Art, History and Beauty in a Wooded Park in GlasgowBy Karen Leeds
Glasgow is a bustling, friendly, noisy city with fine architecture and wide cultural offerings. In the 17th century, Glasgow became prosperous through trading with North America in tobacco, sugar and cotton. The fast clipper ships of Glasgow merchants sailed between Glasgow and Virginia, bringing goods up the River Clyde to the city of Glasgow. Many fortunes were made by ship builders and merchants, with numerous mansions built as a result. This great wealth can be seen today in its fine buildings and homes, including the two following legacies to be found in Pollock Country Park. South of the River Clyde is a part of Glasgow largely unknown to most visiting tourists, except for two of the city’s most notable attractions, the Burrell Collection and Pollok House, both set in the extensive wooded parklands of Pollock Country Park. The shipping magnet, Sir William Burrell (1861-1958) bequeathed his private collection of over 8,000 pieces of art treasure to the city in 1944. Burrell left 450,000 pounds with which to fund the building to house the collection with the stipulation that it be outside the city of Glasgow itself, surrounded by nature. This was achieved by the construction of a modern, airy building set in Pollock Country Park. The design for this building housing the collection, completed and opened in 1983, incorporates antiquarian pieces from the collection such as stone arches, stained glass and doorways into the building itself. The collection includes ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman artifacts, a huge number of oriental art pieces, and numerous medieval and post-medieval European art. There are also a number of paintings by Rembrandt, Degas, Cezanne and Manet.
The elegant mansion was presented to the city of Glasgow by family member Anne Maxwell Macdonald in 1966. The family had owned the estate for almost 700 years. Pollok House is now managed by the National Trust for Scotland. The house in set in 361 acres of park and woodland.
Beautifully kept gardens are a delight to walk through. Running through the estate is the White Cart River, spanned by a stone bridge built in 1757. {Photo 7 here} The original stables are extensive and handsome in the same dark gray stone as the house.
Getting There: By Bus: By Train: For more information: www.gnws.co.uk/glasgow/museums/pollock.htm by Karen Leeds |
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There are lots of things to do and see in Glasgow which is Scotland’s largest and second oldest city, situated on the River Clyde. It is the gateway to the Trossachs (Rob Roy country) and within an hour’s drive of Stirling Castle.
Situated also in Pollock Country Park and a short walk from the Burrell Collection is Pollok House, the ancestral home of the Maxwell family who owned most of southern Glasgow until well in the last century. Designed by William Adam in 1752, the house contains many fine antiques and some important works of William Blake, together with an impressive collection of Spanish paintings, including works by El Greco and Goya. The furnishings are mostly eighteenth century and there are quite a number of beautiful and interesting rooms to explore, including both the “upstairs” quarters of the family, including bedrooms. 
In addition, there is the “downstairs” servants’ quarters and various rooms that supported a large, well-run country house, including the old kitchen which has been converted into the tearoom where one can buy lunch, including homemade soup, and sit outside in a small courtyard. The head housekeeper’s sitting room is now the Trust gift shop, which includes a food shop; and the former dining room for the more “important” servants has 
been changed into a book shop.
There is always something going on in Pollok House. In August there is a murder mystery weekend and there are also regular antique fairs and other events. On some Saturdays, as when I visited, couples are wed in the library overlooking a beautiful flower-filled garden. As I left, the groom and his party were just arriving.