Pollok House, formerly the

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families to ...

of the Stirling-Maxwell family, is located at

Pollok Country Park Pollok Country Park is a country park located between Shawlands, Crossmyloof, and Pollok in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2007, Pollok Country Park was named Britain's Best Park, and in 2008 it was named the Best Park in Europe, beating competition fro ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland (which also houses the

Burrell Collection The Burrell Collection is a museum in Glasgow, Scotland, managed by Glasgow Museums. It houses the art collection of Sir William Burrell and Constance, Lady Burrell. The museum reopened on 29 March 2022 with free entry, having been closed for r ...

Overview

The house, built in 1752 and originally thought to be designed by William Adam (but who may only have been consulted on the design), was subsequently extended by

Rowand Anderson Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, (5 April 1834 – 1 June 1921) was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his m ...

in the early 20th century. It was given to the

City of Glasgow Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...

in 1966 by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, whose family had owned the estate for almost 700 years. It is now managed by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organ ...

and is open to the public. The house was modernised internally in 1899 by

Alexander Hunter Crawford Alexander Hunter Crawford (1865–1945) was a Scottish architect and businessman. Closely associated with his father's firm of Crawford's Biscuits he designed many biscuit factories, and became owner of the company in 1931. Many of his villas are ...

The Pollok House at the Pollok County Park, Glasgow

Displayed within Pollok House is a large, private collection of Spanish paintings, including works by

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

Alonso Sánchez Coello Alonso Sánchez Coello ( 1531 – 8 August 1588) was an Iberian portrait painter of the Spanish Renaissance, Spanish and Portuguese Renaissance. He is mainly known for his portrait paintings executed in a style which combines the objectivity of t ...

and

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporar ...

. There are also paintings by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

and

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, as well as glass, silverware, porcelain and antique furniture. The house features servants' quarters downstairs (accessible free of charge), which include two shops and a restaurant. Facade of the Pollok House, Glasgow

The house has an extensive garden, boasting a collection of over 1,000 species of

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

s. The gardens behind the main house contain the Pollok Park Beech (''Fagus sylvatical''), which is thought to be 250 years old. This tree has an unusual form, with a swollen trunk ( girth at grade and girth at height) and a gnarled mass of branches. There is also a complex of offices, stables and a sawmill, part of which dates from the 18th century. The stone arch bridge leading to the house over the

White Cart Water The River Cart ( sco, River Cairt) is a tributary of the River Clyde, Scotland, which it joins from the west roughly midway between the towns of Erskine and Renfrew and opposite the town of Clydebank. The River Cart itself is very short, being f ...

was constructed in 1757. The heraldic lions on the gate piers were carved by

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

to a design by Huw Lorimer in 1950.

Art collection

File:El Greco - A Lady in a Fur Wrap - WGA10450.jpg, A lady in a fur wrap (

) File:Mather Brown - A Girl at a Harpsichord GL GM 2970.jpg, A girl at a harpsichord (

Mather Brown Mather Brown (baptized October 11, 1761 – May 25, 1831) was an American painter who was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was active in England. Early life Brown was the son of Gawen and Elizabeth (Byles) Brown, and descended from the Rev. ...

) File:Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (by Peter Paul Rubens).jpg, Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

) File:William Blake - Canterbury Pilgrims Picture.jpg, Canterbury Pilgrims (William Blake)

References

External links

Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries

National Trust for Scotland details

Photographs of Pollok house In Glasgow

Pollok House Arts Society
{{Coord, 55, 49, 40.54, N, 4, 19, 5.60, W, type:landmark, display=title Houses completed in 1752 Category A listed buildings in Glasgow National Trust for Scotland properties Historic house museums in Glasgow Gardens in Glasgow Country houses in Glasgow Clan Maxwell