Glasgow museums and art galleries · Museums and art galleries in Glasgow
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Museums and art galleries in Glasgow
Museums and art galleries in Glasgow
The Victorians also left Glasgow with a wonderful legacy of museums and art galleries, which the city has dutifully built upon. The following list is only a selection. The city council alone runs 13 museums and galleries. Visitors should be aware that most of the galleries appear to be closed on Sundays, and that - to the understandable annoyance of many visitors to Glasgow - most of the museums shut their doors at 5:00 PM.
Burrell Collection, Pollok Country Park (train: Pollokshaws West, then walk through Pollok Park), tel 287-2550. This is a collection of over 9,000 artworks gifted to the city of Glasgow by Sir William Burrell and housed in a purpose-built museum in the Pollok Estate in the south of the city. Open M-Th,Sa 10:00AM-5:00PM; F,Su 11:00AM-5:00PM. Free.
Gallery of Modern Art On Queen Street in the City Centre, this gallery houses a terrific collection of recent paintings and sculptures, with space for new exhibitions. In the basement is one of Glasgow's many public libraries, with free internet access and cafe. Free.
Glasgow Science Centre, Pacific Quay (train: Exhibition Centre or subway: Cessnock) . Has hundreds of interactive science exhibits for children, an IMAX cinema, and the 125-meter Glasgow Tower (re-opened summer 2004), the only tower in the world which can rotate through 360 degrees from its base. Every day, 10:00AM-6:00PM. £10 adults, £8 children for any two of the main attractions.
Transmission Gallery , a gallery set up in 1983 by ex-students of the Glasgow School of Art as a hub for the local art community and to provide exhibition space.
Street level photoworks , an alternative art gallery/installation space
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street (subway: Kelvinhall), tel 287-2699. One of the finest civic collections in Europe is housed within this Glasgow Victorian landmark museum. The collections include everything from fine and decorative arts to archaeology and the natural world. Open M-Th,Sa 10:00AM-5:00PM; F,Su 11:00AM-5:00PM. Free.
Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery., University Avenue. . The Art Gallery contains a world famous Whistler collection, and various temporary exhibitions. It also contains The Mackintosh House, a reconstruction of the principal interiors from the Glasgow home of the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928). The separate museum is the oldest public museum in Scotland and has a variety of exhibits, including a display on the Romans in Scotland (featuring items found in the Roman Fort in Bearsden), one on the various dinosaur discoveries found on the Isle of Skye, and various temporary exhibitions.
McLellan Galleries, Sauchiehall Street, tel 565-4137. Normally used as a temporary space for visiting exhibitions, this is a grade II listed building in the center of Glasgow. Open M-Th,Sa 10:00AM-5:00PM; F,Su 11:00AM-5:00PM. Currently used by the Glasgow School of Art during work on the Mackintosh building.
Fossil Grove , Victoria Park. The remains of an ancient forest, around 330 million years old. This is the only example of a preserved forest from this period on Earth.
Museum of Transport, Kelvin Hall, Bunhouse Road (subway: Kelvinhall), tel 287-2720 - UNFORTUNATELY NOW CLOSED. The free-entry museum used its collections of vehicles and models to tell the story of transport by land and sea, with a unique Glasgow flavour. Besides the usual rail locomotives, buses, trams, cars and planes, the museum also included a recreated subway station, and a street scene of old Glasgow. The museum permanently closed on April 18, 2010, and will reopen in new premises during 2011 (renamed the 'Riverside Museum').
Provand's Lordship, Castle Street (opposite Glasgow Cathedral), tel 552-8819. Glasgow's oldest remaining house, built in 1471, has been renovated to give visitors and idea what the inside of a Glasgow house was like circa 1700. Open M-Th,Sa 10:00AM-5:00PM; F,Su 11:00AM-5:00PM. Free.
Sharmanka, 14 King Street. Sharmanka is a Kinetic Gallery / Theatre. It consists of a number of strange machines created by the Russian artists Eduard Bersudsky. The machines perform stories and the light and sound during the performance adds to a really unique and amazing experience. Performances Thu, Sun 7:00PM or by individual appointment. £4, children under 16 free.
People's Palace and Winter Gardens on Glasgow Green. The People's Palace is a great folk museum, telling the history of Glasgow and its people, from various perspectives. Free. The Winter Garden, adjacent, has a reasonable cafe.
Tenement House, 145 Buccleuch Street, Garnethill. A National Trust for Scotland site, a middle class Glasgow tenement house preserved in pretty much the way it was in the early 20th Century.
St. Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, 2 Castle Street. Next to Glasgow Cathedral, the museum features exhibits relating not only to Glasgow's patron saint and the growth of Christianity in the city, but numerous exhibits pertaining to many faiths practised locally and worldwide. Free entry.
The Glasgow Police Museum. 30 Bell Street. . The Glasgow police force is the oldest in Britain, dating back to 1779. It has dealt with a number of famous cases, and many of the paraphernalia relating to some of these are in this museum: there is also a section dealing with the history of police forces throughout the world. Recently opened up in new premises (2010).
The Tall Ship. 100 Stobcross Road. . The 'Tall Ship' is the Glenlee, built in 1896 and one of only 5 Clydebuilt sailing ships that remain afloat in the world today. Now restored and open to the public. (Note: will be moved to the Riverside Museum when this opens in 2011).
The Auchentoshan Distillery Visitor Centre. Great Western Road. . A fully functioning Scottish Whiskey distillery, with guided tours and a visiting centre. Note: technically outside the city limits, but part of the Glasgow conurbation: easily accessible via public transport.
Titan Crane Cart Street. A fully preserved (despite being over 100 years old) crane as used in the Glasgow shipbuilders John Brown Engineering. Great views of Glasgow from the top of the crane: guided tours available. Note: slightly outside the city limits but easily accessible by bus or train.
Antonine Wall. The Antonine Wall marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire. A Roman Fort was discovered in Bearsden (in the Northwest of the city) and the bathhouse from that fort is still viewable (off Roman Road in Bearsden). Two sections of the wall are also viewable: one, in New Kilpatrick Cemetery (off Boclair Road) and one in Roman Park: both these sites are also in Bearsden. All these sites are signposted and have information boards. There is now a permanent exhibition about this site in the Hunterian Museum.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Glasgow
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Glasgow - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Glasgow hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Glasgow Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
