grand houses built by jute tycoons and pretty fishermen's cottages. We made it to Broughty Ferry, where we peeled off for a cuppa, a look at its 15th century castle, and a browse around stores selling crafts and local produce ( ). Back in Dundee, we visited another historic ship, HMS Unicorn, the oldest surviving vessel in Scotland. Although built as a warship, she never saw action after her 1824 launch so wasn't fitted out with masts and rigging. Instead she was used as a Royal Navy training ship and had a roof installed to protect her from the weather, giving her an eye-catching charm. Today you can wander around the cramped quarters that would have slept up to 300 crew, explore the gun deck, see the captain's smart quarters and learn about the mammoth fundraising effort for urgent repairs and a move to a new dock (adult £9.20, child £4.60, In need of a holiday? With the summer in full swing, the Mirror has launched its very own Travel WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest holiday recommendations from our travel experts straight to your WhatsApp. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is , select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our . Back on dry land, I loved the city's cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings such as Verdant Works museum, set in a refurbished jute mill, and the grand McManus museum and gallery. Dundee's food came up trumps too. The delightful Empire State Coffee was perfect for brunch with huge cakes and cappuccinos made with beans roasted on site. At Daisy Tasker, tucked away in a former mill, we enjoyed succulent steaks alongside a pint of local brew. And at the delightful Gallery 48 we picked our way through platefuls of tasty Spanish tapas, including tuna belly with olive tapenade and artichoke, aubergine baked with honey and haggis croquettes. Gallery 48's gin menu was impressive too. I counted 56, several from the local area, with the James Keiller (he of jam fame) Dundee Dry Gin, infused with Seville orange in a nod to marmalade. On the way home we opted for one of LNER's three direct services back to London King's Cross, which took under six hours. For more options you can also change at Edinburgh. This time we certainly didn't want to sleep – the views were tremendous, with rolling hills and pretty coastal villages, the Firth of Forth and Newcastle's famous bridges. With the sleeper on the way up and the daytime service home – and Dundee 'jammed' in the middle – we'd experienced the best of all worlds.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The best hotels in Glasgow for boutique stays with fine heritage
Glasgow receives a fraction of Edinburgh's visitor numbers yet packs in just as much cultural capital. Its architecture spans the Gothic Glasgow Cathedral and the Art Nouveau edifices of Charles Rennie Mackintosh; its museums include the imposing Baroque of Kelvingrove Gallery and the internationally important Burrell Collection. Music fans dream of treading the sprung dancefloor of the Barrowland Ballroom, or celebrating Scotland 's folk scene at Celtic Connections festival. The food, too, is not the deep-fried fare you'd expect: these days it's less munchie box, more Michelin-starred dining. Until recently, Glasgow's accommodation reflected its status as Scotland's largest economy: sterile, multinational chain hotels meant a stay here was more business than pleasure. Thankfully, that's now changed: boutique brands and independent hoteliers have moved in, bringing new life to neglected tenements or heritage buildings. Whether your taste is for sybaritic spas, tartan-drenched Scottishness or a family-run restaurant with rooms, there's much to choose from in the Dear Green Place. Best hotels in Glasgow 2025 1. Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel & Spa What is arguably Glasgow's most luxurious five-star hotel sits in an ideal spot west of the city centre – just minutes from Kelvingrove Park, indie venue King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and several theatres. Behind the Georgian facade, you'll find Scandi-chic rooms: cool grey furnishings, marble bathrooms and tufted headboards. Restaurant Iasg (from the Gaelic for 'fish') serves up Shetland mussels and Cumbrae oysters. But the biggest draw is the Hebrides-inspired spa: there's an array of therapy pools, a frigid 'snow shower' and ice fountain to boost circulation, and treatments using seaweed skincare products from Stornoway-based brand Ishga. 