CAG on museums: Glasgow Museums and collections

Highland cows grazing in Pollock Country Park, outside of the Burrell collections

My love for Scotland grows and grows. It’s amazing how many people I know who feel the same. The lovely countryside, the fun nightlife…the ridiculous town names.

Recently I have also had the chance to fall in love with Scottish ethnographic museum collections. Everyone knows about the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh and that they have a fantastic collection, but in the last few weeks I also had the chance to explore the museums of Glasgow.

Glasgow Resource Centre paintings storage racks

Oldest painting in the collection

I visited Glasgow Life museums and took a tour of the world collections store in the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre. The centre is actually where most of the collections from the Glasgow Life museums are stored, and they are open to the public to visit at any scheduled time. There is not that much ethnography on display around Glasgow from the collections , with some items exhibited in St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art and at Kelvingrove- the Resource Centre is actually one of the best places to see ethnography. 

While touring around, I noticed several really interesting items in the open storage bit, like a Maori canoe prow, stern piece and a painted Northwest Coast bentwood box for holding ceremonial regalia.

Maori canoe prow

Maori canoe stern (with tewhatewha and taiaha on each side)

Northwest Coast bentwood box

The Resource Centre holds other collections as well, including the transport and technology collection where you can see the world’s second oldest Rolls Royce. And most excitingly Ewan McGregor’s motorcycles are on display from the ‘Long Way Round’ and ‘Long Way Down’ documented journeys!

Second oldest Rolls Royce

Ewan McGregor's motorcycle!

Another reason why the collections of the Glasgow Museums look so spectacular is because the mix of historic objects viewed against a romantic landscape really creates a special ambiance in the museums.

 

Backdrop and view from St. Mungo's museum at sunset

The Burrell Collection, on Scottish sunny day

Egyptian objects in the Burrell