MIss Cranston’s ORIGINAL Willow Tea Rooms at 217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1903.

This historic building is of the greatest significance for Scotland’s design heritage.  These are the only tea rooms where Mackintosh was in control of the exterior and the interior, and his arrangement of the internal spaces and designs for the furniture were unparalleled in his designs for tea rooms.

Finally restored to its superb original glory in 2018, the building is now recognised internationally as the only surviving tea room designed in its entirety by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is also the only Mackintosh-designed building in Glasgow that operates in its original function, allowing visitors to truly experience a slice of living history.

The building at 217 Sauchiehall Street was purchased in 2014 in order to prevent the forced sale of the building, closure of the Tea Rooms and loss of its contents to collectors.  It is now in the ownership of Scottish charity The Willow Tea Rooms Trust, and through the work of the Trust and its social enterprise Mackintosh at the Willow, the original and historic Willow Tea Rooms are now accessible for everyone to experience and enjoy; right in the heart of Glasgow. 

Mackintosh at the Willow is a unique cultural venue, that augments the Tea Room experience with an interactive exhibition, tours, education and cultural events, a gift shop and beautiful event spaces. The official opening of Mackintosh at the Willow was performed by The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay on the 7th September 2018. Since then the Trust has has received numerous awards crediting the extensive restoration project, and worked hard to support Mackintosh at the Willow’s work in providing training and education opportunities for people, many of whom have come through the Princes Trust’s Hospitality programme. There is also a firm focus on creative learning and education for schools, community groups and the public via our superb Learning and Education activities and events. These take place on site, as outreach events and online via an excellent blog and podcast programme. You can learn more about this here: Creative Learning and Education

As a charity and custodian of this jewel in Glasgow’s history and architectural landscape, the Trust is focused on raising the necessary funds to continue this work in providing creative learning and educational services as well as the protection of the historic building. Your donations go directly towards the conservation of the remarkable Willow Tea Rooms Building at 217 Sauchiehall Street, creating a sustainable future and preserving its historical and social legacy for Glasgow, for Scotland, for the world.