Rennie Mackintosh-designed Glasgow school's £250,000 sale approved
Councillors, who backed the proposal at a meeting last week, were told the purchasers intend to invest £1.75m into the restoration of the A-listed property.
This will help to create a 'public museum of Scottish Catholic archives to house artifacts and artworks'. Cllr Ruairi Kelly, SNP, convener for housing and development, said the deal showed the council has the 'best will and intentions' for heritage buildings in the city.
READ MORE: Scottish college unveils Oasis masterclass for fans ahead of reunion tour
It also has 'the ability to find uses for these buildings that help to preserve them for future generations of Glasgow', Cllr Kelly added.
Approving the sale to the Bishops' Conference of Scotland was recommended despite it not being the highest offer received.
Cllr Kelly said: 'Understandably the heritage of Glasgow is really important to all of us, and lots of other people in the city. There was a bit of consternation around this when it was first mooted that it was going to be marketed.
'The intention of the council was always to find a custodian for the building who could give it the care and attention it required and, most importantly, find a productive use for it.
'If we were just looking to make a quick buck, the recommendations in this paper would have been different.
'It would have resulted in a slightly higher capital receipt for the council, but this is the one we believe best served the purpose of maintaining public access and doing the best for the building.'
A council report added the unconditional offer of £250,000 has the 'benefit of certainty, being a cash offer and not being subject to any suspensive conditions'.
The three-storey school building was designed for the School Board of Glasgow by Charles Rennie Mackintosh while he was an assistant at architectural firm Honeyman and Keppie. It was completed in 1898.
It is of 'considerable architectural and cultural significance, being one of the earlier buildings attributed to Mackintosh', the council report added. Used as a school and college until the early 1970s, the building has since been an arts centre and then council offices.
The Bishops' Conference of Scotland's plan for the property also includes some office space, and 'proposes to link the subject to their existing ownership on the opposite side of the street' (St Mungo's RC Church).
A council official said the museum, understood to be on the ground floor, would be open to the public while the rest of the building will house the archive and offices for the Bishops' Conference.
Marketing of the building began in October last year after it had sat empty for 'a considerable time'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
16 minutes ago
- Times
Heritage bodies unite in bid to save award-winning Bernat Klein Studio
Leading Scottish heritage and design organisations have joined forces in an effort to restore one of the country's 'most important 20th-century buildings' after the deteriorating property was put up for auction. The Bernat Klein Foundation, the National Trust for Scotland and Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) have launched a collective effort, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to save the Bernat Klein Studio near Selkirk from ruin and create a new venue to inspire creative arts in the Borders. Designed in 1972 by the modernist architect Peter Womersley for the textile designer Klein, the Category A-listed studio was once the beating heart of the textile industry in the south of the country. The Serbian-born Klein (1922-2014) gained international renown by designing collections there for many famous fashion houses including Chanel and Dior.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Huge sporting event faces TV blackout for first time in 70 years with no BBC deal agreed
One of the big events in the sporting calendar could end up not being shown on television next year despite its long history with the BBC, with no broadcasting agreement reached yet The Commonwealth Games faces a potential television blackout in the UK. The competition, which started in 1930, is still yet to secure a broadcasting agreement, despite there being a year until its start date. Glasgow will be playing host to the competition in the summer of 2026, 12 years after hosting the event in 2014. The BBC has served as the main broadcaster of the sporting spectacle since 1954, but discussions about an arrangement for next year are still being had. It's been reported that certain BBC executives harbour doubts about the event's ongoing significance, given the declining number of nations prepared to host it. Glasgow was previously confirmed as emergency replacement hosts in September last year, after multiple cities withdrew from hosting, due to financial concerns. Before Glasgow hosted the games in 2014, chiefs at the BBC agreed a broadcasting deal in 2011. When the event was in Birmingham in 2020, an agreement was wrapped up two years prior. According to The Sun, sources close to the BBC claimed "an agreement is still some way off", with other officials at the Beeb also feeling that there is a "waning appetite" for the event. The overwhelming majority of the event's funding now stems from the £100million compensation the Australian state of Victoria provided to Commonwealth organisers following their withdrawal. Both the UK and Scottish Governments declined to guarantee the expenses of staging the event, pointing to broader strains on public spending. Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, offered a brighter picture of the current situation, saying: "This week we have just announced Sky New Zealand as one of our broadcast partners. We also have Channel 7 in Australia, and there will be news on a UK broadcaster later this year." A spokeswoman for the Games also told the Daily Record: "We're in positive discussions with broadcasters across the Commonwealth, including the UK, and further announcements will be made in the months ahead." Scotland First Minister John Swinney has declared his confidence that Glasgow is "well-organised and well-prepared" for a revamped Games that will spark the public's enthusiasm. He said: "All of our experience tells us that, on major events, the people of Scotland – and especially in Glasgow – get engaged." Swinney also supported Glasgow's choice to rescue an event which has faced criticism in certain circles as being an antiquated connection to Britain's colonial history. He told the BBC: "The Commonwealth is still a very important forum for international co-operation and partnership between countries. And, frankly, we need more international co-operation and friendship and collective endeavour in a world that is becoming increasingly fractured." The competition has been dramatically reduced due to financial concerns, with only 11 sports taking place across four locations. Track and field will be hosted at Scotstoun Stadium, rather than Hampden Park, whilst aquatic competitions will return to the current Tollcross facility. The total expenditure for the 2014 competition reached £543m, but this occasion will see just £114-130m allocated. Petria Thomas, chief of the Australian Commonwealth commission, said: "We're incredibly grateful and fortunate that the Scottish have stepped up to the mark here. "It was obviously highly disappointing that the Victorian government pulled out and it left the Commonwealth sport movement in a very difficult position. It's fantastic that the Games will be on in Glasgow. "Obviously a little bit of a different look to them this time with fewer sports which is a shame. But it's the reality of the position that the Commonwealth sport movement was put in, unfortunately."
