Where Tenement House is located in the Garnethill area of Glasgow, close to the city centre.
What This four-room late Victorian property was home to shorthand typist Agnes Toward from 1911 until 1965, when she went into hospital. She continued to pay rent on it until 1975, when she died.
A church elder visited the house along with his niece, the actress Anna Davidson, to collect some chairs left to him in Toward’s will. Davidson fell in love with the house and bought it, living in it for seven years, after which it was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland.
The house has remained virtually untouched since it was built in 1892, offering a glimpse into what life was like in early 20th-century Glasgow. Visitors get a sense of stepping back in time as they hear the hiss of gaslights and the tick of the 18th-century grandfather clock.
Opened The National Trust for Scotland bought the house in 1982 and opened it to the public in 1983.
Collection Tenement House is fitted with original fixtures and fittings and filled with Toward’s possessions. Her more valuable furniture, including a rosewood and walnut piano and a writing bureau dating from 1750, is on display along with household items such as newspapers and magazines. “Toward kept many things that most people would have thrown away,” says Rachel Kacir, the property manager. “She even kept a pot of homemade jam from 1929.”
Highlights Toward’s mother’s wedding dress. “Her mother was a dressmaker and made it for her own wedding in the 1880s,” says Kacir. The dress was a marine colour so that she could wear it again.
Help at hand The museum is run by one full-time staff member, three seasonal staff and more than 40 volunteers.
Budget Members of the National Trust for Scotland or the National Trust can visit for free, so the museum’s main income comes from the entrance fee paid by non-members, as well as sales from the shop.
Main challenge “Glasgow is full of fantastic visitor attractions, so there is a lot of competition,” says Kacir.
Visitors 15,000 a year.
Survival tip “Get as many people through the door as possible,” says Kacir.
Future plans “We’ve planned an ambitious events programme to attract repeat visits and new audiences,” says Kacir. “We will be taking part in Museums at Night, Glasgow’s West End Festival and Scotland’s Doors Open Day.”
For details, visit www.nts.org.uk/Property/Tenement-House
Tenement House will be among the many cultural venues offering tours, talks and special events at the Museums Association Conference in Glasgow (7-9 November).
What This four-room late Victorian property was home to shorthand typist Agnes Toward from 1911 until 1965, when she went into hospital. She continued to pay rent on it until 1975, when she died.
A church elder visited the house along with his niece, the actress Anna Davidson, to collect some chairs left to him in Toward’s will. Davidson fell in love with the house and bought it, living in it for seven years, after which it was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland.
The house has remained virtually untouched since it was built in 1892, offering a glimpse into what life was like in early 20th-century Glasgow. Visitors get a sense of stepping back in time as they hear the hiss of gaslights and the tick of the 18th-century grandfather clock.
Opened The National Trust for Scotland bought the house in 1982 and opened it to the public in 1983.
Collection Tenement House is fitted with original fixtures and fittings and filled with Toward’s possessions. Her more valuable furniture, including a rosewood and walnut piano and a writing bureau dating from 1750, is on display along with household items such as newspapers and magazines. “Toward kept many things that most people would have thrown away,” says Rachel Kacir, the property manager. “She even kept a pot of homemade jam from 1929.”
Highlights Toward’s mother’s wedding dress. “Her mother was a dressmaker and made it for her own wedding in the 1880s,” says Kacir. The dress was a marine colour so that she could wear it again.
Help at hand The museum is run by one full-time staff member, three seasonal staff and more than 40 volunteers.
Budget Members of the National Trust for Scotland or the National Trust can visit for free, so the museum’s main income comes from the entrance fee paid by non-members, as well as sales from the shop.
Main challenge “Glasgow is full of fantastic visitor attractions, so there is a lot of competition,” says Kacir.
Visitors 15,000 a year.
Survival tip “Get as many people through the door as possible,” says Kacir.
Future plans “We’ve planned an ambitious events programme to attract repeat visits and new audiences,” says Kacir. “We will be taking part in Museums at Night, Glasgow’s West End Festival and Scotland’s Doors Open Day.”
For details, visit www.nts.org.uk/Property/Tenement-House
Tenement House will be among the many cultural venues offering tours, talks and special events at the Museums Association Conference in Glasgow (7-9 November).