2. Celentano's hotel Restaurants with rooms are usually reserved for rural areas, but Celentano's brings this intimate, inn-like experience to the big city. You'll want to eat at their Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant most nights: the smoked cod doughnuts might be the best thing you'll try in Glasgow. There are eight individually styled bedrooms, to which restaurant staff bring a breakfast of fresh sourdough, seasonal compote and more every morning. The East End location is excellent, right next to Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis, as well as the underrated Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary Museum. 3. One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin Great West End hotels are relatively rare, so this is one to bookmark if you're keen to be near the Botanic Gardens and the much-loved 111 by Modou restaurant. Although, as befits the Hotel du Vin brand, there's a highly regarded restaurant right here, supplying artful Scottish-French plates and access to an extensive wine cellar. Room decor is sensitive to the building's Victorian history; florals, vintage dark-wood furniture and original art. The number of bay windows apparently increases with each price band. Address: 1 Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow G12 0UX 4. House of Gods hotel It's not for everyone. But for a few people, it'll be perfect. Maximalist excess is this hotel's modus operandi: rooms overflow with velvet drapes, animal print, brass and leather. It's overwhelmingly pitched at couples, with packages such as 'Treat Me Like I'm Famous' adding a VIP rider with golden rose petals, balloons, Prosecco, cocktails and a mimosa breakfast. The assumption appears to be that you won't leave your room – but if you do, you'll find the peerless Merchant City cocktail scene right outside, with The Amsterdam and The Absent Ear, two of the city's best bars, just two moments away. 5. The Address hotel This four-star hotel is the address for city-centre shopping – a short hop from 'style mile' Buchanan Street, and a few minutes from both major train stations if you want to pop over to Edinburgh for the day. Befitting the fashionable location, rooms are all mid-century lines, warm tones and retro-print curtains. Complement your retail therapy with holistic therapy in the wellness suite, which has heated loungers, and a well-appointed gym and a sauna with a pink Himalayan salt wall. Casual dining restaurant NORTH serves elevated pub grub; try the haggis bonbons or black pudding sausage roll. 6. The Social Hub Glasgow hotel When Glasgow's The Social Hub opened in Merchant City in 2024, it was the first UK outpost of the B Corp hotel group, founded in the Netherlands by Edinburgh man Charlie MacGregor. It's particularly suited to solo travellers, with a full calendar of ice-breaking events: there are exercise classes, cookery workshops with Glasgow chefs, and foodie pop-ups from local spots such as El Perro Negro. Indeed, there's little reason to leave: there's a gym, a restaurant, and a coworking space, plus clean-lined rooms with dedicated workspaces. A rooftop bar is due to open later in 2025. 7. Native Glasgow hotel Could this be the best view in Glasgow? The penthouse rooms of this marvellous heritage hotel look right onto George Square and the City Chambers, the interiors of which famously use more marble than the Vatican. Native Glasgow was formerly the headquarters of the Anchor Line Shipping Company; the Art Deco exterior retains its shell details and nautical emblems, from which the 1920s-themed interiors take inspiration. This concept reaches its peak in the Anchor Line Restaurant & Bar, which serves Scottish seafood and creative, Prohibition-inspired cocktails in a speakeasy-style space. 8. The Pipers' Tryst hotel For something a little different, book into a room above the (thankfully soundproofed) National Piping Centre. From the welcome single-malt whisky to the tartan-swaddled rooms, this is about as Scottish as you can get. The 'Pipe Major's Breakfast' uses smoked salmon and haddock from Glasgow-based fishmonger The Fish People. Plan to spend at least an hour in the museum, which narrates the long and complex history of the bagpipes in Scotland and beyond. Guided tours with a piper run on Fridays and Saturdays throughout summer and include a brief lesson on a chanter (the precursor to a full set of pipes). 9. Dakota Glasgow hotel The Dakota brand was founded by the late, great Glasgow hotelier Ken McCulloch (who also founded Malmaison), and aims to offer premium stays at an affordable price point. The Glasgow branch certainly delivers: all the vintage-inspired rooms include Sky TV and Chromecast, plus complimentary access to a nearby gym. The swish Jack's Bar serves craft cocktails inspired by notable Scottish characters, and the Grill restaurant has a crowd-pleasing pan-European menu. The location's not bad, either in the west of the city centre, near the Glasgow Film Theatre and a short walk from Kelvingrove Park. Address: 179 W Regent St, Glasgow G2 4DP 10. AC Hotel Glasgow Glasgow's Grade A-listed former Parish Hall has found new life as part of the AC by Marriott brand. 