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Burrell Collection facts for kids

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The museum building housing the Burrell Collection, with the entrance wing to the left, and the restaurant on the right looking onto the lawn

The Burrell Collection is a famous art collection in Glasgow, Scotland. It is located inside Pollok Country Park in the south of the city. The museum closed in October 2016 for important updates and improvements. It is expected to reopen in 2022.

History of the Collection

Assyrian Royal Attendant from Nimrud, Mesopotamia.
An ancient Assyrian Royal Attendant from Mesopotamia
Figure of a Luohan from the Chenghua period.
A statue of a Luohan from the Chenghua period in China

The amazing collection was gathered over many years by Sir William Burrell. He was a very rich shipping owner and art collector from Glasgow. In 1944, he gave his entire collection to the city of Glasgow.

Sir William had one special rule for his gift: the collection had to be kept in a building at least 16 miles (26 km) away from the city centre. This was to protect the artworks from air pollution at the time and to show them off in the best way. For over 20 years, people tried to find a perfect place that met this rule, but it was very difficult.

Finally, in 1967, the Pollok Estate was given to the city. This park was only 3 miles (5 km) from the city centre, so the original rule had to be changed a little. This allowed the Burrell Collection to be built in its current home within the park.

Designing the Museum Building

In 1971, there was a competition to design the museum building. The winning architects were Barry Gasson, John Meunier, and Brit Andresen.

The building has an L-shape and was specially designed to hold and display the many different artworks. For example, large pieces like old Romanesque doorways are built right into the museum's walls. The building also offers beautiful views of the park's green lawns and nearby woodlands.

When you enter the museum, you walk through a 16th-century stone archway. Inside, you'll find a shop and other facilities. Then, you reach a central area with a glass roof. Next to this, there are recreated rooms from Sir William Burrell's own home, Hutton Castle. These rooms include his drawing room, hall, and dining room, complete with their original furniture.

The museum has galleries on two levels where smaller items are displayed. There's also a restaurant on the lower level that looks out over the park.

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the museum in 1983. In 2005, a survey of architects named it Scotland's second greatest building built after World War II. In 2013, the building was given "A-listed" status. This means it is recognized as one of Scotland's best examples of 1970s architecture.

What's in the Collection?

Statue of The Thinker, 1880 CE.
The famous statue of The Thinker, made in 1880
The Warwick Vase from The Hadrian's Villa, the Burrell Collection, Glasgow.
The Warwick Vase, a large ancient Roman marble vase

The Burrell Collection holds an amazing variety of art and objects from all over the world. There are more than 8,000 items in total, covering five centuries of art history. Sir William Burrell collected all of these himself!

Some of the main types of art you can see include:

Chinese Art

Sir William started collecting Chinese antiques around 1910. He bought items from all different periods of Chinese history. These include ancient burial urns, carved jade, porcelain from the Tang Dynasty, bronze pots used in rituals, earthenware figures, and old furniture.

Islamic Art

The Islamic art in the museum includes shiny Hispano-Moresque pottery, ceramics and carpets from Iran and the Mughal Empire. You can also see beautiful embroideries and textiles from Turkey and Uzbekistan.

The Ancient Egypt's hall at the Burrell Collection, Glasgow.
The Ancient Egypt hall inside the Burrell Collection

Stained Glass

The museum has one of the largest collections of medieval stained glass in the world. There are over 700 stained glass panels from different parts of Europe. Many of these show family symbols or coats of arms. You can see examples of Gothic, Renaissance, and Romanesque styles.

In 2013, a special project began to look after and study the museum's stained glass from the Carmelite church in Boppard-am-Rhein, Germany. These 34 panels are very large, covering about 14 square metres.

Gothic Art

The museum also has a collection of religious art from the medieval period. This includes sculptures made of wood and stone, wooden church furniture, and pieces of old buildings. One special item is the Temple Pyx.

