The Lighthouse

Glasgow, United Kingdom

4

Open now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

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Telephone:
+44 141 276 5365
Website:
www.thelighthouse.co.uk
Address:
11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, United Kingdom, G1 3NU
City Centre
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
430 ftGlasgow City Centre, Union Street / Central Station
470 ftUnion Street / Central Station
470 ftGlasgow Central
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Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
By Appointment Only
No

Today

Today 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Glasgow) 3:42 PM Saturday, June 14, 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture, is a multipurpose visitor centre in the heart of Glasgow city centre.

Our permanent Mackintosh Interpretation Centre, designed by Gareth Hoskins Architects, celebrates Glasgow’s most famous architect and explores his life and work.

Foundation Glasgow is an exciting new exhibition at The Lighthouse in the city centre. It tells the story of Glasgow and its people from prehistory to the present day.

Visitors can enjoy spectacular views of the Glasgow skyline from the Mackintosh Tower or the Viewing Platform.

As a design centre we have a changing programme of exhibitions, talks, workshops and events throughout the year, which focus on design and archirecture.

The Lighthouse is also available as a venue for corporate and private events, tailoring for 2 to 160 people.

History

Established in 1999.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a young draughtsman in the architectural practice of Honeyman and Keppie when he designed the Mitchell Street building, which now houses The Lighthouse. The Herald Building was Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s first public commission.

The former Glasgow Herald building was renovated and launched as The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City, a project suggested by the 1999 UK City of Architecture and Design bid committee. It took its new role after 15 years of silence, having stood unused since the Herald moved to new offices in the early eighties.

Glasgow firm Page & Park Architects were the principal consultancy responsible for the conversion and extension of the former Glasgow Herald building in Mitchell Street to accommodate a new centre for architecture and design.

The Lighthouse remains a successful visitor attraction and venue attracting people from all over the world.

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21 reviews of The Lighthouse

