The south front of the University of Glasgow's Gilbert Scott Building, 1978.
The building was the largest project undertaken in Britain after the completion of the Houses of Parliament in 1860. The London architect George Gilbert Scott was chosen largely because of his experience of large projects. His appointment met with criticism from those who disliked his Gothic revival style and preferred instead the more fashionable Victorian variety of Georgian classicism. The foremost critic of Scott was Alexander "Greek" Thomson, who declared that the less the professors said about the artistic merits of the design the better.
The new building measured 540 feet by 300 feet and cost £190,000, paid for by monies from the sale of the Old College buildings in High Street along with a Treasury grant and public subscriptions. It remained unfinished when it was officially opened by the Chancellor, the Duke of Montrose, on 7 November 1870.
Reference: Glasgow University Archive Services, PHU1/14
University of Glasgow
Keywords:
architects, architecture, Gilbert Scott Building, Gothic revival, Houses of Parliament, University of Glasgow
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