Glasgow gives a ‘WEE’ taste of Doors Open Day to Games visitors

 

Mini Doors Open Day is part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme: Glasgow Building Preservation Trust and partners have confirmed that they will be organising a Wee Doors Open Day to take place on Wednesday 23rd July, to give visitors to Glasgow a taste of Glasgow’s Unique Architecture. This event was announced on Tuesday as being an official Festival 2014 event and today the full programme has been launched online including the launch of a FREE audio tour.

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The Event: Glasgow’s Wee Doors Open Day is offering the opportunity to explore Glasgow’s most unique architectural landmarks and heritage buildings normally closed to the public. On Wednesday 23rd July, 18 landmark buildings across the city will open their doors and showcase their hidden heritage. From Glasgow’s Oldest Music Hall to Glasgow’s Shipbuilding industry, you will be able to discover what makes the city so distinctive and our connections to the Commonwealth. The event is completely free for anyone to attend so there’s no excuse not to experience a bit of history and see Glasgow through the keyhole.

 

Audio Tour: Today is also the launch of the new Glasgow Landmarks Audio Tour. This is a virtual tour created by Walking Heads, to help to continue the journey of architectural discovery as visitors (and locals) walk around the city. You can download the FREE audio tour, Glasgow’s Landmarks from glasgowdoorsopenday.com/glasgowlandmarks to find eight historic and very different buildings.

 

Full Programme: The full programme of events has now been launched and is available at: www.glasgowdoorsopenday.com. This includes;

  • Eighteen landmark buildings in Glasgow
  • Two FREE talks – The Story of Glasgow in Four Chapters & Glasgow’s Street Names and the Commonwealth
  • A FREE Audio Tour – Glasgow Landmarks – focusing on 8 landmark buildings in Glasgow
  • Scottish Canals and the Scottish Waterways Trust Forth & Clyde Canal Heritage Trail providing a link between city centre, Mackintosh Church and Maryhill Burgh Halls.
  • Two FREE vintage buses from Glasgow City Centre to Glasgow Gurdwara, Mackintosh Church and Maryhill Burgh Halls
  • And a FREE Ferry over the River Clyde linking Tallship with Govan Old Church and Fairfield Shipyard Offices.
  • Commonwealth Building pairing exhibition – exploring the similarities and links between Glasgow’s buildings and those within the Commonwealth.

 

Festival 2014: The event will form part of the official Festival 2014 programme of events https://www.glasgow2014.com/festival2014

 

Funded by the National Lottery through the Celebrate Programme: Glasgow’s Wee Doors Open Day has received funding from the National Lottery Funded Celebrate Programme http://www.celebrateit.org.uk/ . In addition to the Celebrate fund partners enabling the event to take place are; Glasgow City Heritage Trust, Historic Glasgow – Glasgow City Council and The Scottish Civic Trust.

 

Ruth Morris, Events & Development Coordinator at Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, said:

“We are delighted that we have been able to secure the funding from the National Lottery Funded Celebrate programme and the additional support from Glasgow City Heritage Trust and Historic Glasgow – Glasgow City Council, to enable to event to take place. Being able to offer visitors the opportunity to experience a mini version of our September event will be a great asset to the Games and will complement the diverse cultural programme. We are also delighted that we are an official Festival 2014 event. This is a great honor for all of our participants and volunteers. We are so pleased that we are able to highlight what great architecture we have in Glasgow and will provide an opportunity to see inside some of these places. Our city has so much to offer and we are looking forward to celebrating our heritage and connections to the commonwealth!”

 

Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Glasgow’s architectural heritage strides the centuries and reflects the city’s medieval origins through to its rise as a world manufacturing leader and a creative and economic powerhouse. Moreover, our nineteenth-century townscape and the critical legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s work are assets of world renown.

 

“The Wee Doors Open day presents a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of 18 of Glasgow’s most historic buildings; bringing to life the architectural characteristics and often hidden heritage of these amazing landmarks while providing an exciting insight into the journey of the people who used them, with industry and innovation playing an important role throughout the ages.”

 

Paper Leaflet: Copies of the Wee Doors Open Day leaflets (including a map) will be available in the Sunday Herald on Sunday 22nd June 2014. Otherwise you can get a copy at your local library.

 

Key Relay: To help ‘Open the Doors’ Glasgow’s Wee Doors Open Day will be travelling around Glasgow on a Key Relay. More information will be posted soon for the start of the Key Relay and a focus on where our giant key will be going.

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Founder of Paisley.org.uk in 1998 and constantly strives to change peoples attitudes to the town, Brian is a self described Paisley Digital Champion who promotes Paisley via any means necessary. You can also follow me on X