As the largest city in Scotland, Glasgow is the perfect place to start exploring Scottish history. Scotland is the home of many inventions that changed the world as we know it today. From Alexander Graham Bell patenting the telephone in 1876, to John Logie Baird demonstrating the first working television in 1926, to the cloning of Dolly the Sheep at the University of Edinburgh in 1996, it’s impossible to dispute that innovation is in our blood in Scotland.
Glasgow plays host to many free museums and art galleries which celebrate Scottish inventors, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, literary marvels, and more without breaking the bank. This blog includes our picks for the best free museums and art galleries in Glasgow to get you started on your journey to discovering the history of not just the city of Glasgow or Scotland as a whole, but how both have impacted the world in ways that most of us are not even aware of!
The Burrell Collection
Recently reopened in 2022 after a £68 million refurbishment, the Burrell Collection is an assortment of over 9,000 objects gifted to the city of Glasgow by Sir William Burrell in 1944. The museum takes you on a tour of over 6,000 years of world history from Chinese art, Ancient Egyptian pottery, Roman sculptures and priceless paintings and creations by some of the world’s most renowned artists and sculptors. The Burrell Collection also hosts exhibitions throughout the year and the current exhibition explores the legacy of the museum’s namesake and his wife, incorporating some of the most impressive of their generous gifts to Glasgow.
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
One of the only public museums in the world dedicated to faith and religion, the St. Mungo Museum focuses on the two most significant religions in Glasgow – Catholicism and Protestantism – and discusses the importance of these outside of football, which is how they are most well-known in the city. Named after the patron saint of Glasgow who is thought to have brought Christianity to the city in the 6th century. The museum incorporates galleries full of stunning works of art which explore the importance of religion throughout the world, family-friendly events, and activities, and talks which aim to promote understanding and respect of different religions and faiths. The museum also has a beautiful Zen Garden to relax in.
Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery
Tucked away inside a stunning University of Glasgow building is Scotland’s oldest public museum with one of the largest collections in the UK. Founded in 1807 when one of the university’s most famous alumni William Hunter donated some of the collection, the museum is now home to scientific instruments used by some of Scotland’s most well-known scientists including steam engine pioneer James Watt, Roman artefacts recovered from the Antonine Wall, and the Mackintosh House, dedicated to Glasgow’s most celebrated architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Glasgow Police Museum
The Glasgow Police Museum is dedicated to Britain’s first police force, or as we call them in Scotland, “the polis”. In a city known for its rebellious attitude, it may seem odd to have a museum dedicated to the police. However, Glasgow was home to the first professional police force in Britain, founded in 1779. The museum is situated in Glasgow city centre and is run by volunteers, mainly retried police officers who are more than happy to tell stories of the over 200-year history of Glasgow’s police force, the characters and personalities in its ranks, and the many crime case studies from years gone by. The museum also incorporates collections of historical photographs, insignia, headgear, and uniforms.
Riverside Museum
The Riverside Museum is mostly dedicated to the proud ship-building history of the River Clyde and was built as a replacement for the old Glasgow transport museum. The museum also features exhibitions of classic cars, recreations of old Glasgow city streets, a 1940s steam train, and the ‘Glenlee’ which is a 19th century tall ship docked on the river next to the museum.
Gallery of Modern Art
GoMA is the most visited modern art gallery in Scotland. The gallery focuses on using modern art to exchange ideas about life and human experiences and having people engage with these ideas and the stories told by art. It is housed in one of the most iconic buildings in the city centre, sharing this with the city centre library. GoMA aims to continue the buildings original use of business and commercial exchange centre where information and goods were traded over 100 years ago by becoming a hub for people to gather and learn and exchange information, stories, and experiences they have taken from art. The building is also well-known for being the backdrop of the Wellington Statue – always with a traffic cone on his head!
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of Glasgow’s most famous attractions, loved by locals and tourists alike. The stunning architecture of the red sandstone building stands within Kelvingrove Park, and houses 22 galleries filled to the brim with paintings, sculptures, artefacts, and information on almost anything you can imagine! The galleries are split into two separate wings. These are called Life and Expression. The ‘Life’ wing covers all natural and human history from prehistoric times up to modern day with a menagerie of stuffed animals, ancient artefacts, and relics from both World Wars. The ‘Expression’ galleries encompass fine art collections from across the world, including paintings from some of the world’s most famous artists such as Monet, Salvador Dali, and Rembrandt. There is also a ‘Scottish Art’ collection which houses paintings from some of Scotland’s best-loved artists.
We hope this blog post has inspired you to visit the wonderful city of Glasgow, along with these museums and galleries, there is plenty more to see and do. At Best of Scotland Holidays, we have over 40 years of experience creating personalised itineraries for our clients visiting the UK and Ireland. Get in touch with us here, let us know your interests and requirements and we will customise a package for you to incorporate a visit to Glasgow.
