ON TUESDAY, it will be 64 years since Sir William Burrell died, having left Glasgow his ‘greatest gift’ – a priceless collection of art and antiquities from all over the world.
It is therefore fitting that March 29 has been chosen for the grand public reopening of the museum built to house the collection.
The Pollok Park building, run by charity Glasgow Life, has been redesigned, refurbished and reinvented for a new generation of visitors.
Burrell was born in 1861 on Scotia Street in the Blythswood area of Glasgow, part of a shipping family. At the age of 14, he started work alongside his father and 10 years later took over control of the business with his older brother, George. Even from a young age, he had a sharp business mind and could partly retire by the age of 40.
He retired properly in his 50s to concentrate on collecting art and antiques from around the world. He had been buying different pieces since his teenage years. In 1927, he was knighted for services to art.
In 1944, Burrell and his wife Constance gave their collection of around 9000 objects to Glasgow, along with money to build a gallery to display them in.
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He was keen for it to be in a rural collection, within easy reach of the city centre. He died, aged 96, before it came to fruition, however, and never saw it installed at Pollok Country Park (donated to the city by Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald in 1966).
The Burrell Collection opened to the public in October 1983.
One of the longest-serving volunteers at the Burrell, Margaret Anderson, is delighted the collection is re-opening after almost six years closed for refurbishment.
“I was worried I might weep with emotion, or because it had changed too much,” she said, when given a sneak preview of the ‘new’ Burrell.
“But I’m stunned by it. The things that have changed are fantastic and the digital visuals which will allow us to see the detail of some of the pieces, such as the ceramics, are really wonderful.”
Margaret, who is now in her 70s, was one of the first batch of guides taken on to show people – from schoolchildren to VIPs – around the museum.
“I knew little about art, my background was Scottish economic history,” smiles the retired history teacher, who lives in Newlands.
“I applied, saying I thought my experience of history might be useful, but didn’t really expect to hear anything.
“I used to push a pram round Pollok Park, and I was actually quite annoyed when they started building – what were they doing to my lovely park?”
She laughs: “But when I came in for the first time, it was quite something. We had little time to learn the routes, so it was a baptism of fire.
“I love doing it, still do.
“There is something spiritual about this place for me, if that doesn’t sound too strange. When my children were young, I’d get them to school, and come to the park and the museum for peace and quiet. Then I’d be able to go home and face the housework.”
Margaret is looking forward to Tuesday.
“It’s fantastic that so much more of the collection will now be on display,” she says.
“And for me, it will be great to be back amongst all the objects and artworks – it will be like seeing my friends again.”
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