A Talk about The Making of Blythswood with Graeme Smith

In this talk Graeme Smith will illustrate the making of Glasgow’s ‘New Town of Blythswood’ in the early 1800s with a special focus on its prime developers William Harley and Jane Laird, who were also responsible for building townhouses that would become the site of the original Willow Tea Rooms building.

Graeme Smith is an author and campaigner, who has helped to save several historic buildings and encourage new uses. Before retirement he worked in economic development, the building of New Towns and in Urban Renewal for the Scottish Development Agency. He has published five books on Scottish history, including ‘The Theatre Royal: Entertaining a Nation’ (2008), ‘Alhambra Glasgow’ (2011), ‘Newton Mearns Through Time’ (2014), ‘The University of Glasgow Library: Friendly Shelves’ (2016), with his most recent being ‘Glasgow’s Blythswood’ (2021).

Part of The Dug Out: Sunday Afternoon Talks for the Public in 2024. Dig deeper into the inspirations and history surrounding the original Willow Tea Rooms building with our series of talks for the public. All talks are led by an expert in their field and include a chance to ask questions, and a serving of tea/coffee and home-baked shortbread in one of our historical tea rooms.

PLEASE NOTE: Guests with full price tickets are eligible to take advantage of a special 20% discount on food and drink. Discount available for a la carte and afternoon tea, excludes alcoholic drinks, tea rooms only, must be prebooked. Venue reserves the right to limit discount use at any given time. Valid only for the day of the talk. Quote DUGOUT24 when booking and present ticket at table to take advantage of this offer.

(Image credit: Mike McCreery)

Organised in collaboration with Glasgow Blythswood Festival https://www.glasgowblythswoodfestival.co.uk/

Host or Publisher The Willow Tea Rooms Trust