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Manchester, United Kingdom
Had a bit of a mooch inside Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture and it’s multiple floors, exhibiting things such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s furniture designs and scale models of buildings past and present.
The main draw for me though was scaling the spiral staircase up the Mackintosh Tower which opened out to a narrow balcony wrapping round its summit, giving you impressive views over Glasgow’s cityscape. We found that the ‘guide panels’ which were supposed to highlight key landmarks in the distance were far too vague to help, which was a shame.
They’ve a nice-​looking gift shop by the ground floor entrance.
The Lighthouse is worth a quick visit if you’re nearby, but it’s probably not a destination you’d spend much time in.
Place rating: 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Went to The Lighthouse yesterday (I’m ashamed to say I’ve never been!) but I was meeting someone to discuss Dogs That Dine and blog related things and she recommended here. I’ll definitely be returning soon!
I made my way inside and headed straight for the café (time was of the essence!) on the 5th floor. I didn’t have time to look at any of the exhibitions on the other floors sadly. There is a lift but I chose to you the esculators which were really narrow (more narrow than the norm). Making it to the 5th floor, I headed straight into the café.
I really like this café. It’s quiet, bright and spacious. There were a few other people there and we found some comfy seats in the corner. We stayed there for about 4 hours and never once felt like we were in the way. We ordered a range of cold drinks, tea and cake. Oh the cake.
There was a small range of cakes on display and I opted for the Victoria Sponge. It was so yummy! Everything in the café is really well priced too. Oh and they have free wifi. What more do you need?
There are toilets located on the second, third and fifth floors. When we left, we headed to the toilets and they were clean, tidy and I loved the sinks! The toilet seats were really low down (think back to primary school days) which I found pretty funny/​a bit odd. Oh and there were Bayliss & Harding hand washes which I really like.
We took the lift down which takes you straight into the gift shop. There were a lot of Charles Rennie Mackintosh items (jewellery, cards, prints) which really caught my eye. It’s a nice little gift shop and the staff are really friendly.
I’m definitely going to go back soon! I had such a nice afternoon and I really want to explore the Lighthouse more!
Place rating: 4
Newton Mearns, United Kingdom
Tucked away off Buchanan Street, the Lighthouse is a bit of a Glasgow gem. Part of the fun of it is the walk to get to it down Mitchell Lane — the neon lights that show you the way make it feel like a bit of an adventure, and it does make it feel like you’re on your way to somewhere cool and interesting.
Like all galleries, the ground floor has a pretty good shop. It’s got a lot of the usual gallery nick nacks (lots of Rennie Mackintosh, naturally for a site that he designed), but has a lot of cool stuff, including a small Irn Bru section if you like Scotland’s other national drink.
There is a hell of a lot of gallery space here, and there is usually a main paid for exhibition in place. This was a Paul Smith retrospective when I was there, but i have also seen School of Art stuff here as well. It’s a nice space to look at stuff — it lets in good amount of light, and doesn’t overpower the art that’s there.
Another main draw is the view from the top floor. You get a great view of the Glasgow skyline there, and if you’re a local or a tourist, it’s a great way to get an overview of the city centre. I haven’t been in the café in ages, so I can’t comment on how good it is, and it’s probably the reason I’m leaving off the final star. I probably don’t go here enough, either to enjoy the art or to just sit and enjoy the view on a nice day. I think I’ll be back soon.
Place rating: 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom
It took me an embarrassingly long time to actually visit The Lighthouse, and I’m even more embarrassed to admit that I *still* haven’t been up the top to look at the view over Glasgow! Next time, I promise!
The Lighthouse is tucked down Mitchell Lane and has a wonderful gift shop on the ground floor. I am a certified museum-​gift-​shop addict and this one is nearly as good as the one at GOMA. At the moment, they’re selling some great stuff to accompany the «Hello My Name is Paul Smith» exhibition and I couldn’t resist getting a couple of the pencils, an eraser as well as a nice card from the range. There’s a lot of nice Scottish stuff if you’re looking for a gift so it’s worth a browse even if you’re not planning on going to an exhibition.
We were there to see the Paul Smith exhibition which is on the first floor and ticketed at £6 per adult. While I think the price is a little steep, it’s a fab exhibition which was really interesting, stimulating and thought-​provoking — I think we were only there for half an hour or so, but really enjoyed it.
I’ll definitely be back sooner rather than later for a visit to the viewing platform so I’ll update accordingly! But for now, I’m already a massive fan so I can’t expect the rating to change for this lovely gallery.
Place rating: 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Love this place!
Highly recommend a trip here on a sunny clear Glasgow day (y’know, that one a year that we get) and trek up the beautiful spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse… That view — wow!
Also worth keeping an eye out for are the regular craft markets (normally run by the amazing Tea Green ladies) and the occasional Lighthouse Late events!
Lighthouse Late are amazing as for your amazing value ticket price you get live music, a couple of free drinks (generally from Scottish companies — the caorunn gin at the last one was amaaaazing), tea green market and a tea green upcycling station. So much fun, and introducing a whole new crowd to The Lighthouse!
Place rating: 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom
I love the Lighthouse, and knew when it was the #YelpEveryDamnDay theme of ‘showing off Glasgow’ that this would be the place that I take everyone to… it has so many things to see (especially if you love architecture, like most of my friends and family do) but even if you’re not a building geek there’s interesting stuff to see.
