Burrell Collection
Encyclopedia
The Burrell Collection is an art collection in the city of Glasgow
, Scotland. It is situated in Pollok Country Park
on the south side of the city.
, a wealthy Glaswegian shipping magnate and art collector, who then gifted it to the city of Glasgow Corporation in 1944. The gift was made on the condition that the collection was to be housed in a building 16 miles (26 km) from the centre of Glasgow, to show the works to their greatest advantage, and to avoid the damaging effects of air pollution at the time. The trustees spent over 20 years trying to find a suitable 'home' for the collection, one which met all the criteria set out in the Trust Deed, without success. Eventually, when the Pollok Estate
was gifted to the city in 1967, the Trustees had certain terms of the deed waived, which allowed the current site, 3 miles (5 km) from the city centre and within the city boundaries, to be chosen for the collection.
.
The building is L-shaped in plan and is specifically tailored to house and display the diverse collection, with larger pieces such as Romanesque doorways built into the structure, at the same time giving views out into the park over formal grassed areas to the south, and into adjacent woodland to the north.
The entrance, through a 16th century stone archway built into a modern red sandstone gable, leads to a shop and other facilities, then on to a central courtyard under a glazed roof, adjacent to the reconstructions of three rooms from the Burrell's home, Hutton Castle
near Berwick-on-Tweed: the wood panelled drawing room, hall, and dining room complete with their furnishings. Galleries on two levels house various smaller artefacts, over a basement storage level, and at the lower level a restaurant gives views over the lawn to the south.
The museum was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-16996224.html, and was named as Scotland's second greatest post-war building
(after Gillespie, Kidd & Coia
's St. Peter's Seminary) in a poll of architects by Prospect
magazine in 2005.
works by Degas and Cézanne, modern sculpture and a whole host of other artefacts from around the world, all collected by one man.
(approximately 10 minutes walk), with trains to Glasgow Central normally operating four times per hour (three times per hour on Sundays).
Pollok House
, administered by the National Trust for Scotland
, is also situated in Pollok Country Park.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland. It is situated in Pollok Country Park
Pollok Country Park
Pollok Country Park is a large country park located in Pollok, south Glasgow. Prior to the building of the M77 motorway it was the largest urban green space in Europe. In 2007 it was named the best park in Britain...
on the south side of the city.
History
The eclectic collection was acquired over many years by Sir William BurrellWilliam Burrell
Sir William Burrell was a Glaswegian shipping merchant and philanthropist. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1861. He was the third of nine children in a family, which ran a shipping business....
, a wealthy Glaswegian shipping magnate and art collector, who then gifted it to the city of Glasgow Corporation in 1944. The gift was made on the condition that the collection was to be housed in a building 16 miles (26 km) from the centre of Glasgow, to show the works to their greatest advantage, and to avoid the damaging effects of air pollution at the time. The trustees spent over 20 years trying to find a suitable 'home' for the collection, one which met all the criteria set out in the Trust Deed, without success. Eventually, when the Pollok Estate
Pollok Country Park
Pollok Country Park is a large country park located in Pollok, south Glasgow. Prior to the building of the M77 motorway it was the largest urban green space in Europe. In 2007 it was named the best park in Britain...
was gifted to the city in 1967, the Trustees had certain terms of the deed waived, which allowed the current site, 3 miles (5 km) from the city centre and within the city boundaries, to be chosen for the collection.
The building
A design competition for the museum building in 1971 was delayed by a postal strike, allowing time for the eventual winning architect Barry Gasson to complete his entry, designed in collaboration with Brit AndresenBrit Andresen
Brit Andresen is a Norwegian born Australian architect and was the first female recipient of the RAIA Gold Medal, awarded in 2002, for her sustained contribution to architecture through teaching, scholarship and practice.-Biography:...
.
The building is L-shaped in plan and is specifically tailored to house and display the diverse collection, with larger pieces such as Romanesque doorways built into the structure, at the same time giving views out into the park over formal grassed areas to the south, and into adjacent woodland to the north.
The entrance, through a 16th century stone archway built into a modern red sandstone gable, leads to a shop and other facilities, then on to a central courtyard under a glazed roof, adjacent to the reconstructions of three rooms from the Burrell's home, Hutton Castle
Hutton Castle
Hutton Castle is a castle in the Scottish Borders, overlooking the Whiteadder Water near Berwick-on-Tweed.Originally a property of the Homes of Wedderburn, from 1876 the castle was owned by Dudley Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth. His descendants owned it until it was purchased in 1916 by Sir...
near Berwick-on-Tweed: the wood panelled drawing room, hall, and dining room complete with their furnishings. Galleries on two levels house various smaller artefacts, over a basement storage level, and at the lower level a restaurant gives views over the lawn to the south.
The museum was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-16996224.html, and was named as Scotland's second greatest post-war building
Prospect 100 best modern Scottish buildings
In 2005, the Scottish architecture magazine Prospect published a list of the 100 best modern Scottish buildings, as voted for by its readers.-The list:...
(after Gillespie, Kidd & Coia
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia were a Scottish architectural firm famous for their application of modernism in churches and universities, as well as at St Peter's Seminary in Cardross. Though founded in 1927, it is for their work in the post-war period that they are best known...
's St. Peter's Seminary) in a poll of architects by Prospect
Prospect (architecture magazine)
Urban Realm, formerly Prospect, is a quarterly architecture and planning magazine published in Scotland, with a focus on Scottish issues. The magazine was established as Prospect in 1922 by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland , and is the UK's oldest architectural magazine...
magazine in 2005.
The collection
The Burrell contains an important collection of medieval art including stained glass and tapestries, oak furniture, medieval weapons and armour, Islamic art, artefacts from ancient Egypt and China, ImpressionistImpressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
works by Degas and Cézanne, modern sculpture and a whole host of other artefacts from around the world, all collected by one man.
Transport links
The nearest railway station to the Burrell Collection is Pollokshaws WestPollokshaws West railway station
Pollokshaws West railway station is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is served by trains on the Glasgow South Western Line.- History :...
(approximately 10 minutes walk), with trains to Glasgow Central normally operating four times per hour (three times per hour on Sundays).
Pollok House
Pollok House
Pollok House is the ancestral home of the Maxwell family, located in Pollok Country Park, Glasgow, Scotland.The house - built in 1752 and designed by William Adam - was gifted to the City of Glasgow in 1966 by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, whose family had owned the estate for almost 700 years...
, administered by the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
, is also situated in Pollok Country Park.