Date: Friday 25 April 2025
Time: 13:00 - 13:30
Venue: Online
Category: Hunterian
Speaker: Dr Ailsa Boyd

Just around the corner from the Hunterian Art Gallery, near the banks of the Kelvin, is this dramatic French chateau. Once the West End flagship store of grocers Cooper & Co, it was designed in 1886 by Glasgow architect Robert Duncan (1841-1928). This grand and impressive building fulfils the hyperbole of Cooper’s advertising slogan: ‘the most progressive and successful departmental stores in the country’.

The Hunterian benefitted from the hobbies of Cooper’s founder Thomas George Bishop and his son, Arthur Henderson Bishop, who donated their entomological and antiquarian collections to the Museum.

Little known as an architect today, Duncan’s career exemplifies one of the most exciting periods of Glasgow’s built history. He designed all the types of buildings required by the city’s dramatic growth in the 1880s – warehouses, tenements, villas and churches. As the city expanded, Duncan established the character of whole neighbourhoods in the Southside. Eight of his buildings are now listed landmarks, although often put to different uses than what they were originally built for.

His work with Cooper’s demonstrates the close relationship between an innovative and successful company, and the architect who turned their vision into bricks, mortar, marble and sandstone, in the dynamic Second City of the Empire.

Celebrating Glasgow 850, join Dr Ailsa Boyd in this online talk exploring Glasgow buildings and the role of architect Robert Duncan in shaping the landscape of our city.

About the Speaker

Dr Ailsa Boyd is an independent writer and lecturer in 19th century art, design and literature, with a concurrent career in university administration. She has a particular interest in intangible heritage, house history, the decoration of the homes we live in and imagined spaces. Academic publications include: Beatrix Whistler, manuals of household taste, Henry James’s home in Rye, and Edith Wharton’s interior design. Recent research focuses on her local area, the Glasgow architect Robert Duncan and the building of the Arlington Baths Club.

Website: https://ailsaboyd.wordpress.com

Friday Focus is an online talks series hosted by The Hunterian, University of Glasgow. Each session features a different speaker, sharing a deeper insight into our exhibitions and collections, research and work going on behind the scenes at The Hunterian.

The talks take place at 1pm over Zoom, and are 25 minutes long with time for questions afterwards. Recordings of the sessions will be made available on our YouTube channel.

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