HIDDEN GEMS:THE LIGHTHOUSE in Glasgow can be hard to find, as it is hemmed in by buildings on all sides. That is, perhaps, part of its allure. Once you spot it, rising above Mitchell Lane, in the heart of the city, you're in for a treat.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the esteemed Glasgow architect, designed the building for what is now the Herald, one of the world’s oldest newspapers, established in 1783. In 1895 the paper moved its printworks to the Mitchell Lane building, which was Mackintosh’s first public commission.
The six-floor design was welcomed by the newsmen who occupied the building, it is said, along with some feathered friends. These were the carrier pigeons that provided an essential link in getting late sports results from the country’s football pitches into the paper – scores that would determine fans’ disposition to the Herald’s “doocot”, or dovecote.
An attractive modern helical staircase (above) suspended from the Mackintosh Tower leads to an external viewing gallery beneath the ogee arch of the roof. From here you can see the yellow-brick tower that housed the dovecote. It’s a salutary place to reflect on a bygone era and to get a tremendous view of Glasgow. (If you don’t fancy the climb, you can take a lift to a viewing gallery.)
The main Lighthouse building houses Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City and is a beacon for innovation in that field, hosting up to 20 exhibitions a year. Within the airy and swish building you’ll also find the Mack Centre – a Mackintosh heritage and interpretation centre – and a stylish and fabulously located cafe-bar known as . . . the Doocot.
The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, Scotland, 00-44-141-2216362, www.lighthouse.co.uk
Do you know of a hidden gem? E-mail us at go@irishtimes.com