Hutchesons Hall, Glasgow

Work is now complete on this award winning internal refurbishment of Hutcheson's Hall in the Merchant City Area of Glasgow.

The building which was completed in the early 1800s was designed by Scottish Architect David Hamilton and is considered to be one of the finest examples of this period in Scotland.

Hadden Construction were commissioned following storm and internal water damage to restore the interior to its former glory.

Work included the complete internal refurbishment of the hall to provide offices, restaurant, brasserie, kitchen and toilets.  The retention and re-instatement of the original architectural features is of key importance on this project with ornate plasterwork and period features.

The building is now occupied by the restaurant Hutchesons Glasgow which provides a magnificent and fitting ambience to the property.

The project received a Glasgow Institute of Architects Conservation Commendation Award 2014.

Behind Hutcheson’s clean white façade lies a long and colourful history.

The original Hutcheson’s Hospital was erected in 1660 after George Hutcheson of Lamb Hill left an endowment stating his wishes for a hospital to be built for sick and old men. His brother Thomas Hutcheson later added to the endowment that the new building should also accommodate a school for orphaned boys. The Hospital stood at the Trongate until it was demolished in 1795 and in the same year the Patrons of the Hospital purchased grounds in Ingram Street.

In 1802 the patrons commissioned a relatively young David Hamilton, one of Glasgow’s great architects, to design and oversee the construction of a new hospital building. Hutcheson’s Hall one of Glasgow’s finest and most elegant buildings was completed in 1805. The new hospital building was planned to accommodate offices and meeting rooms for the hospital patrons as well as school rooms, but just five years after the building opened the school became overcrowded and a new purpose built school was constructed next door.

Statues of George and Thomas Hutcheson carved in 1655 by James Colquhoun were removed from the original Hutcheson’s Hospital and can be seen today taking pride on the exterior of the building facing Hutcheson’s street and are the oldest free standing statues in Glasgow.

In 1876 a major refurbishment took place within the building with alteration works being completed to the designs of John Baird II. Much of the internal plan and decorative and structural arrangements which can be experienced today date from this significant remodelling. The most radical alteration appears to be in the Grand Hall where the entire second storey floor was removed allowing for the formation of a new double height hall. Further alterations took place in 1983 and 1994.

Many original features still adorn the building with comprehensive panelling and cornicing and intricate and detailed stained glass windows. The stained glass work to the hall itself includes direct reference to the Hutchesons’ Hospital endowments, images of the original hospital building, the then current grammar school building in Crown Street and of the Hutcheson brothers.

Since its creation in the early 1900s, it has had many uses ranging from a bank, library, examination space and retail use.