West End Church Project - Skerryvore
The Skerryvore Project
For some months now the former Kelvinside Parish Church at the junction of Byres Road and Great Western Road has been the proverbial hive of activity - as work gets underway in earnest on a project certain to have a major effect on the cultural and social life of the whole area.
The church was founded in 1862, and historically has had a distinguished role to play in the history of the West End, but has served no religious function for some years now and is no longer technically a church. More recently it has been sliding into an ever more dilapidated and derelict state - not just outside, where the grounds are choked with weeds and the doors plastered in graffiti, but in the flooded basement. Left unattended it looked as if it might only be a matter of time before the building was declared unsafe and fit only for demolition.
There was a plan afoot to turn the site into a block of flats, but for various reasons this fell through, and the future was beginning to look grim - until well-known Glasgow publican Colin Beattie stepped into the breach. At this point anyone unfamiliar with Colin's existing ventures could be excused for groaning: "Not another pub!" - with visions, perhaps, of the giant pub ventures popular with major companies which convert premises like churches and old bank buildings into huge licensed premises. But in fact The Skerryvore Project, as the church will now be known, is very much more than "just another pub."
Colin is partnered in this project by George Swanson, another licensed trade operator with a formidable record of achievement at the quality end of the market, and between them they have come up with a project unlike anything else in the country.
Colin has a passionate commitment to the arts; to Scottish history and culture, and to the communities where he runs some of his best-known ventures. One of his acknowledged specialities is taking places which are decidedly down at heel and turning them into exciting new venues. The most famous of these is the Lismore Bar in Partick, the creation of well-known West End designer Ranald McColl, abetted by talented Glasgow artists - because apart from being a good pub, and in fact a trade award-winning pub, it arguably has the most unusual and art-intensive interior of any licensed premises in the city. The Lismore, or Lhios Mhor, is obviously named after the Hebridean isle, and the "theme" of the pub is - remarkably - the Highland Clearances. The stained glass windows alone are worth a visit (created by Joe Boyle and Yvonne Smith of Glasworks Glasgow - whose website is well worth a look; http://www.glasworks-glasgow.ic24.net/ ).
However the Lismore is more than just the sum of its magnificent decor. Colin has also deliberately set out to create a place where you will literally meet the full spectrum of society - wee men in bunnets, university professors, artists, musicians, shoppers, builders. poets ... Another west city outlet owned and developed by Colin (and designed by Ranald) is the Ben Nevis in Argyle Street (and read more on its very individual customer offer at http://www.geocities.com/bennevisbar/music.html
Skerryvore, named after the famous lighthouse off Tiree, will reflect the high quality credentials of these venues, but will be very much its own project- albeit again with distinct Hebridean overtones. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Colin has a Tiree family connection and now also has a direct trade connection to the island, as owner of the Tiree Lodge Hotel. One of his ambitions is to foster closer links between Glaswegians and the West Highlands and Hebrides. And of course Glasgow's Skerryvore will be a symbolic beacon welcoming people from all over the world to the West End of Glasgow - offering tourists and other visitors a high quality introduction to real Scottish arts, culture and social life.
So it won't be "just another pub." The grand plan envisages a multi-purpose licensed arts and community venue with very many different uses to engage the interest of a very wide range of people. The centrepiece will indeed be a pub, but it will be created as a showpiece traditional Scottish venue, based around a classic horseshoe-shaped bar. And there will be many more features besides - such as a major performance area, a tapas-style restaurant, a conservatory, a basement area for youth activities and even a camera obscura and observation room in the steeple. The finished project will include original sculpture by one of Scotland's finest artists, as well as a custom-created mural by "local famous author" Alasdair Gray - who is very enthusiastic about the building's future.
The Manse will become a quality, casual dining establishment - aimed at a "slightly older" and discerning clientele, and will be themed on the idea of a Scottish tapas restaurant - and fresh seafood from the west coast will be one of the "headline acts" of this new eatery.
The top floor will see the construction of a completely new floor within the void in the upper part of the church, as well as a mezzanine. And from this upper space there will be direct access to the spire, via a new circular stairway, where visitors will be able to enjoy a unique Glasgow viewing tower and camera obscura - a feature intended as a lasting tribute to church founder John Blackie.
The uppermost area will become "a vehicle to promote Scotland's culture, heritage, traditions, character, pedigree, hospitality and humour, through a wide and varied programme of activity - from ceilidhs to civic functions; conferences to weddings; from theatre to live performances and recitals; cinema and comedy to art and exhibitions."
The lower ground floor will be a ceilidh, dancing and performance space aimed at a younger clientele which Colin Beattie says should be "something like a dry land Renfrew Ferry" - referring to the well-known city centre concert venue.
And because this area is plain and functional it will leave plenty of room for manoeuvre for "contemporary and innovative" - fun - design. That's the project brief (for which all necessary permissions were acquired earlier this year) - but can it work?
Colin Beattie is quietly convinced that it will. "A lot of it has to do with knowing what makes a bar work and knowing what people like - how they interact," he told me.
"But of course this is far more than a bar or restaurant project, and literally aims to appeal to every taste. There will be quieter areas where businesspeople may wish to meet and chat; there will be pensioners dropping in for a coffee during the day - performances and functions in the evening." All of that has to happen in a way that makes everyone comfortable with their 'space'."
By far the largest single project he has been involved in, Skerryvore will also be, of course, a flagship - a place capable of exerting truly international appeal - and the amount of time and money being lavished on the building by the partners is already very obvious. One feature worth a special mention is the level of effort, possibly unprecedented in a Scottish trade project, put into ensuring anybody who is infirm or has a walking difficulty will have full and unhindered access. Apart from a lift and other internal work this will also mean, for example, eliminating a few short steps at the Great Western Road entrance which could very easily have been left in place, so the doorway will be level with the street.
Skerryvore, as this makes clear, is to be for everyone.
* Note; the building also includes many original features, from from busts
of the leaders of the Reformation to superb stained glass windows,
gargoyles, etc. Everything is being painstakingly restored. Unlike many old
buildings there have been no major problems with the roof - a major bonus.
The Byres Road entrance area also houses the church's war memorial, unseen
before now by the vast majority of local people. It is to be preserved
under glass and will be kept wholly separate from every other area of the
building and its amenities.
* The pace of development obviously depends on architectural and other work so it's clearly impossible to set an exact opening date - but with luck it could be up and running during summer 2003. Certainly it's hard to imagine Skerryvore being anything less than a major West End Festival venue in years to come. The Project will trade with an entertainment licence, which means it will be a popular choice for functions of all sorts, as well as ceilidhs, concerts etc.
Roy Beers
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