The ‘A’ listed Martyrs’ School, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh is up for sale.

This is a dreadful indictment on Glasgow City Council (GCC); that such a prestigious Mackintosh Building should be discarded without due care and discussion with the Mackintosh Society and other stakeholders. The agents representing the sale of Martyrs have informed the CRM Society that there is no sales guide price, and that offers will go to a closing date. CRM is currently in discussion with a number of potential partners however this sales process provides little time to develop mutually beneficial options to safeguard Martyrs future.

Martyrs’ School is located near Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s birthplace, Townhead, Glasgow, and was built between 1895-98. This beautiful early work gives a glimpse of his distinctive style and what was to follow.  The solid red sandstone construction is topped by three ventilators with highly decorative finials. Inside there are touches of Mackintosh throughout. The central light well with its Japanese influenced roof trusses is spectacular.

In recent years Glasgow has lost a significant number of heritage buildings. You could argue we’ve lost the Mack, the Lighthouse hasn’t reopened since the pandemic, Scotland Street School is currently closed as it is undergoing restoration and the Lady Artists’ Club is lying empty,

The cultural importance of our Mackintosh heritage is instrumental to Glasgow’s success. His achievements in architecture and design have ensured Glasgow’s place sits alongside Chicago, Brussels, Barcelona and Vienna. As a result, Mackintosh is one of our finest unique selling points in attracting visitors from around the world to Glasgow and Scotland.

The CRM Society is concerned that many of the properties integral to our Mackintosh heritage and the visitor experience are not receiving the appropriate levels of care, investment or are otherwise under threat.

In April I met with Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, following my comments reported in the press regarding the poor state of Glasgow.  We talked about improving collaboration and heritage, and still Martyrs’ sale was announced with no prior discussion.

Back in the 1970s Martyrs’ School was threatened with demolition due to the proposed motorway route. Thankfully, this was averted due to a Mackintosh Society campaign to save the building. The Mackintosh heritage is small, fragile and precious, and action is needed to ensure this is protected. It is imperative that this internationally important heritage continues to receive the attention it deserves and does not fall into the wrong hands.

Martyrs’ Public School is one of an important group of buildings by John Honeyman & Keppie dating from the mid 1890s – others are the Glasgow Herald Building and Queen’s Cross Church – in which Mackintosh’s distinctive contribution to the work of the firm can first be clearly seen. The design includes some strikingly unorthodox features, which suggest that Mackintosh took a leading role in the project. The cantilevered eaves over the staircase are extremely unusual and show the beginnings of his manner of making decorative features out of elements of the construction. The roof trusses especially show a developing interest in jointing and assembly of wooden members perhaps drawn from his current involvement with furniture design but certainly pegged in the manner of Japanese timber-framing.

The interplay of structure, function and form that we see in these timbers becomes, like so much else in Martyrs’ School, a familiar theme in much of Mackintosh’s later work.

We are currently looking at potential options for Martyrs’, but action is urgently needed to ensure this ‘A’ listed building is saved for future generations.

Stuart Robertson, Director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society