View of the Hill House

We went on a day trip to Glasgow and on to Helensburgh to go and see the Hill House which was designed back in 1902 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Lottie said she'd enjoyed the house more than she thought she would. Scottie enjoyed playing hide and seek with our friends in the gardens.

Being only open for 4 hours a day makes the house a little crowded at times, and the banning of photography in the house means I get a bit fed up when I'm itching to frame images - as I do too often (says Lottie). But the quality of the design and the huge contribution made
by Margaret (Mrs CRM) shine through.

The best thing for me were the comments on the guide cards in the rooms quoting William Blackie's children. (Blackie commissioned the building of the house). Their quotes stated how their parents didn't look upon the house as a museum piece, but as a family home which was built to withstand the rigors of family life.

I drew Lottie's attention to the piece about the Living Room where there is a gesso panel created by Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh and the children tell the story that Mrs Mackintosh came to design the gesso panel which she created using a piping bag - I'd always wondered how it was done.

We visited Blackwell House in the Lake District earlier this year, so it was interesting to compare and contrast the architectural details and the scale of the houses, and the ways the different conservation agencies had approached the presentation of the historic houses.