Thoughts of Summer on a Cold Spring Day
The interior of the Mackintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art has been likened to ruined cathedral” and it is slow going at the moment. While that genuine ruined cathedral and monument to French Culture Notre Dame de Paris is taking shape again rather faster. The latter was promised to be re-built five years after the disastrous fire in 2019 and the work is on schedule for a 2024 rededication. Meanwhile the Mackintosh building, a monument to Scottish culture and afire the year earlier in 2018, is a heavy burden in these straightened times. It will cost a £100 million plus to put right and won’t be right until at least 2030, according to latest reports.
Some 5,000 tons of debris have been carefully removed from the damaged structure of this grade-A listed building which was harmed by not one, but two fires in four years. While the French have ploughed ahead re-doing their burnt edifice, an architect is yet to be appointed to the Mackintosh project and no main contractor has been found. Progress has been slow, but criticism has flourished everywhere at the progress, or some might say lack of it. The apparent cause for the delay is the wait for the report from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service which as yet hasn’t found the cause of the second Mackintosh blaze. When it’s re-done let’s hope the fire precautions are somewhat better than they were.
But if you want things to be as they should be then you are in the right place with James Pirie who have been around since Charles Rennie Macintosh was a young man. The great man was twenty two when we were founded and a year into his first year as a draughtsman in a Glasgow firm of architects. And like him we are champions of style and want to make fine things available to many folks at affordable prices and champion quality. I’m a little bit cold at the moment as I’ve not long come in from the cold, scraping away rust and re-painting metalwork harmed by the seaside winter weather, but I’m looking forward to warmer weather and perhaps a few enchanted summer days. And you can do that too, with our Royal Scot Crystal, British made Flower of Scotland Gin and Tonic Copa Glasses in a lovely gift box. And because we are committed to affordable beauty these fine items are on at half price just now. Looking at them I can feel summer isn’t so far away.
