The Burrell Collection

• This stunning visual survey celebrates the architectural history and recent refurbishment of the Burrell Collection, a purpose-built world-class museum in Glasgow. 
• Following a major refurbishment, the Burrell Collection reopened in 2022 and was named Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023.
• The text reveals the impact of the opening of the Burrell Collection sparked the regeneration of Glasgow as a major cultural city. 

A vividly illustrated survey of Glasgow’s Burrell Collection – a history of creating, conserving and refurbishing a major art gallery.

Glasgow’s Burrell Collection is one of the UK’s finest art galleries – a purpose-built modern gem set in beautiful Pollok Country Park. This architectural history surveys the complex creation of a public art space – one that sparked the regeneration of Glasgow as a cultural centre.

Sir William and Constance Burrell gifted their collection to the people of Glasgow in 1944, stipulating that it must be accessible and within a natural setting. The 1967 gift of Pollok Estate by Anne Maxwell Macdonald secured a site for a new gallery. In 1983 the new Burrell Collection opened, acclaimed as a harmonious integration of building, landscape and art. Recent major refurbishments have created larger displays, wider public access and improved environmental performance. The rejuvenated Burrell Collection was named Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023.

This illustrated architectural history is written with an architect’s eye for detail and features specially commissioned photography.

Robert Gartshore is an architect and an accredited Royal Institute of British Architects Client Adviser. He was a Special Projects Officer, providing expert advice to Glasgow Life, for the refurbishment of The Burrell Collection.

Iona Shepherd works throughout Scotland as a photographer specialising in the museums, heritage and architectural sectors.