Riverside Museum
Encyclopedia
The Riverside Museum is a new development for the Glasgow Museum of Transport
, completed on 20 June 2011, at Pointhouse Quay in the Glasgow Harbour
regeneration district of Glasgow
, Scotland
. The next day it opened to the public.
and engineers Buro Happold
. The internal exhibitions and displays were designed by Event Communications. Replacing facilities at the city's Kelvin Hall
, the new purpose-built museum is the first to be opened in the city since the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
in 1993 and is expected to attract up to 1 million visitors a year. Although containing approximately the same floorspace as the previous museum facility at 7,500 sq m, it will create a more environmentally stable home for Glasgow's significant Transport Technology collections. The building will also house a workshop and office space for the Clyde Maritime Trust.
The location of the museum is on the site of the former A. & J. Inglis Shipyard within Glasgow Harbour
, on the north bank of the River Clyde
and adjacent to its confluence point with the River Kelvin
. This site enables the Clyde Maritime Trust's SV Glenlee
and other visiting craft to berth alongside the museum.
have committed £69million. The Riverside Museum Appeal is a charitable trust
established to raise the final £5,000,000 in sponsorship and donations from companies, trusts and individuals for the development of the museum. The Riverside Museum Appeal Trust is recognised as a Scottish Charity
SC 033286.
Major Patrons of the project include: BAE Systems Surface Ships, Weir Group
, Rolls-Royce plc
, FirstGroup, SPT
, Caledonian MacBrayne
, Arnold Clark
, Scottish and Southern Energy, Diageo
, Bank of Scotland
and Optical Express
.
cut the first turf. During the summer of 2008, foundational work was carried out, with massive underground trenches created to house the services for the building. By late September 2008, the steel framework of the structure was taking shape. During 2010 the cladding of the building was put in place and internal fitting-out work continued along with external landscaping works. The building was structurally completed by late autumn 2010 and work continued to prepare the Riverside Museum for its opening on 21 June 2011.
The main contractors for the project were BAM Construct UK Ltd with a range of trade subcontractors including the services installations being delivered by BBESL's team of Jordan Kerr, Gordon Ferguson & Jamie Will and FES, project management being the responsibility of Capita Symonds
and Buro Happold providing Resident Engineering Services.
As well as housing many of the existing collections of the Glasgow Museum of Transport, the city has acquired additional items to enhance the experience:
Glasgow Museum of Transport
The Glasgow Museum of Transport in Glasgow, Scotland was established in 1964 and initially located at a former tram depot in Pollokshields. From 1987 the museum was relocated to the city's Kelvin Hall...
, completed on 20 June 2011, at Pointhouse Quay in the Glasgow Harbour
Glasgow Harbour
Glasgow Harbour is an urban regeneration scheme at Partick in the city of Glasgow, Scotland.After many years of dereliction caused by the decline of shipbuilding and the migration of Glasgow's docks to the Firth of Clyde, since the mid 1980s, the banks of the River Clyde at Glasgow have become a...
regeneration district of Glasgow
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
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The next day it opened to the public.
Concept and design
The Riverside Museum building was designed by Zaha Hadid ArchitectsZaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
and engineers Buro Happold
Buro Happold
Buro Happold is a professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment, with its head office in Bath, Somerset...
. The internal exhibitions and displays were designed by Event Communications. Replacing facilities at the city's Kelvin Hall
Kelvin Hall
The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall, indoor arena and barrage balloon factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of...
, the new purpose-built museum is the first to be opened in the city since the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is a museum of religion in Glasgow, Scotland. It is quoted as being the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject, though another notable museum of this kind is the State Historical Museum of Religion in St.Petersburg...
in 1993 and is expected to attract up to 1 million visitors a year. Although containing approximately the same floorspace as the previous museum facility at 7,500 sq m, it will create a more environmentally stable home for Glasgow's significant Transport Technology collections. The building will also house a workshop and office space for the Clyde Maritime Trust.
The location of the museum is on the site of the former A. & J. Inglis Shipyard within Glasgow Harbour
Glasgow Harbour
Glasgow Harbour is an urban regeneration scheme at Partick in the city of Glasgow, Scotland.After many years of dereliction caused by the decline of shipbuilding and the migration of Glasgow's docks to the Firth of Clyde, since the mid 1980s, the banks of the River Clyde at Glasgow have become a...
, on the north bank of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
and adjacent to its confluence point with the River Kelvin
River Kelvin
The Kelvin rises on watershed of Scotland on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth - . At almost 22 miles long, it initially flows south to Dullatur Bog where it falls into a man made trench and takes a ninety degree turn flowing west along the northern boundary of the bog...
. This site enables the Clyde Maritime Trust's SV Glenlee
Glenlee (ship)
Glenlee is a three-masted baldheaded steel-hulled barque, launched fully rigged and seaworthy on December 3, 1896. She is now a museum ship at the Riverside Museum on Pointhouse Quay, Glasgow, known as The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour....
and other visiting craft to berth alongside the museum.
