Wednesday 18 September 2013

Glasgow Doors Open Day

Doors open day is upon us again, an annual opportunity to see inside intriguing buildings that are otherwise not open to the general public. Fire stations, private clubs, stately homes, mosques, churches, offices - open for two or three days to the nosy public. I will not forget my astonishment at seeing the interior murals of the Phoebe Traquair Centre in Edinburgh, for example.

Photo courtesy Mansefield Traquair Centre:


The first place to hold doors open day in the UK was Glasgow in 1990, and today it has probably the best programme in Scotland.

Like a kid in a sweetie shop - or, as it is free, like a bookworm in a library - I can't decide where I would like to go this weekend. The Glasgow School of Art? City Chambers? Scotland Street School? Hampden Park? St Vincent St Church? Pacific Quay? Commonwealth Games athletes' village? Tennent's Brewery? Fairfield Shipyard? Govan Old Church? House for an Art Lover? Glasgow Central Mosque? Trades Hall? The Sub Crawl?

Where would you go?

3 comments:

blueskyscotland said...

I completely forgot it was on this weekend Craig despite having the booklet ticked up with my list of choices so thanks for reminding me. If you haven't been inside them, the City Chambers and Scotland Street School are memorable. The SSS is right next to an underground station so is easily reached from the city centre.
Hope you have a good day whatever venues you pick.

Robert Craig said...

Thanks. Not sure if I am going to Glasgow now, but if I do think the St Vincent St Church will be top of my itinerary - have also been round the school of art before but it is always worth seeing again.

Robert Craig said...

Interesting to see a BBC report on doors open day. Makes it sound like London in 1992 was the first place in the world to try it which of course it wasn't:

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24060641