For the ‘non building’ geeks– a shop selling unusual Scottish gifts, free wifi, clean and designer toilets, a light and airy café and of course two viewing platforms which get unrivalled views of Glasgow (one accessible by lift, one by a huge spiral stair)
For the more architecturally inclined– exhibitions on an architectural and design theme (currently the UK premier of «The Nature of Art Nouveau» which has a history of this movement and a section devoted to Glasgow Art Nouveau) and the Mackintosh Centre which has a history of Charles Rennie Mackintosh work. Changing exhibitions take place in each level of the building, I’ve seen some beautiful things over the years.
For specialists– a building material library, and a regular programme of evening events and networking type things for architecture and design.
Place rating: 5
Castlereagh, United Kingdom
Great view of Glasgow at the top. If you like architecture and design come here!
Place rating: 4
Glasgow, United Kingdom
I really love dropping by The Lighthouse, and always recommend it to visitors to the city. Where to start… The galleries of ever-​changing exhibitions? gift shop? café?, viewing pod? open-​air turret? Mackintosh exhibition? It’s all good :)
The funky gallery and Scottish centre for architecture is a calm oasis just off bustling Buchanan Street. Housed in the former Glasgow Herald offices the glass-​fronted atrium features asymmetric escalators whisking visitors to the galleries. But take a moment to browse the ground floor gift shop, a great place for unusual cards, housewares and gifts.
The exhibitions are mostly all free and tend to focus on architecture and the built environment, but not exclusively. The permanent Mackintosh gallery is popular with visitors, and from here you can ascent the 100+ step spiral staircase to the awesome open-​air 360-​degree viewing turret.
There’s another viewing space on the 6th floor; accessible by lift, perfect if you’re less mobile, or the weather isn’t playing nice!
An extensive library of sustainable building materials is another permanent feature at the Lighthouse. An outstanding resource for self-​builders or renovators wanting to use environmentally sound and effective products in their building projects. Even if you’re not building your own home, it’s still a fascinating resource worth checking out.
Lastly, make sure and visit the café. Light and airy, it’s the perfect place for a relaxing coffee away from the city centre crowds. Free wifi too!
Place rating: 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom
The Lighthouse is a gallery and event space dedicated to architecture and design and I think it’s a must see if you’re interested in those subjects. It’s tucked away off Buchanan Street (look out for the neon signs!) in the old Herald newspaper building. The building itself is quite wonderful with a viewing platform on the top floor and a huge spiral staircase in one of the towers. There are several galleries and there’s always an exhibition or two that you can visit. There’s also a permanent gallery dedicated to Charles Rennie MacKintosh.
The Doocot Café on the top floor used to do excellent food but the catering is now run by Encore who do the food for most Glasgow Life museums. It’s pretty basic but you can still get a soup, sandwich or baked potato and it’s a nice space to take a break after wandering round the galleries. However I’d probably recommend having lunch elsewhere as there are lots of better options nearby.
The gift shop has changed too but is still really good. It used to be run by Tojo but now seems to be dedicated to Scottish design products like Gillian Kyle and of course there are lots of Mackintosh souvenirs. I sometimes pop in just for a look around the shop, especially if I’m searching for a gift.
Place rating: 4
Glasgow, United Kingdom
I’ve been here a few times for meetings, coffee & to see exhibitions but today’s it was solely for Doors Open Day.
Going through the shop on the ground floor, which has been revamped and more of a gallery shop with a mix of Macintosh, cards & scarves, I took the lift up to the 6th floor viewing room. It was busy but the views over Glasgow was good & we were encouraged to draw on the windows. Here’s a wee video I made of it
.
On the other floors they had opened up the Macintosh exhibition (there’s normally a charge) which I can recommend. Being an architecture & design museum the exhibition may seem small but it’s crammed with info, models of his work and some furniture. There was also a designer market run by Green Tea. All the goods are made in Scotland & I think they are there on regular basis. Not cheap but very good quality so worth it.
Def worth a visit & look out for Lighthouse Lates where they put on music, events & markets in the evening.
Place rating: 4
Glasgow, United Kingdom
The Glasgow museum of all things design and architecture. Also a gift shop for beautiful things I can’t afford, and a viewing platform for one of the best views of this fine city there is.
The design of the interior is tiled and cool and I like it. You tend to find conferences and pecha kucha type events and all sorts in here.
Used to be independent, then there were some money issues, and now it’s run by /​with Glasgow CC. Which is a funny arrangement, but it seems to work.
Oh! Café’s decent too.
I love that it’s hidden away, that you can go to Bar 10 for a pint before /​after an event, that there are cool things to buy for presents here, that the escalators switch direction depending on the time of day. Worth a look.
Place rating: 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom
As museum cafes go, this is probably one of the best in Glasgow. There is a good selection of food and the scones are ab fab! I haven’t tried the afternoon tea yet but it is on my bucket list for the calories can easily be burned off by sprinting up the spiral staircase to the rooftop to take in the spectacular view of other rooftops in the city centre and more. The climb is not for the faint hearted. Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera next time to record the cityscapes and the well-​presented food.
The Lighthouse, hidden away in Mitchell Lane just off Buchanan Street, is well worth a visit. There is the permanent Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibition and other non-​permanent exhibitions
