Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Willow Tea Rooms Saved for the Future New Charitable Trust to Restore Iconic Glasgow Building to Former Glory - Fears for the future of Scottish architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s only remaining Tea Rooms ended today with the announcement that a new Charitable Trust has bought the entire building to secure it for the City of Glasgow and to restore the property and the Willow Tea Rooms to their former glory. The world famous Mackintosh building and interiors, which were designed and built in 1903 for Kate Cranston, are situated in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow but have been under threat as erosion to the roof and structure of the building means that it requires significant renovation work. The new Celia Sinclair Charitable Trust, established by successful commercial property entrepreneur, Trustee of Glasgow Art Club and lifelong admirer of Mackintosh’s work, Celia Sinclair, has taken ownership of the Category-A listed building and will generate the funds needed to safeguard it for the future. The building will be gifted to the City by the Trust, which brings the building back into Scottish ownership for the first time in decades. “The Willow Tea Rooms is an iconic building and I couldn’t simply stand by and watch it deteriorate,” explained Celia Sinclair. “I’m a proud Glaswegian and I want to see its heritage preserved for the generations to come. “I started this project over a year ago. The recent tragic fire at the Glasgow School of Art has underlined to me, and others, that we really do need to act to safeguard what remains of Mackintosh’s work. Above all, we intend that this project will be sustainable and have a legacy. The Trust will ensure that after the renovation work the building will be financially secure and that due care and attention will be given to the building forever.” Conservation reports on the building state that to properly repair and make the building fully wind and watertight will require a minimum investment of over £400,000. In addition, the restoration work on features either lost over the years or damaged as a result of the decline in the fabric of the building will cost at least another £500,000. Anne Mulhern who runs the Willow Tea Rooms restaurant located in the building since 1983 said; “After years of uncertainty I am relieved that we now have ownership back in Glasgow with someone who obviously cares about the building and will make sure that Mackintosh remains open for business in the city. It’s great news for the Willow Tea Rooms and for Glasgow.” Already a number of organisations involved in the preservation of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s legacy and other influential admirers of Mackintosh’s work have pledged their support for the new project. Owner of Scotland’s largest private gallery and world renowned Mackintosh expert, Roger Billcliffe, has agreed to join the Board of the new Charitable Trust and explained; “Action is badly needed due to the decline in the building since the previous restoration work in the early 1980s. I am delighted to be joining the Board as I believe that there is so much we need to protect and recover and Celia has the drive to make it happen.” Stuart Robertson, Director at The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society said; “The Society is delighted that The Willow Tea Rooms have a new owner. After the disastrous fire at the Glasgow School of Art, this is certainly some good news on the Mackintosh front. We look forward to working with the new owner and helping in any way possible to restore this building back to its former glory. “Mackintosh’s architectural heritage is extremely important to both our heritage and the visitor economy on a local, national and international level. Those visitors who currently come to Glasgow on the strength of our Mackintosh heritage will not continue to do so if such an integral part of the city’s tourism offering is diminished. “It is imperative that this internationally important heritage continues to receive the attention it deserves. The Mackintosh legacy is small, vulnerable and irreplaceable.” Ranald MacInnes, Head of Heritage Management at Historic Scotland said; ‘The Mackintosh heritage is one of Scotland’s greatest cultural assets. Securing the future of the A-listed Willow Tea Rooms building and its precious interiors is great news that will be greeted with delight in Glasgow and far beyond’. Scotland and UK media entrepreneur and life peer Lord James Gordon CBE said; “The recent fire at the Glasgow School of Art has made us all even more concerned with preserving the heritage of Mackintosh. Therefore, I was delighted to learn of this imaginative project which will ensure that Mackintosh is preserved for future generations of Glaswegians and visitors to the City. Robert Kelsey, President of the Glasgow Art Club, said; “Today, there are a number of projects underway to preserve the legacy of Mackintosh’s architecture and design and including the Willow Tea Rooms in this list is superb news. Preserving Mackintosh’s history shouldn’t be a choice, especially in light of the recent fire at the Art School, and it takes initiatives such as this to make sure it’s safe for at least another 100 years. Bailie Liz Cameron, Executive Member for Jobs and the Economy at Glasgow City Council, said: “This is very welcome news for Glasgow. The refurbishment and upgrading of this historic A-listed building will add to the cultural value of the Sauchiehall District, which will be the first District to see a new Regeneration Framework developed as part of the City Centre Strategy. We look forward to working with the new Trust as we develop plans for Sauchiehall Street.” Ends. Notes to editors Contact: Stephen Sharp Sharp Marketing Tel: 077860126629 Email: stephen.sharp2@gmail * For photographs to accompany the announcement, please contact Stephen Sharp directly. About The Celia Sinclair Charitable Trust Established by Celia Sinclair specifically for the Willow Tea Room project, the Board of the New Charitable Trust brings together experience and skills that will be important to the success of the project. For example, Founding Trustees include; Roger Billcliffe, recognised as an expert who has published widely on Mackintosh, and former chairman of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society; Efric McNeil runs a long established firm of chartered accountants in Scotland and has served on the Council of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and is the current Lay Vice President of the Glasgow Art Club; Mandy Ford, as previous owner of The Kelvingrove Hotel, Mandy has many years of remarkable success in the hospitality and tourism industry and is also a driving force behind the restoration work at the Grade A listed Arlington Baths Club in the City’s west end. About Charles Rennie Mackintosh - (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) By the end of the 19th century Glasgow School of Art was one of the leading art academies in Europe At the heart of this success was talented artist, architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Until 1914 Mackintosh practiced in Glasgow where almost all his best-known work was created and where much of it still remains, He is recognised as a leader of the Glasgow Style and one of the driving forces behind a new approach to modern architecture. His most famous works include The Glasgow School of Art, The Willow Tea Rooms, Scotland Street Public School, The Hill House in Helensburgh and Windyhill in Kilmacolm. crmsociety About Kate Cranston - (27 May 1849 – 18 April 1934), Catherine Cranston widely known as Kate Cranston or Miss Cranston, was a leading figure in the development of tea rooms. Her innovative concepts for their time meant that Miss Cranstons Tea Rooms became social centres for all, for business men and apprentices, for ladies and ladies maids. The Ladies Rooms were a particular success, allowing respectable women to get out and meet together without male company. A champion of female entrepreneurship, Miss Cranston’s Tea Rooms were copied around the world. She had no children, and when she died in 1934 her will left two thirds of her estate to the poor of Glasgow.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:50:07 +0000
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