Glasgow’s iconic Pollok House has closed for approximately two years to facilitate the second phase of a £4 million programme of investment led by Glasgow City Council. The works will comprise roof and general building fabric repairs. Visitors and members of the National Trust for Scotland have until then to explore the house and view the opulent upper rooms used in the past by the Stirling Maxwell family, admire the precious works of art displayed and also discover the lower-level spaces in which staff and servants worked. The popular café and shop in the old servants’ wing on the ground floor and the outdoor space will remain open until the spring of 2024.
Historic mansion
Pollok House was built in 1752, close to the site of earlier dwellings dating back to medieval times, and was extended between 1890 and 1904. In the late 19th and through to the mid-20th century, it was the home of Sir John Stirling Maxwell, 10th Baronet, a great benefactor to Glasgow and one of the founders of the National Trust for Scotland. It is said that the conversation that led to the Trust being established took place in Pollok House’s Cedar Room at the beginning of the 1930s. A key part of the city’s heritage, Pollok House and the surrounding Pollok Country Park is owned by the people of Glasgow, after the historic mansion and the collections contained therein were gifted to the city by Sir John’s daughter, Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, 11th Baronetess in 1966. The National Trust for Scotland has managed the house under contract to Glasgow City Council for 25 years.