The Hill House

• Be inspired by the unique building, interiors and collection designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh in the ‘Glasgow style’.
• Find out about the Blackie family, who called the Hill House their home.
• Ask questions about the Hill House Box and the National Trust for Scotland’s pioneering approach to caring for this building.
• Explore inside the Box and see the Hill House and Helensburgh like never before from the walkways around the house and over the roof.
• Enjoy a delicious hot drink or a browse in our shop – there’s no need to book an admission ticket for the café.

The Hill House is considered to be Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s domestic masterpiece. Commissioned by Glasgow book publisher Walter Blackie, up-and-coming architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and artist Margaret Macdonald worked collaboratively to create almost everything you see here, from the building itself to the furniture and textiles.

Mackintosh was a revolutionary designer, but the materials and techniques at the cutting edge of architectural design in 1900 haven’t withstood a century of the west of Scotland’s harsh, wet weather conditions.

The external render of the property has not proved watertight and the walls have gradually become saturated and are crumbling, with water now threatening the interiors. If we don’t act, the house will be irreparably damaged and we’ll lose its iconic architecture and unique interiors forever.

We’ve embarked on a 10-year conservation programme, which will allow continued public access to the house. Stage one opened to visitors in early June 2019, with a protective steel frame structure covered in chainmail mesh, featuring walkways around and over the top of the house. This structure, along with a new visitor centre, delivers a unique heritage visitor experience, offering views of the Hill House that have never been seen before, even by Mackintosh himself.