MAGNIFICENT new gates which will adorn the reborn Maryhill Burgh Halls were revealed for the first time this week.
The specially designed and produced gates will be an important feature of the Halls when their restoration is complete in around 16 months time.
They were commissioned by Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust which is overseeing the transformation of one of the city's much loved buildings into a vital community asset. Funding for the gates has come from Glasgow City Council.
The Halls have lain empty for several years but a highly-successful fundraising campaign by the Trust has raised an astonishing £9.2 million. Work got underway in November last year.
The striking and visually appealing gates in a slate grey colour were created by internationally-renowned designer and craftsman John Creed and built at his workshop in Milton of Campsie
John made the gates in “hot forged steel” in a traditional manner. He got his inspiration for the work from the stunning leaded glass panels depicting the 19th century trades and industries of Maryhill and which were a feature of the Halls before the were removed in 1963.
The panels were designed and manufactured by Stephen Adam, one of the foremost stained glass artists of the time. They remain in safe keeping in the city archives and a number of them will be brought back to the Halls once restoration is complete.
The leaded divisions used in the such stained glass windows is a highly visual feature and once these panels are returned, the gates will be seen as an ideal complimentary feature.
John who is a former lecturer at The Glasgow School of Art is a highly acclaimed architectural and sculptural metalworker and designer. In making them, he was keen to ensure the gates will be sympathetic to their surroundings.
Small polished stainless steel elements are included in the design to evoke a sense of light in reference to the stained glass- a feature in keeping with John's desire to ensure innovation and originality.
Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust Project Co-ordinator and Company Secretary Hunter Reid said : ”The three new sets of gates at the top of the existing entrance steps to the Halls and in front of the exits onto Maryhill Road are works of art of a very high quality and ambition. They will create a bold, dynamic and contemporary additions which will reflect and reinforce the solidity and presence of the Burgh Halls.”
Once restored, the Halls will recapture the splendid historic beauty of this treasured building and be developed into a modern public hall, cafe, 11 offices, a commercial and a community recording studio, a nursery, meeting rooms and courtyard garden. Capital Funding for the Halls project has come from Scottish Government City Growth Fund Phases 1 and 2, Heritage Lottery Fund, Big Lottery - Growing Community Assets Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Glasgow City Council Better Glasgow Fund, Glasgow City Council Vacant and Derelict Land Fund, Scottish Government Town Centre Regeneration Fund, Historic Scotland, Scottish Government Housing and Regeneration Directorate
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