Place rating: 3
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Me and my partner both love exploring new places (especially if they were free) so the Lighthouse was a must. The main thing that made me want to visit was because they had a top floor which had a view over Glasgow.
The building interior looked cool when we entered, basic and simple designs so it wasn’t overwhelming. We were told by the lady at the reception that there were exhibitions on certain floors so we were looking forward to see them.
We went to the top floor first as I really wanted to see what sort of view it gave over Glasgow, the actually floor is quite small with some chairs but the view was definitely nice.
The rest of the journey was somewhat. underwhelming to be honest. There weren’t many exhibitions as a couple of floors were closed, and the floors that did have exhibitions weren’t very interesting.
I’d probably come back if there was something interesting going on next time.
Place rating: 4
Renfrew, United Kingdom
The photographer in me led me to the The Lighthouse to see the Britain form Above (aerial photography) exhibition. First of all, the wow factor you get wandering about the spaces in the building is one you really must witness. The exhibits on show are images from the past that ranged from The Queen Mary afloat just after launch, to local power stations in Lanarkshire, to Jute Mills in Dundee, not to forgetting all points in between. It was a pleasant event that encouraged conversation between strangers ‘young’ enough to remember some of the places on view. All the walking and talking built and appetite, so I popped up to The Doocot café on level 5 for some sustenance which was tasty and easy on the pocket.
Place rating: 2
Glasgow, United Kingdom
We had our company Christmas night out here, a very nice venue but I’d be wary of rushing back.
The venue is good, a big room on the fifth floor with a warehouse feel, and a separate bar area was more than enough room for us, especially as a lot of people couldn’t make it due to the atrocious weather.
The bar itself wasn’t the best, no draft beer and a limited choice of spirits, and obviously the bar staff wasn’t fully trained as we had to tell them what was in some of the drinks.
The food wasn’t great, a rather bland tomato soup was followed by the usual Christmas fare, bacon wrapped turkey, overcooked brussels and undercooked potatoes. Dessert was a buffet style selection of (obviously) bought in party treats.
The staff were friendly enough if a bit haphazard, a sure sign of seasonal staff hiring if ever I saw it (not begrudging students earning a bit of spare cash of course).
All in all, it was ok. Low expectations were met which is a shame because the event had lived up to the impression the venue makes it could’ve been something special.
Oh well, roll on Christmas 2014!
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
Really neat space for events. Attended BlytheConUK here and thought it was really well set-​up by the Lighthouse people for the event organizers to finish up with the little details. I hosted a workshop in one of the gallery/​conference rooms on the 4th floor and the lighting was atrocious, however. Trying to teach about sewing when there were no lights that illuminated the central part of the room over the tables was tricky.
Overall, a great space. There’s a café, funky gift shop, and a beautiful viewing gallery with stunning vistas of central Glasgow.
Place rating: 4
Kyoto, Japan
Nice eclectic collection of free exhibitions + view.
Place rating: 3
Barrhead, United Kingdom
A Rennie Mc. inspired museum this I would have to say could easly be described as on of glasgows hidden secrets despite its smallish size it makes up for in content with what it has on show about what the building was previously used for, Rennie Macintosh, wee café near the top & a viewing gallery right at the top of the building.
Though despite being tucked away in a little side street with a couple of pubs a maybe a resraunt weither it be just me but it would proberly be wise either to avoid this wee side street at a certain time on weekends or me just being slightly paranoid about enclosed darkened wee side streets (too many horror movies I guess).
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
The Lighthouse is a lovely museum that you’d probably never find, and I genuinely didn’t even know about until about 6 months ago! It’s a lovely hidden museum, with free entry, and has all your museum-​y needs, from general Glasgow goodness to a lovely Mackintosh exhibition.
There’s a 6th floor viewing platform, but you can also go to the 3rd floor and climb to the top of the viewing tower — which gives you phenomenal views of all of Glasgow. It really is something you must see!
There’s a café, a bar and a gift shop all included, and I genuinely can’t believe I hadn’t discovered this sooner! Go see it if you haven’t already!
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
Ahem, excuse me Unilocal,I think you’ll find that I’ve already reviewed this place *clicks through reviews…* Oh, i’ve not. Oh, my bad.
Swiftly on and on and on and on and on and on… sorry, caught in a loop there. This place then. Hidden. Aye, that’s a good word to start this review off with. Pure hidden if you want to dive right in with some local language thrown into the mix. Pure hidden culture and stuff. Papped right off the ‘mighty ooft, bust much’ insanity of Buchanan Street, this is a mix of café, arty/​chic gift shop (bring yer credit car, sell the weans, steal… don’t steal!), exhibition space, exhibitions, excellent interior architecture/​design and kick ass views.
Not bad for something that quite a few folks know nothing about. Lacks the final fifth star until I’ve actually properly checked out the café and it’s quality of coffee. If my fears are correct, it’ll follow the format of most council funded building and be, for want of a better word, shite.
Place rating: 3
Ferrières-sur-Sichon, Allier
The Lighthouse est un musée contemporain consacré à l’architecture et au design. Vous y trouverez des expositions présentant des projets d’architecture du monde entier. si c’est votre passion vous devriez apprécier.
Personnellement j’y suis allée pour Mackintosh. Une exposition permanente lui est consacrée.
Né manquez pas la vue du haut de la terrasse.