We congratulate Trustee Ian Dickson BEM DL on his appointment as Lord Dean of Guild at the Merchants House AGM on 30 May.
Please Help Us Reach our Goal!
In May we launched our Crowd Funding Campaign through Just Giving. The funds raised will greatly assist the internal restoration works of the historical building at 217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Please visit our campaign 'Mackintosh at the Willow' at www.justgiving.com, visit our donations page here or telephone 0141 332 7696 to make a donation.
Meet the pioneering woman breathing new life into Glasgow's old Willow Tea Rooms building
Ann Fotheringham, journalist from the Evening Times interviewed Celia this month to hear about her plans to create a much needed Mackintosh hub in the heart of Glasgow City Centre.
The WTRT Team
Centre Front: Celia Sinclair
Front Left: Jean Sinclair, Philip Gregory, Narelle Mais & Alan Woods
Ann quoted "THEY were the epitome of luxury and style, a haven for ladies who lunched, and the vision of one of Scotland’s earliest female entrepreneurs. Now the old Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and run by Kate Cranston, are being faithfully restored by another pioneering woman, whose plans encompass much more than tea and tiffin."
Mackintosh at the Willow will involve restoring the tea rooms, including the impressive Salon de Luxe, to their former glory; creating a visitor centre, education hub and exhibition; and involving apprentices in the building of more than 400 pieces of furniture.
More than 200,000 people are expected to visit in 2018 and the education centre will play host to 2500 children. It’s estimated it will bring in £1m to the local economy, as tourists flock to the first ever, dedicated Mackintosh ‘museum’.
The aim is not just to preserve one of Mackintosh’s finest buildings, and pay tribute to the original tearooms owner Kate Cranston, but also to encourage the next generation of artists, architects and entrepreneurs who follow in their footsteps.
Behind the Scenes during a BBC Interview with our Chairman
The BBC team is following and capturing our 'journey' through to project end in 2018. We thank them for their interest in this incredible project 'Mackintosh at the Willow'.
Fundraising Campaign
Please help us
with our fundraising campaign to complete the final stage of this important project in time for Mackintosh's 150th birthday celebrations in June 2018.
A visit to Dumfries House, Belling Hospitality Training Centre
The Willow Tea Rooms Trust team were kindly invited to attend the Belling Hospitality Training Centre at Dumfries House last week to participate in the graduation celebrations of their inspirational students. It was an honour to be part of this special evening and for our Chair, Celia Sinclair, to present the end of course Certificates and speak about our exciting project at 217 Sauchiehall Street. We thank our friends at Dumfries House for making us feel so welcome.
A Visit to Dumfries House - January 2017
Our sincere thanks to all the team at Dumfries House for the 'grand tour' and outstanding hospitality.
It was with great delight to visit Dumfries House recently to learn not only about the history surrounding this incredible property, but to hear about their amazing project, work with the Prince's Trust, and how their project assists the community. The Willow Tea Rooms Trust finished the day on a high, armed with information and inspiration for our project at 215-217 Sauchiehall Street.
'It's Official' - Building Works have Commenced!
On 13 December 2016 visitors and guests were present to witness our Chair, Celia Sinclair, the Board of Trustees, Advisors and Councillor Frank McAveety launch, and 'cut the ribbon', for works to commence on this £10million project.
It is with sincere thanks that we acknowledge all of our supporters for making this project possible to date.
Douglas Annan - 19th October 2016
We were delighted to welcome Douglas Annan of Annan Photographs to the Project Office to meet Celia Sinclair, Chair of The Willow Tea Rooms Trust. Douglas has several Mackintosh photographs in his collection and has kindly given consent to use these images for promotional purposes. Follow the above link to see the complete collection of Old Glasgow images by Annan Photographs. We look forward to working with Douglas throughout the Project and beyond.
The Willow Tea Rooms Trust Wins Heritage Lottery Fund Support
We are thrilled to announce that The Willow Tea Rooms Trust has gained initial support* for a £3.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to secure the future of Scottish Architect and Artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s only remaining Tea Rooms in Sauchiehall Street Glasgow.
The Willow Tea Rooms Trust, which was set up to acquire and restore the building, has already secured £250,000 of grant funding from Glasgow City Council in September, £200,000 from Glasgow City Heritage Trust, £175,000 from Dunard Fund and £10,000 from The Architectural Heritage Fund.
This has allowed the Trust to commence a first phase of work to restore the exteriors to what they were in 1903 and to weatherproof the building. To fully restore the Tea Rooms and develop an Exhibition and Education Centre in the adjacent building involves a total project cost of £6.8 million.
“We are extremely pleased that The Heritage Lottery Fund agrees that saving The Willow Tea Rooms is important, and is willing to help us achieve our aim of creating a proper legacy for the generations to come,” explained Celia Sinclair, Founder and Chair of The Willow Tea Rooms Trust.
“The Willow Tea Rooms is an iconic building and we need to act to safeguard what remains of Mackintosh’s work. Above all, we intend that this project will be sustainable and have a legacy. The Trust will ensure that after the renovation work the building will be financially secure and that due care and attention will be given to the building forever.”
Commenting, the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Head of Scotland Lucy Casot said: “What better way to celebrate the Year of Architecture than devising a plan to save the famous Tea Rooms by one of Scotland’s greatest and most influential designers who is admired around the world. Thanks to players of the National Lottery, we are delighted to give our initial support to a project which will rejuvenate and restore the Willow Tea Rooms so that their unique ambiance and design can be enjoyed as it was first intended.”
Planning permission for the renovation and development of the Tea Rooms along with the Mackintosh Exhibition and Education Centre in the adjacent building has been granted by Glasgow City Council.
“We will create something special in Sauchiehall Street. A centre piece of the celebrations in June 2018 marking the 150th anniversary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s birth. The challenge will be to raise the rest of the capital required,” concluded Celia Sinclair.
* A development grant of £250,000 has been awarded by HLF to enable the Trust to develop the plans and apply for a full grant of £3.7 million at a later date.