The Burrell Collection is marking its one year anniversary after reopening following a major £68m refurbishment in 2022.
The world-class museum, located within Glasgow’s Pollok Country Park, has welcomed over 600,000 people since reopening on March 29 last year.
The redesign was created in collaboration with over 15,000 people from the local community.
The reopening marked the beginning of a new chapter for the museum with the inaugural exhibition, The Burrells’ Legacy: A Great Gift to Glasgow, having launched in August.
Glasgow LifeThe site was officially opened by King Charles two months later, almost 40 years after it was originally opened by his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
The reimagining of The Burrell Collection has won multiple awards including both the Culture and Heritage Award at the Architects’ Journal Architecture Awards and ‘Best Shop’ at the Association for Cultural Enterprises Awards.
The refurbishment increased gallery space by 35% with a total of 225 displays spread across 24 galleries.
Nearly half of the funding for the £68.25m project was provided by Glasgow City Council, with more than a quarter coming from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Donations were also provided by The Scottish Government and the UK Government, along with trusts and private donors.
STV NewsGlasgow Life, the charity which runs Glasgow museums, conducted research into the experience of those visiting and found 74% of visitors were attending for the first time.
Everyone questioned in the evaluation of their visit rated the experience ‘good’ or ‘very good’ and said they would recommend the visit to friends and families.
The staff have been trained to provide inclusive experiences for all.
Visitor feedback highlighted examples of inclusivity including the ability of a staff member to speak with a guest in Urdu while another praised support given to help their autistic son enjoy the artworks.
Other measures include displays depicting the memories of home from refugees and specially designed LGBTQI tours.
This summer, the museum will offer visitors a World Food Festival along with themed talks and workshops.
To help mark the one-year anniversary of the revamp, pupils from St Conval’s Primary School visited the site and created cards.
Claire Wood, P6 teacher at St Conval’s said: “For us, one of the real strengths of the museum partnership is the connections the children have made to the artefacts and the Burrell itself.
“The incredible collection gives the children’s learning context and allows them to make real-life connections to the past. The museum allows the children to access the collection in an interactive and meaningful way.
“The children particularly enjoy seeing objects such as the Ming Vases which have featured in their learning at school.”
Bailie Annette Christie, chair of Glasgow Life said: “The Burrell Collection was one of the greatest gifts ever given to Glasgow and a gamechanger for the city in becoming the thriving cultural destination it is today.
“A year ago, it reopened after major refurbishment. Strong visitor numbers and the overwhelmingly positive visitor sentiment that the museum is inclusive, well-designed, family friendly, and has displays that convey clear information to many different audiences is welcome reading.
“What makes a museum successful is a combination of the richness of its collection, the magnificence of the building, and, importantly, how people feel when they visit.
“The Burrell Collection champions inclusion and accessibility for all. It’s exciting, engaging, and fun. On the one-year anniversary we are reminded of the Burrell’s significant contribution to wellbeing, to the international appeal of Glasgow and to the affection felt by local people and tourists for the museum.”
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