Cottier reborn

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A fairly earnest feature article appeared in The Herald recently on the subject of Daniel Cottier, the Anderston-born designer and artist whose work is rightly famous almost everywhere except Scotland – where the experts all admire him but nobody else knows him at all.

He was in his prime during the mid-19th century at the time when large and prestigious Presbyterian churches were sprouting in areas including Hyndland, Dowanhill and Kelvinbridge to answer the spiritual needs of emerging new white collar communities ? and one of his masterpieces of interior design was the former Dowanhill Parish Church on Highburgh Road (at the top of Hyndland Street).

Apart from the stained glass windows which are among his most widely-recognised achievements this church was treated to a very avant-garde freehand ?Aztec? style of design, genuinely groundbreaking in an era which tended to play a bit safe, particularly in ecclesiastical settings.

So after a bit somebody decided to vandalise the whole gigantic work of art by slapping blue paint over the lot ? an artistic sacrilege which specialists The Four Acres Charitable Trust have been labouring to put right since 1984.

Now they have arrived at what?s clearly a landmark moment. To fund their activities the Trust have used the leased bar and restaurant operations at ?Cottiers?, and while for a time it might have seemed as if the place might never be more than a converted church ? like, say, Church on the Hill at Battlefield ? this month finally saw the reopening of the main hall as a theatre.

The opening show is a musical version of the Count of Monte Cristo, and just like the count the restored main hall, a massive undertaking, has figuratively come back from the Chateau Dief.

If all goes according to plan West Enders will have in their midst not only a celebration of the art of a great Victorian Glaswegian of international standing but also a high quality theatre with fully-fledged professional restaurant and bar facilities, all arguably acting as a nice counterpoise to Oran Mor half a mile up the road on Great Western Road and Byres Road.

Each former church will have a different style, and together they?ll be able to offer a genuine local ?circuit? of venues in a stretch which will also take in smaller performance spaces in excellent hostelries such as (music specialist) Bar Brel in Ashton Lane.

A common complaint by bar and restaurant operators at the West End Festival over the last couple of years is that all the action has been dragged over to Kelvingrove, where admittedly there?s more space for family fun day events involving kiddies.

The reopening of Cottiers Theatre will, I think, swing the pendulum back the other way a little. The relatively short stretch between Great Western Road and the top of Hyndland Street will be ?theatreland?, with an eclectic choice of entertainments ranging from classical music and jazz to comedy, theatre, celebrations of fine Scottish cuisine and no doubt very much more besides.

Not to put to fine a point on it, it?s great news for local people who like good food and drink with their culture, and who don?t really enjoy sitting in huge impersonal corporate function suites in the middle of town ? so it?s one up to the West End?s unrivalled going out scene.