Historic Glasgow house to be brought back to former glory in £1m restoration

Provand’s Lordship, known as Glasgow’s oldest house, is to be brought back to its former glory as part of a £1 million restoration project.

The Castle Street museum will see repairs to its roof, chimneys and down pipes, treatment to stop and prevent rising damp, and a new lime harling render which will better preserve the fabric of the building, and return it to an authentic 15th century appearance.

Work is expected to take around one year and, following the completion of the repairs, it will reopen to the public next summer.

Bailie Annette Christie, chairwoman of Glasgow Life and convener for culture at Glasgow City Council, said: “The restoration is positive and welcome news for citizens and visitors to the city as, upon completion of the works, museum-goers can continue to visit this much-loved cultural facility, while the city also ensures a sustainable future for Glasgow’s invaluable heritage assets.”

Provand’s Lordship was built in 1471, and is one of only four surviving medieval buildings in Glasgow.

As part of the restoration work, scaffolding is set to be put up around the building from next week.

Museum staff have already begun the removal of artefacts from inside this week, and will be stored stored in Glasgow Museums Resource Centre until the venue reopens and they can be reinstalled.

As well as external works, Glasgow Life said there will be structural improvements inside as well as replacement windows and doors.