The Mackintosh at the Willow has has received a fair amount of press coverage recently with the latest accolade given to the founder and entrepreneur, Kate Cranston, who now features on the new RBS £20 note. We were delighted to be involved in the restoration of the structural integrity of these tea rooms.
Kate Cranston had employed the talent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in part for her two other tea rooms but Mackintosh at the Willow is the only surviving tearoom designed internally and externally by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Designed in 1903 and opened later the same year the tea rooms were the place to be. The tea rooms, closed in 1928 and the building was used for retail until it was purchased by The Willow Tea Rooms Trust in 2014. The Trust have reinstated the tea rooms to their former use and architectural glory, reopening the building to the public in July 2018.
The opening of Mackintosh at the Willow provided some solace to the tragedy of the second Glasgow School of Art fire. Our engineers led by Dominic Echlin have worked tirelessly since the 15th June to ensure the remains of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece are made structurally sound.