Artworks with a Special History

Sometimes, artworks have a complicated past. The Burrell Collection once had a 16th-century tapestry that belonged to Emma Budge. She was a Jewish art collector whose artworks were taken by the Nazis during World War II. After a special panel looked into the case, the Burrell Collection worked with Emma Budge's family to find a fair solution.

Getting There

The closest train station to the Burrell Collection is Pollokshaws West. It's about a 10-minute walk from there. Trains run regularly to Glasgow Central.

Pollok House, another interesting place managed by the National Trust for Scotland, is also located in Pollok Country Park.

Gallery

  • Head of a royal attendant. From the North-West Palace at Nimrud, Iraq. Reign of Ashurnasirpall II, 883-859 BCE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Head of a royal attendant from ancient Nimrud, Iraq

  • Head of Zeus or Poseidon. Roman copy, c. 320-330 CE of 5th century BCE Greek bronze. Porphyry. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Head of Zeus or Poseidon, a Roman copy of a Greek bronze

  • Head of Persephone. Earthenware. From Sicily, Centuripae, c. 420 BCE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Head of Persephone, an earthenware piece from Sicily

  • Paraherwenemef, Chief Charioteer. The nomen and prenomen cartouches of Ramesses II appear. From Egypt. 19th Dynasty, 1290-1224 BCE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Paraherwenemef, Chief Charioteer, from ancient Egypt

  • Lilian Shelly, 1920. By Sir Jacob Epstein. Bronze. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Lilian Shelly, a bronze sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein

  • Persian carpets. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Beautiful Persian carpets

  • Buddha, with right arm raised in benediction. Sandstone. From India, Mathura. Gupta period, 5th-6th century CE. The Burrell Collection, Galsgow, UK

    A sandstone Buddha from India

  • Detail of a body armour from Medieval Europe. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Detail of body armour from Medieval Europe

  • Close-up image of tomb of a knight of the Espes family. Painted limestone. Spanish, mid-14th century CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Close-up of a knight's tomb from Spain

  • Virgin and Child. Alabaster, with traces of paint and gilding. From Southern Netherland, c. 1475-1500 CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Virgin and Child, an alabaster sculpture from the Southern Netherlands

  • Christ on the cross, flanked by the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist and 4 other saints. Retable. Painted limestone. From Burgundy, France, c. 1450-1500 CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow

    Christ on the cross, a painted limestone piece from France

  • St. Margaret. Limestone. From France, c. 1500 CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    St. Margaret, a limestone sculpture from France

  • Lamentation over the crucified Christ. Painted limewood. From Germany, Augsberg, c. 1510-1520 CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Lamentation over the crucified Christ, a painted limewood piece from Germany

  • Glass dish. Green-tinted moulded glass. From Fustat, Egypt. Fatimid period, 11th century CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    A green-tinted glass dish from Fustat, Egypt

  • Ram's head. Limestone. From China, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 CE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    A ram's head made of limestone from China

  • Elamite archer. Alabaster. From Nineveh, Iraq. Reign of Ashurbanipal II, 668-627 BCE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    An Elamite archer, an alabaster piece from Iraq

  • Archer wearing feather headdress. Alabaster. From Nineveh, Iraq. Reign of Ashurbanipal II, 668-627 BCE. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    An archer wearing a feather headdress, an alabaster piece from Iraq

  • Alabaster bull inlay. From southern Iraq, Early Dynastic Period, c. 2750-2400 BCE. The Burrell collection, Glasgow, UK

    An alabaster bull inlay from southern Iraq

  • Detail of funerary stela of Amenemhat. The name of God Amun was erased by Akhenaten's agents. Limestone, painted. From Egypt, early 18thh Dynasty. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow

    Detail of a funerary stela from ancient Egypt

  • One of the halls of the Burrell Collection, Glasgow. Scotland, UK

    One of the halls of the Burrell Collection

  • One of the halls of the Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    Another view of one of the halls

  • One of the halls of the Burrell Collection, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

    A wide view of one of the museum halls

  • Stained glass. Medieval Europe. The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, UK

    A beautiful stained glass panel from Medieval Europe

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Burrell Collection para niños

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