Posts Tagged ‘Riverside Project’
A Riverside slideshow: some of Iona Shepherd’s finest photographs
Iona Shepherd’s wonderful photographs have been a regular feature on the Riverside Museum blog since it launched in the spring last year. As well as providing a regular Photograph of the Week, Iona’s other posts include slideshows of the work carried out by the project team, from the conservation and decant of the ship models to the 3007’s epic journey from GMRC to Riverside. Today’s Iona’s last day with the project; she’ll be sorely missed. Below’s a selection of some of the photographs she’s taken for the Riverside project.
Glasgow’s Queens prepare for final voyage to Riverside
The three largest ship models in Glasgow Museums’ collection – the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth and the QE2 – are preparing to make their final voyage. In the next few weeks, they’ll make the last leg of their epic journey from the Clyde Room at the Museum of Transport to the new Riverside Museum.
Like all of the ship models in the collection, these three ships are incredibly fragile. Unlike the others, however, they are huge! These are hefty models that weigh up to 258kgs each, and took a team of six people to carefully move them out from their display case in the Clyde Room and onto maneuverable skates.
Specialist contractors from Constantine carefully lifted them into custom-built wooden crates using fabric straps. The models were then covered in protective sheeting, the crates built up around them, and the interiors filled with packing to prevent the models moving. Soon they’ll be forklifted down into the main hall then loaded onto a lorry and taken to the Riverside Museum.
Revealed: Robbie Coltrane’s Riverside bloopers
Last week came the news that actor Robbie Coltrane had donated one of his treasured cars to the Riverside Museum. Colrane’s Chrysler Jeep will take pride of place in the north window of the Zaha Hadid-designed museum, and will be one of the first objects that most visitors see.
Coltrane, who is a Trustee of the Riverside Museum Appeal, also starred in a series of bloopers, aided and abetted by Chewin’ the Fat and Still Game star Greg Hemphill, to help promote Riverside’s £5million appeal. In the cheeky YouTube vids, which you can watch below, Coltrane loses it with his producer; is humbled by a modern irritation; and, err, makes an embarrassing discovery about just how windy the Riverside site can be …
The Riverside Museum Appeal has now raised £4million, and in these last few months of the project it’s making a final push to reach its £5million target. Please help by donating online at www.riversideappeal.org or, to make a £5 donation, text “Riverside” to 70700. All donations will be permanently recognised in the new museum.
Glasgow’s original Subway opens for business
Here, what is thought to be the Directors and some staff of the Glasgow and District Subway pose for an opening day photo. It had taken over 5 ½ years to finish two tunnels and 15 stations.
On December 14th 1896, the Glasgow and District Subway began operation. Thousands of Glaswegians flocked for a chance to ride for only 1d (1 old pence). Only London and Budapest had built subway systems, so it must have been entirely new experience to almost all those riding it on opening day. Today, many of us take the subway for granted, but to Glaswegians of 1896, it truly was a modern marvel!
Glasgow Museums has a large collection relating to the subway, and indeed featured a recreated subway station at the old Museum of Transport in the Kelvinhall. The new Riverside Museum will once again feature displays on the Subway, exploring its history, how it once operated by being pulled by a 6.5 mile long cable, and the people one might find while taking a trip around the city.
Riverside Museum like you’ve never seen it before
Many thanks to Glasgow Museums photographer Jim Dunn for this stylish evening shot of the Riverside Museum. Most people photographing the Zaha Hadid-designed building capture it from the impressive north and south facades. Here, Jim shows off the new museum from an unusual angle while, to the southwest, the low winter sun sets over Govan.
The Riverside Museum Appeal has now raised £4million, and in these last few months of the project it’s making a final push to reach its £5m target. You can help by donating online at www.riversideappeal.org or, to make a £5 donation, text “Riverside” to 70700. All donations will be permanently recognised in the new museum.
Merry Christmas from the Riverside team
Today’s Picture of the Week is a snapshot of our very own, and especially unique, Christmas tree!
As temperatures plummeted across the country in recent weeks, one of our mount-makers here at the Museum of Transport took some festive inspiration from the frost.
Using scrap metal left over from building mounts for the new displays in the Riverside Museum, Simon created an arching sculpture and placed it under a burst pipe in the yard.
With such low temperatures, the water escaping from the pipe quickly turned to ice, and each day we’ve been treated to a new formation of the sculpture.
Thank you everybody for checking in on the blog this year. We wish all our followers a very merry Christmas and all the best for 2011; it’s sure to be a momentous year!
Riverside Museum on a crisp and clear winter’s day
Many thanks to Riverside Museum Appeal supporter Ian Macleod for sending in this stunning picture of the Riverside Museum, taken on the south bank of the River Clyde at Govan. The soft wintery light gracing the Glasgow skyline makes for a beautiful photograph, while the warm hues belie the freezing temperatures!
Just a wee bit upstream and to the right, you can see the Tall Ship Glenlee, which is in her current location for only a few more months. Come February, preparations will be made to haul anchor and move the ship downstream to her new berth outside the new museum. Now that’ll be a dramatic picture!
The Riverside Museum Appeal has now raised £4million, and in these last few months of the project it’s making a final push to reach its £5m target. You can help by donating online at www.riversideappeal.org or, to make a £5 donation, text “Riverside” to 70700. All donations will be permanently recognised in the new museum – they make for great Christmas presents!
Conservation continues despite the extreme temperatures
The recent big freeze caused a few problems at the Museum of Transport, but thankfully nothing too serious, and work on the Riverside Project hasn’t been too disrupted.
The slideshow above has a few wonderful pictures from the museum’s icy backyard. Throughout this winter, we’ve monitored the enviroment at all times to ensure the safety of the objects. Fortunately, we’ve not had to take any drastic action to protect them; though the plummeting temperatures haven’t always meant great comfort for us!
Picture of the Week – Shadows of a Ladder
A few weeks ago we told you about the raising of the turntable ladder on our Dennis-Merryweather fire engine. Since then, under the watchful eye of the Conservation team, the Dennis-Merryweather’s been patiently sitting in the corner of the main hall at the Museum of Transport at Kelvin Hall; the frame of its extended ladder casting an intricate shadow against the wall.
Riverside Museum 
