Glasgow School of Art Fires: New series launched by Herald

The Herald and Times group was at that time headquartered in a building at the top of Renfield Street and our reporters were among the first on the scene.

From the vantage point of our second floor, we noticed smoke billowing from the rooftops and the fierce flames were captured minutes later by our photographers.

The fire prompted an outpouring of shock, disbelief and sorrow that stretched far beyond Scotland and the UK as it emerged the building's prized library had been lost in the flames.

The library at Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building (Image: Newsquest)

Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design, the school changed its name to the Glasgow School of Art in 1853. Originally located at 12 Ingram Street the school moved to the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street in 1869.

In 1897, work began on a new building nearby to house the school on Renfrew Street, funded by a donation of £10,000 from the Bellahouston Trust, left from the will of Moses Stevens of Bellahouston.

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Mackintosh was chosen for the commission by the school's director, Francis Newbery, who oversaw a period of expansion and fast-growing reputation. 

The most famous of GSA's buildings was designed by Mackintosh in phases between 1896 and 1909.

The 'Mack' soon became one of the city's iconic landmarks, of international fame. It is a pioneer of the British Art Nouveau style.

In November 2016, a painstaking £35million restoration got underway at the Mack after months of paintstaking research and preparatory work.

There was widespread praise for the Page/Park project. A forensic analysis of the physical and archival evidence was undertaken in order to accurately reconstruct the interiors of the building, with pioneering use of BIM technology for conservation.

However, tragedy was to befall the historic building for a second time.

On June 15, 2018, as the restoration was nearing completion, another fire took hold on the construction site, this time reducing the building to a burnt-out shell and gutting the nearby O2 ABC arena.

The cause of the first fire is known, the second 'inconclusive' but questions remain about the processes and structures that led to both incidents and which The Herald will seek to answer.

Our series, which starts tomorrow, will feature interviews with leading fire and architectural experts, politicians and staff past and present as well as reflecting on the legacy of one of Glasgow's most famous sons.

As the 'Mack' remains scaffolded and wrapped we will also be examining what the future holds for the building.

The Glasgow School of Art Fires follows our agenda-setting series in January looking at the crisis of depopulation in the Highlands and Islands. 

It was followed last month, by a five-day deep dive into the alcohol industry in Scotland which generates billions for the country's economy but has less positive implications for the nation's health.

Catherine Salmond, Editor of The Herald, said: “Tomorrow we launch our major series on the Glasgow School of Art fires.

"We look back on both devastating incidents in 2014 and 2018, the fall-out and the implication for the city and Scotland with the loss of the Mack building.

"We re-examine the circumstances around both fires and hear from people close to the institution and who are driven in the quest for answers as to what’s next.

“We are committed to delivering compelling and challenging content for our readers and stimulating debate around key issues that we believe matter.”

Glasgow School of Art has produced most of Scotland's leading contemporary artists including, since 2005, 30% of Turner Prize nominees and five recent Turner Prize winners: Simon Starling in 2005, Richard Wright in 2009, Martin Boyce in 2011, Duncan Campbell in 2014, and Charlotte Prodger in 2018.