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Tenement House
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There are two parts to the property â€" the Tenement House itself which is on the first floor, and the exhibition which is in the Reception flat on the ground floor. At the reception desk, visitors can pick up a free information sheet with background information about the tenements in Glasgow and the life of Miss Agnes Toward.
Visitors are advised to see The Tenement House first and then return to the Reception flat to see the exhibition on tenement life and the exhibition of Miss Toward’s papers.
Visitors are welcome to go round the rooms in any order they wish. Room Guides are on duty to answer visitors’ questions.
If you would like a copy of the children’s quiz, please ask staff on duty in The Tenement House. A clipboard and pencil are also provided.
Autumn and Winter
Looking for something for kids to do in the school October holiday? If they like drawing and a bit of a challenge, they might like to take part in The Big Draw, an annual event organised by The Campaign for Drawing to encourage people across Britain to be creative and get drawing. This year’s Big Draw at The Tenement House takes place from 14th October.
The Tenement House is open for eight months of the year. People sometimes ask why it is not open all year round. The main reason for this is that buildings do not stay in good repair for ever, and every year some kind of building maintenance work has to be carried out. It would not be possible or safe to do this while the property was open to the public. Much of the building work is very dusty and so furniture and objects have to be moved into store or covered with dustsheets while the work is carried out. Sometimes rooms have to be sealed off to prevent the dust from spreading as for example, in the winter of 2006, when the bathroom ceiling had to be replaced because of water damage. The work took two months to complete because traditional lime and horsehair plaster was used. All the objects from the bathroom had to be put into safe storage and the hall furniture was covered with dustsheets. This winter, there are plans to have all of the front steps to the building replaced because they are becoming worn and dangerous through the wear and tear caused by over sixteen thousand pairs of feet going up and down them each year. It will also be necessary to fit better ventilation to the parlour so that the coal effect gas fire complies with current gas safety legislation. Other jobs that will need doing in the next couple of years will be redecoration of the bathroom and perhaps the parlour and the updating of the electrical wiring.
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