The Lighthouse, Glasgow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Lighthouse
General information
Address	11 Mitchell Lane
Town or city	Glasgow
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	55°51′35″N 4°15′20″W / 55.8597°N 4.2555°W / 55.8597; -4.2555

The Lighthouse in Glasgow is a cool place in Scotland that celebrates design and architecture. It first opened its doors in 1999. This was when Glasgow was named the UK City of Architecture and Design.

This building used to be the offices for the Glasgow Herald newspaper. It was finished in 1895. A famous architect named Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed it. The Lighthouse wants to connect design, buildings, and creative jobs. They believe these things are important for everyone. They help with learning, jobs, and culture.

The Lighthouse Today

The group that ran The Lighthouse faced some money problems in 2009. Many staff members moved to new jobs. The building itself is still owned by Glasgow City Council. The council decided to keep it open. They wanted it to remain Scotland's main place for architecture and design.

A special team now helps run the building. This team includes people from Glasgow City Council and the Glasgow School of Art. They have created many new things to do there. You can find events, places to eat, and different exhibitions. There is also a design shop on the ground floor. A group called Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) uses one of the five floors. They continue to run many programs there.

Amazing Views of Glasgow

One of the best parts of The Lighthouse is the amazing view. You can see all over Glasgow from the Mackintosh Tower. This tower is at the north side of the building. To get there, you climb a cool spiral staircase from the third floor.

View of the helical staircase leading up to the viewing platform at the top of the Lighthouse

There is also another modern viewing spot. It is on the sixth floor at the south side of the building. You can only reach this one by using a lift.

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  View from the Lighthouse

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  View from the Lighthouse

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  View from the Lighthouse

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  View from the Lighthouse

Glasgow: A City of Design

In 1999, Glasgow was named the UK City of Architecture and Design. To celebrate this, the Clydesdale Bank made a special £20 note. This bank note showed a picture of The Lighthouse building. It also featured the dome of Thomson's Holmwood House. On the front of the note was a picture of another Glasgow architect. His name was Alexander "Greek" Thomson.

Past Exhibitions

The Lighthouse often hosts interesting art and design shows. Here are some examples of past group exhibitions:

• June 25 – July 6, 2014: Young Swiss Public. This show featured works by Raphael Zuber, Pascal Flammer, Angela Deuber, Barão Hutter, Lütjens Padmanabhan, Dreier Frenzel and Brockmann Stierlin.

See also

• Culture in Glasgow