'Heritage' rooms and suites are in the old red sandstone building and are worth the extra outlay if you like period features; cheaper rooms are in the modern extension and have floor-to-ceiling windows. Either way, you'll benefit from a brilliant location just seconds from George Square. The Nordic-inspired Hazel restaurant is notable for its fantastic (and great value) afternoon tea: think parma ham and fig open sandwiches or strawberry and matcha Battenbergs.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
9 pictures which tell story of famous Glasgow store with link to Rennie Mackintosh
IT WAS one of the most stylish and elegant department stores in Glasgow. For decades, Pettigrew and Stephens occupied a prominent chunk of Sauchiehall Street in the city centre. The store opened in 1888, when Glasgow drapers Andrew Hislop Pettigrew and William Henry Stephens entered into partnership. It expanded and developed over the years, and by the 1920s, the premises stretched from Sauchiehall Street to Bath Street, along West Campbell Street – where a gym and the entrance to Sauchiehall Street car park is now. The Bath street entrance to Pettigrew & Stephens, 1923 (Image: Glasgow City Archives) There is a connection to Charles Rennie Mackintosh too. On early designs, when the building was expanding to include a new tearoom and marble stairs, his notes appear on drawings by the firm he worked for, John Honeyman & Keppie. Some of the later features seem to echo other examples of his work, too, particularly in the tearoom, though he is not credited as a designer on the plans. READ NEXT: 'We're so lucky to have the Citz': Free drama lessons as Glasgow theatre re-opens 'Another Glasgow first': New display marks 200 years of world's original comic 'Gran's report card' discovery reveals story of 'lost' Glasgow school By the early 1900s, the seven-storey shop was the biggest department store in Scotland, and drawing in legions of shoppers. You could buy almost anything - clothes, millinery, confectionery, carpets, furniture, ironmongery and china. School uniform display... (Image: Glasgow City Archives) It was also the place to shop for school uniform, and the giant window displays would be full of smartly-blazered mannequins and ties of all colours as the summer holidays drew to a close. It was high-tech, too, with an electric lift, sprinklers and a pneumatic tube system for sending cash between counters and the central office. The tearooms were on the second floor, beautifully designed and decorated, the perfect place for ladies who lunched in between bouts of shopping. In 1926, Pettigrew and Stephens was acquired by the Scottish Drapery Corporation which in turn was acquired by House of Fraser in the 1950s. The building was completely demolished in 1971 for the Sauchiehall Street Centre shopping complex. (Image: Newsquest) This woman on the left, who is a 'Lux washability consultant', was at the store in May 1938 to provide some free advice on the washing of fine fabrics. (Image: Newsquest) In September 1939, as war began across Europe, Pettigrew and Stephens took some precautions against the potential for flying glass and debris in its Sauchiehall Street store. (Image: Newsquest) In 1950, sales still brought people out in force. This picture, taken on Tuesday, January 3, shows shoppers waiting more or less patiently in the cold and rain for the doors to open at Pettigrew and Stephens. Hat sale at Pettigrew & Stephens (Image: Newsquest) Exactly a year to the day later, the New Year sales kicked off in style as shoppers flocked to pick up a bargain. (Image: Newsquest) Five year old Jimmy Paterson tries on a new coat at the Pettigrew and Stephens sale in 1956. (Image: Newsquest) Four-year-old Kay McAleney, from Coatbridge, makes friends with a cuddly Pluto as Christmas shopping begins in the store in December, 1955. The store was lit up with lights and fancy decorations. Do you remember Pettigrew and Stephens? Send us your memories and photos by email to or write to Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed cutlery set sells for £175,000 at auction
