Gallus Glasgow Q: Queen’s Cross
Queen’s Cross Church is the only one ever completed to a design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (he entered the competition for Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral but his design was not selected). Queen’s Cross was commissioned by the Free Church in 1896 and served as a place of worship from 1899 to the 1970s. After decommissioning it did not, like many other churches, become a pub or a private home. It now belongs to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and can be visited for a small sum.
I’m not too keen on the rather stumpy external appearance of the church – there are far more beautiful Mackintosh buildings in Glasgow – but I love the internal details which are much more delicate. There’s a lightness created by the white walls and the sparing use of stained glass.
Mind you, I haven’t visited for a while (as you might guess from the use of Wikimedia images) so perhaps it’s time to go back for a re-appraisal!
Tomorrow, in R, we’ll visit a museum as an introduction to the type of buildings associated with it.
Postscript: a gallus Glasgow weekend
To show that the Gallus Glasgow A to Z is not just something I plucked out of the air, but truly reflects Glaswegian life, see how many I managed to check off this weekend!
- On Friday, I was at O for Oran Mor for a Play, a Pie and a Pint – one of the best I’ve been to, a modern update of the Whisky Galore story. In Gaelic!
- On Saturday evening, I had a C for curry before going to B for Barrowland to see Seasick Steve. He was wonderful and, unlike many bands who act as if they are doing the audience a favour, made a point of thanking us, the citizens of the UK for giving him his job. He credits his explosion in popularity to his appearance on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny in 2006 – I remember that well: he certainly made an impression.
- During the day on Saturday and Sunday I have been at the M for Mitchell Library volunteering at Aye, Write!, Glasgow’s Book Festival. (“Aye, write” is a pun on “aye, right!”, a Glaswegian example of a double positive giving a negative. If you say, for example, “David Cameron is the best Prime Minister the UK has ever had” and I say “Aye, right!” I am definitely not agreeing with you.)
- While in the Main Hall at the Mitchell, my eyes wandered upward to another example of the Glasgow coat of arms as discussed in L for Let Glasgow Flourish. Apologies for the blurry phone photo taken from the back of the hall.
I make that 5 in one weekend – not bad!
I have to agree with you about the outside of the church. My first thought was that someone had lopped off the steeple. I do like the interior, though. It looks simple and comfortable.
That’s great that you got all those A to Z things in over a weekend. You not only talk the talk, but you walk the walk, as they say. 🙂
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Thanks Lori – I see you are having a catch up!
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Yes! Sorry to swamp you with comments all at once.
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Not at all! No need for apology.
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I wouldn’t have been able to guess that was a church from the outside. All the soot(?) on the bricks make it look like a factory! But you’re right: the interior is lovely. 🙂
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A hidden gem then!
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Seasick Steve looks like such a great performer. I loved him when he was on Jools Holland. I noticed he was coming to Glasgow when we were over for an appointment last month.
And I love that church inside, it looks beautiful.
Cait @ Click’s Clan
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He was brilliant! I thought he was going to have to be dragged off at the end, he didn’t want to leave.
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Oh :O I never realised “Aye, right” was a double positive!
Love CRM and adore that stained glass window. Must visit some time.
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I think Queens Cross is one that often gets overlooked.
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I looks inviting, like a ski lodge. I like my European churches to be a bit more ornate!
You can find me here:
ClarabelleRant
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I like the austerity of the interior. Ornate churches always make me think – if they hadn’t spent all this on the building, what good deeds could they have done with the money?
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I love the beams in the Church. You are right about the exterior. It’s almost as if they were going to continue but ran out of money
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Yes, that tower definitely looks unfinished to me.
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I completely agree with your assessment – much better looking on the inside than the out. I would never have guessed that the inside looked anything like that from the exterior appearance!
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Mackintosh is always full of surprises!
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I am tempted to ask, Anabel, did you have any time to sleep?!
Not familiar with this church. Am in total agreement the inside surpasses the outside.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
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I could do with more sleep, certainly! But I’m a bit of an insomniac so it doesn’t seem to make much difference how much I do / don’t do.
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Fantastic post. And I quite like that church, insid eand outside, actually 😉
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There are much better Mackintosh buildings, externally. I think if the tower were more like a steeple that would improve it – but the, it wouldn’t be Mackintosh!
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That is a lovely church – I agree, the interior is quite something:-) Sounds like you had a busy and FUN weekend, Anabel:-)
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I did, thank you!
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So much fun information and pictures are included in your posts, a reflection of your fun and interesting life. Which of course didn’t just happen, but you are lucky to live in a city with so much history and such a variety of cultural events, ( I’m a bit jealous of people that live anywhere where the main tourist attraction isn’t a huge mall in the suburbs.)
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Thank you Donna. I know how lucky I am – and I’m turning into quite an ambassador for my city! We do have some large out-of-town malls, but I never go to them. The city centre has the same shops, and you get to wander round all that history too.
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The dark wood always gets me. Love it. You are so lucky to enjoy such a wandering life 🙂
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I love the combination of dark wood, white walls and glass.
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I’m impressed by that interior. It has a very modern feel to it, yet a lot of charm. I’m also impressed by your week schedule.
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I think Mackintosh was a genius – although he claimed only to have talent.
My schedule is not always so hectic!
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Beautiful church. Our church here as little stain glass, and at first I didn’t like it until I realized how much light filters in. now I love the etched green around the side, and the way the light plays off the glass!
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I love stained glass and its effects.
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What a great post, and how lovely to find a fellow Scottish A-Zer! I’m down the road from you, just outside Beith 🙂
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Glad to meet you too! Better late than never, I’ll need to catch up with what you’ve been writing about. See you over there soon!
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Truly charming!
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Thanks Nadine – not my favourite Mackintosh, as I said, but he always has something!
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You had time to do that all in one weekend! Wow! And blog too?!
Looks like you’re doing great w/ the A to Z Challenge.
Maui Jungalow
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Um, little secret – the blog posts are all now completed and scheduled in advance! Just the postscript to write this morning.
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