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
New Edinburgh music venues land share of £14m cash pot
The Wolfson Foundation has agreed to support the creation of a new National Centre for Music and concert hall at the former Royal High School, one of the city's most prominent landmarks, on Calton Hill. It will also be funding Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for a century, which is earmarked for a site behind a Royal Bank of Scotland building in the New Town. Read more: The two projects, which have both been in the planning for more than decade, will get a share of £14m worth of grants announced by a UK-wide charity. And it is hoped they will be able to secure further support as the projects progress in the next few years. The Dunard Centre will be Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for more than a century. (Image: David Chipperfield Architects) Both projects are being largely bankrolled by Scotland's biggest arts philanthropist, Carol Colburn Grigor. Her Dunard Fund has committed at least £45m to the £69m National Centre for [[Music]] project. It recently secured a pledge of up to £5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £2.85m from a separate charitable trust set up by the late British philanthropist Julia Rausing. A new National Centre for Music will be created on Edinburgh's Calton Hill under plans to transform the former Royal High School building. (Image: Supplied) The Dunard Centre, which is expected to cost more than £115m to build, has secured £80m of private support, including £35m from Ms Grigor's charity, as well as £25m from the Scottish and UK governments, and the city council. The Wolfson Foundation plans to spend more than £200m across the UK over the next five years, across arts, science, health and heritage projects. The Dunard Centre concert hall will be created in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town. (Image: Supplied) The National Centre for Music project, which has been awarded an initial £500,000 from the foundation, will see three indoor performance spaces created inside the A-listed building. The grounds of the complex, which is due to open in 2027, will become home to the first public gardens in the city since the creation of Princes Street Gardens more than 200 years ago. The Dunard Centre project, which has been allocated an initial £100,000 by the foundation, will see a 1000-capacity concert hall built off St Andrew Square, next to the new St James Quarter complex, by 2029. The new venue, which is expected to showcase all forms of music, will become a new home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and will be used by the Edinburgh International Festival each August. A spokesperson for the National Centre for Music said: 'This grant will help protect and save the heritage of one of the most remarkable A listed buildings in Edinburgh. 'Our project will create a home for the National Centre for Music which will offer a range of ways for people who live, work and visit the city to come together to engage with the built and social heritage, and Scottish music heritage. 'The National Centre for Music is a newly created charity which will nurture and celebrate the richness of Scotland's music making – across all genres and all levels. It will become an iconic destination – where artists come to deepen their practice, make new work and connect with others, and where audiences come to expand their passions and have uplifting experiences. 'The former Royal High School will provide an inspiring setting in which to learn, make and share music. With a flexible main hall, a suite of practice rooms and a recording studio, it will provide significant new facilities for Scotland's musicians – from top professionals to those just starting their musical learning. 'The National Centre for Music will be a city centre venue for diverse musical communities, participants and audiences. A public engagement programme is being developed that will include creative learning, heritage interpretation, and community-led activity shaped by ongoing consultation. 'Particular attention is being given to reaching groups who are often underrepresented in culture and heritage, including young people, people living in local communities of socioeconomic deprivation, and people with additional support needs." A spokesperson for the Dunard Centre said: 'This generous funding will be instrumental in supporting our ambitious vision to create a new, world-class concert hall in the heart of Edinburgh, catering for 21st century audiences and artists. 'With a mission to create an inclusive, accessible hub, the venue will be 'a hall for all', offering opportunities for people of all ages and stages to learn, participate, create and engage with the arts, as well as opening up a new, free-to-access public space. 'This inaugural grant marks the first step in our relationship with the Wolfson Foundation. 'With a shared commitment to promoting and supporting excellence, we look forward to developing our relationship as plans for Edinburgh's first concert hall in 100 years progress.' Other projects being funded in Scotland include the Angus arts centre Hospitalfield, which has secured £150,000 for a restoration of its building and a new collections study centre. Earlier this year, Wolfson Foundation chief executive Paul Ramsbottom said the charity was aware of a 'crucial need' for capital infrastructure funding for projects across the UK. He said: 'There are few other similar sources of funding and yet organisations need to keep investing in their physical infrastructure. 'A majority of our funding in the next five years will therefore be allocated for infrastructure: refurbishment, equipment and new build.'