A set of silver cutlery designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh has sold at auction for almost six times the guide price. The extremely rare set made up of a soup spoon, desert spoon, dinner fork and dessert fork form part of a set commissioned by Scottish artist and embroider Jessie Newbury and her husband Francis in 1902. They were long-term friends with Mackintosh and his wife Margaret MacDonald with Newbury playing a crucial role in promoting Mackintosh's work and commissioning him to design Glasgow School of Art in 1896. The order of cutlery was placed through Glasgow jeweller Edwards & Company and made by the skilled silversmith David W. Hislop, who had worked with Mackintosh on a number of other occasions. The set was divided by the Newbury's daughters Mary and Elsie and overtime some of the pieces were sold separately, but this lot has now sold for £175,200 – almost six times the estimated price of £20k to £30k. The auction at Lyon & Turnbull featured various other items by Mackintosh, with a painting selling for £150,200 also. The work, titled Bouleternere, is a watercolour of a French village painted just three years before Mackintosh died. Read More Rare Charles Rennie Mackintosh watercolour to be sold at auction Two other smaller, early watercolours 'Brookweed' and 'Pimpernel' both sold for £18,900. A cabinet designed by Mackintosh for Scotland Street School in 1906 went under the hammer for £7,560. John Mackie, Head of Sale and a Director with Lyon & Turnbull said: 'We are, as you can imagine, absolutely delighted with the prices achieved, particularly for the exquisite Charlie Rennie Mackintosh suite of cutlery. "Mackintosh's cutlery design was revolutionary. The spoons and forks have exceptionally long, slender handles. The forks are particularly striking with a seamless transition between the handle and bowl creating the illusion of a single, continuous band of metal. "it's always exciting to be on the rostrum and today's result testifies to the enduring and growing appetite for Mackintosh's pioneering and distinctive design."
The Independent
17-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Cutlery designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh sells for more than £175,000
Silver cutlery designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh has been sold for £175,200, nearly six times its estimate. The cutlery set sold on Thursday by fine art auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull consisted of a soup spoon, dessert spoon, dinner fork and dessert fork which were part of a set commissioned in 1902 by artist and embroiderer Jessie Newbery and her husband, Francis (Fra) Newbery. Mr Newbery also commissioned the art nouveau artist and architect, whose style became famous around the world, to design the Glasgow School of Art building. The Newberys were long-standing friends of Mackintosh and his artist wife, Margaret Macdonald. The cutlery order was placed through Glasgow jeweller Edwards & Company, and made by David W Hislop, a skilled silversmith who had worked previously with Mackintosh. The set was later divided between the Newberys' daughters, Mary and Elsie, with Mary's pieces sold separately between 1970 and 1980. A watercolour painted by Mackintosh of a French village three years before he died sold at the auction for £150,200. Lyon & Turnbull's Design Since 1860 auction included watercolours, cutlery and furniture designed by Mackintosh, who died in London in 1928 at the age of 60, a year after returning from France. He and his wife moved to south-west France in 1923 for a cheaper lifestyle after a downturn in demand for their work but returned to London in 1927 when Mackintosh began suffering cancer symptoms. The watercolour, titled Bouleternere and painted in 1925 with sparing use of colour to depict the hillside town, sold for £150,200, including buyer's premium, on Thursday as part of the two-day sale. Bouleternere was previously acquired by Ronald WB Morris of Kilmacolm after a memorial exhibition of the couple's work at the McLellan Galleries in Glasgow in 1933 following Margaret's death. Two small, early watercolours, Brookweed and Pimpernel, produced in 1901, each sold for £18,900. A cabinet designed by Mackintosh for Scotland Street School in Glasgow in 1906 went under the hammer for £7,560. John Mackie, head of sale and a director at Lyon & Turnbull said: 'We are, as you can imagine, absolutely delighted with the prices achieved, particularly for the exquisite Charles Rennie Mackintosh suite of cutlery. 'Mackintosh's cutlery design was revolutionary. The spoons and forks have exceptionally long, slender handles. 'The forks are particularly striking with a seamless transition between the handle and bowl creating the illusion of a single, continuous band of metal. 'It's always exciting to be on the rostrum and today's result testifies to the enduring and growing appetite for Mackintosh's pioneering and distinctive design.'
