A steel box built to protect and dry out Charles Rennie Mackintosh masterpiece the Hill House will remain in place until 2028, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has announced.
The giant box was constructed around the property in Helensburgh in 2019 to protect its saturated walls from further damage from the elements, and enable it to gradually dry out as part of a long-term conservation programme.
The NTS said new funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will now enable it to fully remove the existing render from the building, which was completed in 1904, and find a replacement that will resolve the longstanding damp issue.
The conservation charity added that once the metal structure is removed in 2028 it plans to add updated permanent visitor facilities to the site on Upper Colquhoun Street, including a cafe, shop and toilets.
The £1.1 million package of funding, which is the first stage towards a wider £7.3 million award, will support the charity’s Mackintosh Illuminated project, which aims to celebrate the genius of both Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald.
The funding announcement comes a year after the charity acquired the Mackintosh at the Willow tearoom on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow.
The building, which was designed by the pair, had been struggling due to the impact of the pandemic and two fires at the Glasgow School of Art.
National Trust for Scotland chief executive Philip Long said: “We are enormously grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for this generous grant which will help us do all we can to make sure that Mackintosh and Macdonald get the recognition globally and at home that their brilliant design and creativity merit.
“As the charity privileged to care for some of the finest remaining examples of the couple’s work, we feel strongly that their contribution should be better understood and celebrated.
“With the Hill House and the Mackintosh at the Willow at the centre of all our work, we will engage with more people in person and online, to tell the story of their creation and the inspiring people involved in those visionary ventures.
“And, as a conservation charity, we will protect both buildings to be enjoyed and experienced long into the future.
“At the Hill House, this means continuing our work to solve its century-long issue with damp, both preserving this masterpiece and pioneering methods that add to the global conservation sector’s knowledge of how to care for and repair 20th century buildings, and helping train new craftspeople who can carry out work like this in the future.
“At the Mackintosh at the Willow, that means ensuring that this excellent experience thrives under the trust’s care and continues to grow and contribute to a much-needed revitalisation of Sauchiehall Street and to Glasgow’s heritage as a whole.
“It was just a year ago that the future was in doubt for the tearoom.
“Now this new funding means the future looks bright, both for the Mackintosh at the Willow and for the appreciation of Mackintosh and Macdonald and their unique take on, and place in, nature, beauty and heritage.”
The charity said the project aims to raise the profile of Mackintosh and Macdonald both internationally and at home, through the creation of an online learning resource, and an expanded programme of property-based community and education work in both Helensburgh and Glasgow.
It also aims to encourage more people to visit both sites to get a richer picture of the pair’s skill and versatility.
Caroline Clark, heritage fund director for Scotland at the National Lottery, said: “Conserving the architectural masterpiece of the Hill House and enabling the National Trust for Scotland to tell the story of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald’s creative collaboration is hugely important.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, the Hill House and the stunning Mackintosh at the Willow on Sauchiehall Street will together enable visitors to explore the work of these two artistic virtuosos whose influence stretches around the world.”
