Latest news with #Martyrs'School
The National
16-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Rennie Mackintosh-designed Glasgow school's £250,000 sale approved
The Bishops' Conference of Scotland will now be able to buy the old Martyrs' School on Parson Street in a deal worth £250,000. 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'.
Glasgow Times
16-06-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Rennie Mackintosh-designed Glasgow school sale approved
The Bishops' Conference of Scotland will now be able to buy the old Martyrs' School on Parson Street in a deal worth £250,000. Councillors, who backed the proposal at a meeting today (Thursday), were told the purchasers intend to invest £1.75m into the restoration of the A-listed property. READ NEXT:Peter Krykant was brave enough to take risks because he wanted to save lives 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. 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.' READ NEXT: 'We're a big men's shed' says Apprentice Boys of Derry 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'.
The Herald Scotland
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Council approves sale of Mackintosh building for use as museum
It will be used as a public museum of Scottish Catholic archive, housing artworks and artefacts. A Glasgow City Council committee approved the sale today (Thursday). The category A building will be sensitively refurbished through a £1.75million works programme, funded by the purchaser, who will pay £250,000 in the sale. READ MORE: Mackintosh building to be sold by council for use as museum Martyrs' School: Inside the 'landmark' Mackintosh building In addition to becoming a public museum, this building of significant architectural and heritage importance - as one of Mackintosh's earliest buildings - will also feature office space and so a vacant heritage building will become fully occupied. The three-storey building, on Parson Street in Townhead, was designed by Mackintosh for the School Board of Glasgow when he was an assistant at the Honeyman and Keppie architectural firm. The Martyrs' School was completed in 1898 and used as a school and college facility until the 1970s, with uses since then including a period as an arts centre and office space for council museum and social work teams before becoming vacant for some time and being declared surplus in June 2024, as the council could find no use for the building. A marketing exercise for the disposal of the building was carried out between October 2024 and March 2025 and three bids met the necessary criteria, with the other two being for commercial letting of workshop space with some public exhibition space, with occupation not guaranteed. The Martyrs' School (Image: Colin Mearns) The Bishops' Conference of Scotland also owns property on the opposite side of Parson Street – St Mungo's Church and retreat. Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Heritage, Development and Land Use at Glasgow City Council, said: 'The successful sale of the Martyrs' School is to be a celebrated, with a new and sustainable use found for an A listed heritage building in a historic Glasgow district. "Finding sustainable uses for unused and underused heritage buildings is a priority for the council. "It will be fantastic to see new life coming to this early example of Mackintosh's work, with public access bringing another attraction for local people and visitors to the city centre.'
STV News
09-06-2025
- Business
- STV News
Rennie Mackintosh building to be sold and turned into museum
A Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed former school in Townhead is set to be sold by Glasgow City Council and turned into a Scottish Catholic museum. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland are expected to take over the old Martyrs' School on Parson Street if a £250,000 deal is backed by councillors this week. It is planning to invest £1.75m in the A-listed property to create a 'public museum of Scottish Catholic archives to house artefacts and artworks', a council report reveals. While not the highest bid received, council officials have recommended it for approval 'given the overall merits'. They add the unconditional offer of £250,000 has the 'benefit of certainty, being a cash offer and not being subject to any suspensive conditions'. Two other bids met the same criteria but were for commercial letting of workshop space, with some public exhibition space, and their occupation was 'not guaranteed'. Cllr Ruairi Kelly, SNP, the council's convener for housing and development, said the plan was 'great news for an important piece of Glasgow's built heritage'. 'Without marketing this building, we would not have found such a positive outcome that not only secures investment but opens it to the public,' he said on social media. 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 and completed in 1898. It is of 'considerable architectural and cultural significance, being one of the earlier buildings attributed to Mackintosh', the council report adds. 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'. Marketing of the building began in October last year after it had sat empty for 'a considerable time'. Five compliant bids were received by the closing date in March this year. The council report adds: 'It is proposed the subject will undergo a sensitive restoration and will have the prospect of a meaningful future as part of its local community.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Landmark building by renowned Scottish architect sold
When Glasgow City Council put the Martyrs School on the market for sale last year, it had to move to reassure heritage experts concerned over its future in a city struggling with its difficult-to-keep heritage. External features are in view. (Image: Newsquest) The A-listed Martyrs' School, completed in 1898 and named after Church of Scotland Covenanters executed in 1684 at Townhead, is one of the earliest buildings attributed to Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Now, in an exclusive article by Craig Williams, it is revealed the building that last operated as a school in the 1970s and was most recently used as offices, is to be sold to the Bishops' Conference of Scotland and will become a public museum of Scottish Catholic archives, housing artworks and artefacts. The sale is set to be approved by a committee within days. Also building will be sensitively refurbished through a £1.75 million works programme, funded by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, who will pay £250,000 in the sale. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland also owns St Mungo's Church and retreat on the opposite side of Parson Street. READ MORE: Craig also pointed to the negotiations over the use of another Mackintosh building - the Lighthouse, which was home to The Herald for 112 years - as a location to help climate tech firms grow after a committee gave the green light to the proposal. The council said it was to begin talks with Sustainable Ventures (Scotland) Limited on a long-term. The Lighthouse is one of Mackintosh's most celebrated architectural gems. Stuart Robertson, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, said that "on paper, this sale looks a good fit for Martyrs' School and being used as a public museum'. He also told The Herald: "I am delighted to see that it will be sensitively refurbished through a £1.75 million works programme, funded by the purchaser. It would be good to see more details of this and the planned timescale." Dominic d'Angelo, chair of the Alexander Thomson Society, celebrating another renowned Scottish designer, raised an interesting idea when he wrote in The Herald last month that: 'Maintenance, especially for listed properties, comes at a cost, as the council has identified in recent discussions in Westminster, identifying some 60-plus properties that could benefit if the requirement for repairs to be subject to VAT could be lifted. 'Doing so could enable re-purposing older buildings to address Glasgow's – and other cities' – urgent housing needs and to repopulate the city centre, as well as benefiting organisations such as ours seeking to ensure a positive outcome for buildings by the many talented architects that have contributed so much to Glasgow's urban environment and streetscape.' He also said: 'As a society, we have consistently raised concerns with the council over the church's condition and future, alongside that of other buildings, including planned development next to Grecian Chambers in Sauchiehall Street and current repairs to the Buck's Head Building in Argyle Street.' Maintaining public buildings brings its own set of challenges for councils. So, the new arrangement for the former Martyrs' School building looks like a positive long-term move.
