The Lighthouse

The best place to start at the Lighthouse is the top. Take the lift to the sixth floor and step out into the small viewing platform for a panoramic view of the city in all its architectural glory. Alternatively, start at level 3 and climb the helical staircase in the Mackintosh Tower for an uninterrupted view. That will put you in a perfect frame of mind for the gallery: Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City.

 

Established in 1995 in anticipation of Glasgow's role as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999, the Lighthouse is a tall and thin gallery occupying what was once a warehouse at the back of the old printing office for the Glasgow Herald. It might seem strangely situated down a narrow alleyway off Buchanan Street, but the building has a prestigious claim to fame. It was designed by a young draughtsman by the name of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

 

Appropriately, the Lighthouse pays tribute to Glasgow's most famous architect with a permanent exhibition on the third floor. There are scale models of some of his best-known buildings, examples of his furniture, a video introduction and extensive photographs to illustrate Mackintosh's widely imitated but never bettered style.

 

On other floors, there are changing exhibitions showcasing the work of international architects and designers working in fields as diverse as poster-making and product design. There is a substantial education department, with work by young people showcased on level 2, and a shop stocked with exquisitely designed gifts, jewellery and books.