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A trip to see recent bits of restoration at Alexander "Greek" Thomson's domestic Glasgow masterpiece, Holmwood House.
Designed as an asymmetric collection of architectural forms that almost resemble an "acropolis" of temples, it was built for a local businessman in 1857 and also retains most of Thomson's interior designs...
It's now owned by @HolmwoodGlasgow. Who have done an amazing job over the last few decades. Here are some examples of what used to be there and is being steadily restored...
Thomson's use of space and vista is extremely satisfying (here are three views from the staircase across to the dining room, incidentally showing the differences between the three cameras on my @Samsung S10)...
The woodwork (all Thomson designed) is a fascinating and rich mix of Greek detail and Egyptianising forms.
One of my favourite things is his use of light and how extraordinarily modern his window groupings are. Even in the servants quarters. Holmwood has by far the most pleasant National Trust servants quarters I've seen.
Here are the window arrangements in the Parlour and the Drawing Room.
The magnificent Dining Room has a hidden skylight above its buffet alcove. The whole thing is decorated with panels drawn from Flaxman designs and illustrating Greek myth.
If you get the chance, do go and see it.
This aerial photograph shows how far it fell (from the 1950s until 1992 it became a convent and concrete school) and how far it has already been recovered.
And you can see the strange 'acropolis' effect in contemporary drawings.
Here, for good measure, is a detail of the Dining Room.
