Sunday 30 December 2012
Saturday 29 December 2012
Friday 28 December 2012
Wednesday 26 December 2012
Tuesday 25 December 2012
Monday 24 December 2012
Sunday 23 December 2012
Friday 21 December 2012
Day 356: Templeton Business Centre
This building began life as Templeton Carpet Factory and
James Templeton from Paisley patented a chenille Axminster process
by which he could manufacture more densely patterned and richly
coloured carpets. He went on to become one of the most successful
carpet manufacturers in Britain, producing carpets for state occasions,
great houses, luxury liners including the ‘Titanic’, as well as domestic use.
William Leiper's design is directly inspired by the late medieval Palazzo Ducale
(Doge’s Palace) in Venice. The flamboyant glazed brick, vitreous enamel tiles,
red brick and terracotta of the facade evokes the rich Oriental-influenced patterns
of the carpets the factory produced. Work began in 1888 and was completed
in 1892 after a major interruption caused by a terrible accident possibly
caused by inadequate scaffolding and tying-in of the new building with the
existing one behind it. On 1 November 1889, part of a wall collapsed
under construction during high winds, trapping over 100 women
working in the weaving sheds at the back; 29 were killed.
Wednesday 19 December 2012
Monday 17 December 2012
Friday 14 December 2012
Day 349: Peter Pan at Mearnskirk Hospital
In Memory of Dr John A Wilson OBE.
Dr. Wilson was the first superintendent of Mearnskirk Hospital.
After serving in World War 1 & having done research work in bacteriology,
he joined the tuberculosis service of Glasgow Corporation in the 1920s
and took up his post at Mearnskirk in 1929 when it was still being built.
He was highly respected and while he worked at Mearnskirk
was also senior lecturer in clinical tuberculosis at Glasgow University.
He held both posts until his death in 1946.
Dr. Wilson had arranged for several small cement statues of children's figures
to be erected in the hospital grounds for the amusement of the young patients.
He had always hoped to erect a bronze statue of Peter Pan,
but died before this dream could come to fruition.
In his memory, his friend and hospital benefactor Alfred Ellsworth
launched a fund for this purpose, and on Sunday 5 July 1949
the finished statue by sculptor Alex Proudfoot RSA,
Principal of Glasgow School of Art, was unveiled.
Day 348: "Oyster House"
Part of an exhibition by design students at
City of Glasgow College's Florence Street campus.
Tuesday 11 December 2012
Sunday 9 December 2012
Saturday 8 December 2012
Day 342: The latest secret book sculpture unveiled
Unveiled at the
Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh
Friday 7th December
2012
Written on the book:
"You too, my mother,
read my rhymes
For love of
unforgotten times,
And you may chance to
hear once more
The little feet along
the floor."
(Robert Louis Stevenson)
and the label says "For the love
of books"
and "Every
ending marks a new beginning"
The sculptor is anonymous.
Thursday 6 December 2012
Wednesday 5 December 2012
Day 340: Holmwood House
Holmwood has been described as Alexander 'Greek' Thomson's
finest domestic design. It was built in 1857-8 for James Couper,
a local businessman.
Tuesday 4 December 2012
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