Riverside Museum facts for kids
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| Established | April 14, 1964 (as Glasgow Museum of Transport) June 21, 2011 (as Riverside Museum) |
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| Location | 100 Pointhouse Place, Yorkhill, Glasgow, G3 8RS, Scotland (Partick is nearby, across the River Kelvin) |
| Collection size | 3,000 objects |
| Visitors | 1,364,739 (2019) |
| Public transit access |   Partick station |
The Riverside Museum is a cool museum in Glasgow, Scotland. It took the place of the old Glasgow Museum of Transport. The museum is in a special building designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It sits right by the River Clyde. This museum is part of a big project to make the Glasgow Harbour area new and exciting. It opened in June 2011 and even won the 2013 European Museum of the Year Award. Inside, you can see many important things from Scotland and around the world. A new bridge, the Govan-Partick Bridge, will open in 2024. It will let people walk or cycle from the museum across the river to Govan.
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Museum History
The First Museum: Glasgow Museum of Transport (1964–2011)
The first Museum of Transport opened on April 14, 1964. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother officially opened it. It started after Glasgow's tram system closed down in 1962.
First, the museum was in an old tram building called Coplawhill tram depot. This was in Pollokshields. Then, in 1988, it moved to the Kelvin Hall. The old tram building later became an arts center called the Tramway.
The Kelvin Hall is in the west end of Glasgow. It's across from the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The Kelvin Hall was built in 1927. It used to be an exhibition center. In 1987, it was changed to hold the Museum of Transport. It also had the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena.
The Kelvin Hall museum closed in April 2010. The collections then moved to their new home. This new home is the Riverside Museum, which opened in June 2011.
The New Museum: Riverside Museum (2011–Present)
The museum at Kelvin Hall closed on April 18, 2010. Most of its collections moved to the new Riverside Museum. This new building was made just for the museum. It is located in Glasgow Harbour by the River Clyde.
Zaha Hadid Architects and engineers Buro Happold designed the building. A company called Event Communications designed the inside displays. The new museum opened its doors on June 21, 2011.
The Riverside Museum is built where the old A. & J. Inglis Shipyard used to be. This spot is on the north side of the River Clyde. It's also where the River Kelvin joins the Clyde. This location is great because the Clyde Maritime Trust's tall ship, the SV Glenlee, can dock right next to the museum. Other visiting ships can also stop there.
The Riverside Museum project cost about £74 million. Glasgow City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund gave £69 million. The Riverside Museum Appeal helped raise the last £5 million. They got money from companies and people who wanted to help. Many big companies supported the project.
On November 13, 2007, the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Bob Winter, started the building work. The main builders were BAM Construct UK Ltd. The building was finished on June 20, 2011. It opened to the public the very next day.
Museum Collections
The Riverside Museum has many of the old collections from the Glasgow Museum of Transport. It also has some new and exciting items.
One special item is a steam locomotive, No. 3007. This train was built in Glasgow in 1945. It was bought in 2006 from Transnet. For a short time in 2007, it was shown in George Square. This helped to raise money for the museum.
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Road Vehicles
The museum has the oldest pedal bicycle that still exists. It also has the best collection of cars and trucks made in Scotland. This includes early cars from Scottish companies like Argyll and Albion. Newer Scottish cars are also there. You can see many other cars in a large display that looks like a showroom.
The museum shows all kinds of transport. You can see vehicles pulled by horses and fire engines. There are motorcycles and caravans. Even toy cars and baby prams are on display.
Ship Models
The Clyde Room has about 250 ship models. These models show how the River Clyde and its shipbuilders helped with sea trade. They also show how they helped the Royal Navy. You can see models of famous ships like the Comet from 1812. There are also models of the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth.
Railway and City Transport Exhibits
Making locomotives was a big industry in Glasgow. The museum celebrates this railway history. It has several locomotives, such as:
- The Caley No. 123
- No. 103, the Jones Goods
- Gordon Highlander No. 49 (on loan)
- 256 "Glen Douglas" (on loan)
- 5 Class 0-6-0T no. 9
- An Andrew Barclay Fireless locomotive, No. 1
- A full-size model of a Class 380 EMU train
Other main exhibits show how Glasgow's public transport changed over time. You can see seven Glasgow Corporation Tramways tramcars from different years. There are also Glasgow Corporation trolleybuses. The museum also has a full-size model of "Kelvin Street." This part tries to feel like Glasgow in the 1930s. It includes a model of an old Glasgow Subway station. There's also a model of the Regal Cinema. This cinema played old Scottish transport movies.
See also
In Spanish: Riverside Museum para niños
- Culture in Glasgow
- Scottish Tramway and Transport Society
- Glasgow Corporation Tramways – history of trams in Glasgow
- A. & J. Inglis shipyard at Pointhouse Quay, where more than 500 ships have been built
- Kelvin Hall
- Titan Clydebank
- Scottish Maritime Museum
- Summerlee, Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
- List of transport museums (worldwide)
- Scottish Tramway and Transport Society
- Summerlee, Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
