Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald lived nearby (at 78 Southpark Avenue) and this building contains reconstructed interiors of their house, as re-modelled by Mackintosh in 1906. They lived in Southpark Avenue until 1914 and in 1920 the house (and nearly all of its furniture) was sold to William Davidson. His sons later presented the furnishings to the university, thus allowing this unique house to be preserved. As with much of Mackintosh`s work, the style is stark and austere - and very distinctive. The rooms re-created here are the hall, dining room, studio-drawing room and bedroom; Mackintosh`s original furniture, which was designed by him, is also shown in situ. The orientation of the house is the same as the original (the front door faces east) so the lighting conditions are similar; indeed, a remarkable amount of research and care has gone into this stunning set of rooms. Prepare to be taken aback!

The last part of the gallery has a wide selection of exhibits, showing the breadth of talent exercised by Mackintosh, the other three members of `The Four` and George Walton. A remarkable array is on display: furniture, stencilled fabrics, leaded glass, metalwork, paintings and drawings.

The last exhibit in the gallery is the remarkable guest bedroom designed in 1919 for 78 Derngate in Northampton. In complete contrast to the warm brown of the wooden furniture there are blue and white stripes on the bedcovers, curtains, walls - and even on the ceiling!

This article is based on the guidebook "The Glasgow Guide".

The Mackintosh House is to the left of the drum tower which is in the middle of the picture.

The house is a reconstruction of Mackintosh`s villa which was sited nearby and the orientation of the windows is exactly the same as in the original. The front door is not used for access and it looks a bit odd as it is high above the path in front of the house and there are no stairs to it!