Our first stop was the "House for an Art Lover", which while true to one of Mackintosh's designs, was not completed until 1996; the house was built and furnished according to his portfolio of drawings of 1901 which were submitted as a competition entry to a German design competition.
We arrived a little before opening time, so while waiting for the house to open we went for a wander through the nearby park, and found a playground with a flying fox - which neither of us could resist:
While the exterior of the house is relatively plain and simple, the attention to detail and the use of space within the house are stunning.
One of Mackintosh's works at the gallery, "The Wassail", is one of two large gesso wall friezes made for The Ladies' Luncheon Room at Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street Tearooms; Mackintosh designed the interiors of a number of Glasgow tearooms for Miss Cranston, a very successful entrepreneur in the early 20th century.
However, on the way in, we noticed smoke billowing from a building in the city - and as we passed by, we were stunned to see that it was one of Mackintosh's most important and significant buildings, the Glasgow School of Art, and it was well-ablaze. Later news reports suggest that although suffering significant damage, firefighters have been able to save up to 70% of the building, with up to 90% of the strucgture still viable - surprising given the amount of damage that we witnessed, with the fire burning for at least 4-5 hours.
We continued to The Lighthouse, one of Mackintosh's first buildings, and with a tower offering panoramic views of the city. Unfortunately, the tower was closed for repairs & renovations, so that was out, and as the building is tucked away along a side alley, it was difficult to get a feel for the building.
Our last stop was the Willow Tearooms, one of Mackintosh's tearoom designs. The interior design is beautiful in its simplicity, and it is lovely to still have the original design retained.
After heading back to the hotel, it was time to bid Kim farewell, as she had to return to Australia and work. We headed out to the airport; it was quite strange to be so far from home and farewelling her! Only 10 days of my trip left and I will also be heading home.