Funding
Of the £74million needed for the development of the Riverside Museum, Glasgow City Council and the Heritage Lottery FundHeritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
have committed £69million. The Riverside Museum Appeal is a charitable trust
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
established to raise the final £5,000,000 in sponsorship and donations from companies, trusts and individuals for the development of the museum. The Riverside Museum Appeal Trust is recognised as a Scottish Charity
SC 033286.
Major Patrons of the project include: BAE Systems Surface Ships, Weir Group
Weir Group
The Weir Group plc is an engineering company headquartered in East Kilbride, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
, FirstGroup, SPT
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport, and especially the public transport system, in the Strathclyde area of western Scotland...
, Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
, Arnold Clark
Arnold Clark
Sir Arnold Clark is one of the wealthiest businessmen in Scotland, ranked 10th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2005 for Scotland.-Biography:Born in Glasgow,in 1927,Clark joined the Royal Air Force aged 17...
, Scottish and Southern Energy, Diageo
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
, Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
and Optical Express
Optical Express
Optical Express is a retail optical services company in the United Kingdom. Optical Express is part of the Optical Express Group, which operates in the optical, dental and cosmetic industries. It is the forth largest high street retail optician in the UK, which, combined, account for 55% of the...
.
Construction
On 13 November 2007 the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Bob WinterBob Winter
Robert 'Bob' Winter is the Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was first elected a Labour councillor on Glasgow City Council in 1999, serving the Summerston ward. In 2007, he was re-elected as one of four councillors for Ward 15, which includes Maryhill and the Kelvin area of Glasgow's West End...
cut the first turf. During the summer of 2008, foundational work was carried out, with massive underground trenches created to house the services for the building. By late September 2008, the steel framework of the structure was taking shape. During 2010 the cladding of the building was put in place and internal fitting-out work continued along with external landscaping works. The building was structurally completed by late autumn 2010 and work continued to prepare the Riverside Museum for its opening on 21 June 2011.
The main contractors for the project were BAM Construct UK Ltd with a range of trade subcontractors including the services installations being delivered by BBESL's team of Jordan Kerr, Gordon Ferguson & Jamie Will and FES, project management being the responsibility of Capita Symonds
Capita Symonds
Capita Symonds is part of the Capita Group.Capita Symonds is a large UK multidisciplinary consultancy operating in the building design, civil engineering, environment, management and transport sectors....
and Buro Happold providing Resident Engineering Services.
Collection
- L. S. LowryL. S. LowryLaurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
: Cranes and Ships, Glasgow Docks – acquired at Christie'sChristie'sChristie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
in November 2005 for £198,400, the painting is presently on display at the Kelvin Hall. The 1947 work was bought with the help of Glasgow businessman Willie HaugheyWillie HaugheyWilliam Haughey OBE is a Scottish businessman, philanthropist and chairman of City Refrigeration Holdings. He formerly served as a non-executive director for Celtic F.C., and in 1997 signed a deal with Asda to maintain refrigeration equipment in stores throughout the United Kingdom...
of City Refrigeration Holdings, and a £20,000 grant from the National Art Collections Fund. - SAR Class 15FSouth African Class 15F 4-8-2The Class 15F was the most numerous steam locomotive class in South African Railways service. Between 1938 and 1946 two hundred and fifty-five of these steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement were placed in service.-Manufacturers:...
4-8-24-8-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
steam locomotiveSteam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, No.3007 - built by the Glasgow-based North British Locomotive CompanyNorth British Locomotive CompanyThe North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
at its PolmadiePolmadiePolmadie is a district of Glasgow, a city in Scotland. Polmadie is situated south of the River Clyde, and adjacent to the Gorbals....
Works in 1945, the locomotive was a gift from South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n railways operator SpoornetSpoornetTransnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of 'South African Railways and Harbours', a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely...
to the project. It was on display in George SquareGeorge SquareGeorge Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after King George III.-Historical development:George Square was laid out in 1781, part of the innovative Georgian central grid plan that initially spanned from Stockwell Street east to Buchanan Street—which...
for a short time in 2007, as part of the effort to raise the £5million public contribution funding.
See also
- Culture in GlasgowCulture in GlasgowThe city of Glasgow, Scotland, has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities, from curling to opera and from football to art appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport, religion, and modern art. The city often hosts exhibitions and...
- Scottish Tramway and Transport SocietyScottish Tramway and Transport SocietyThe Scottish Tramway and Transport Society was founded on 27 June 1951. Until 1983 it was known as the Scottish Tramway Museum Society. The Society was originally formed by tramway enthusiasts, mainly living in the Glasgow area, with a view to preserve a Glasgow "Room and Kitchen" type single deck...
- Glasgow Corporation TramwaysGlasgow Corporation TramwaysGlasgow Corporation Tramways were formerly one of the largest urban tramway systems in Europe. Over 1000 municipally-owned trams served the city of Glasgow, Scotland with over 100 route miles by 1922...
- history of trams in Glasgow - A. & J. Inglis shipyard at Pointhouse Quay, where more than 500 ships have been built