The Willow Tearooms are at 217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. They were designed by renowned architect Charles Rennie MacKintosh, and they opened in October 1904. They quickly gained enormous popularity. MacKintosh met Catherine Cranston, mostly known as Kate Cranston/Miss Cranston, early in his career.
The ambitious business woman worked locally and was the daughter of a Glasgow tea merchant. She was a strong believer in temperance.At the turn of the century, the temperance movement was becoming increasingly popular in Glasgow. Kate Cranston conceived the idea of a series of stylish tearooms where people could meet to relax and enjoy non-alcoholic refreshments.
She planned on offering the refreshments in a variety of different rooms in the same building. MacKintosh was recruited by her to design and restyle the interiors in all four of her Glasgow tearooms. He completed the work on the Willow between 1896 and 1917, often assisted by his wife, Margaret MacDonald.The name Willow comes from Sauchiehall, the street where it is situated. It means alley of the willows in Gaelic. The willow theme is featured throughout the building.
The Room de Luxe was the jewel in all of Mackenzie’s tearoom designs over
the twenty years that he worked with Kate Cranston. It had silver furniture and leaded glass work. Its exclusivity meant the more affluent customers would willingly pay extra for their cup of tea. The design of the furniture and interior on the Gallery were very different from the Room de Luxe. The Room de Luxe had a bright and feminine ambience, whilst the Gallery was dark and masculine.
Following the death of her husband in 1917, Miss Cranston sold her businesses. Despite the businesses' differing fortunes over the passing years, visitors to the tea rooms can still experience some of the Willow Tearooms as Mackintsoh intended. The Willow Tearooms expanded into premises at 97 Buchanan Street in 1997.
Opening TimesMonday to Saturday 9am - 5pm The last order is at 4.30pm. Sunday 11am - 4.15pm The last order is at 3.45pm
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PricesFree admission
Willow Tea Rooms 217 Sauchiehall StreetGlasgow G2 3HFTelephone - 0141 332 0521
E mail - sauchiehallstreet@willowtearooms.co.uk
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Photograph Courtesy of Dave souza.
