Speirs Lock Creative Quarter
There's a new and evolving cultural hub on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal in north Glasgow.
The Whisky Bond
Originally built as a bonded warehouse for Highland Distilleries in 1957, The Whisky Bond has been home to a growing community of thinkers, designers, makers and doers since 2012.
The Whisky Bond sits on the Glasgow Canal, with a spectacular view over the city’s skyline. Spread over seven floors of studios, offices, co-working and social spaces, The Whisky Bond is a hive of creativity and productivity, and is the home of Glasgow Sculpture Studios.
Find out more:
The Glue Factory
The Glue Factory is an independent arts venue and workspace situated at Speirs Wharf in north Glasgow.
The organisation was founded in 2011 as a non-profit community interest company by a committee of people working across art, design, architecture, music and event production.
The building is a cavernous industrial warehouse containing a sprawling and diverse collection of spaces. From white walled galleries to decommissioned glue vats, the building has a rich history and raw beauty that make it an exciting venue for bold and ambitious projects, exhibitions and events.
Roughly 25% of the building is dedicated to providing affordable workspace for artists and creative businesses and houses a variety of studios including a professional screen printing studio for paper and fabric, Risograph print and design studio, furniture workshop and a sound design studio.
The Glue Factory now sits alongside some of Scotland’s major cultural institutions – the National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Opera, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Sculpture Studios and workspaces such as The Whisky Bond and Grey Wolf Studios.
Find out more:
National Theatre of Scotland – Rockvilla
A former cash and carry in the Speirs Wharf regeneration area of north Glasgow has been remodelled and refurbished by the National Theatre of Scotland to create Rockvilla, a new centre for creativity, production and talent development.
The latest in a growing number of cultural organisations driving regeneration in this area of north Glasgow, The National Theatre of Scotland moved in to their new permanent home in November 2016. Other cultural tenants include Scottish Opera, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Sculpture Studios, The Glue Factory and The Whisky Bond.
Designed by Hoskins Architects, approximately 3,700 sq. metres of space was created over two levels, allowing the company to house all its rehearsal and production activity under one roof.
The canalside building provides the Company and the Scottish theatre sector with a flexible, fit for purpose space with three rehearsal rooms of varying scales, creative development spaces, a learning and community suite, a working wardrobe facility, production workshop and technical store, office space, meeting room facilities and social areas.
Glasgow Sculpture Studios
Glasgow Sculpture Studios was established in June 1988 and is a unique centre for research, production, presentation and the dissemination of contemporary sculptural practices.
Occupying the first three floors of The Whisky Bond, it’s the only organisation of its kind in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.
Glasgow Sculpture Studios supports a vibrant community of professional artists who focus on innovative sculptural techniques and practices, providing studio and production facilities, alongside staff expertise, to foster a vibrant community of artists. In parallel to this, Glasgow Sculpture Studios aims to enhance the public’s understanding and awareness of contemporary sculptural practice both nationally and internationally through a range of Public Programmes.
Find out more:
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a national and international centre of excellence for performing arts education.
Building on their roots in 1847 as a national academy of music, they are now one of the world’s most multi-disciplinary conservatoires, offering specialised and intensive teaching in dance, drama, music, production and screen.
Located in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) is the nation’s busiest performing arts centre with more than 500 public performances taking place across six professional venues each year. They welcome over 40,000 members of the public every academic year, to watch talented and passionate students perform on stage.
Based in the centre of Glasgow, the RCS have occupied their home at Renfrew Street, just behind Glasgow’s famous Sauchiehall Street since 1987. In 2011 RCS expanded their facilities and opened the state-of-the-art dance, production and ensemble rehearsal studios, The Wallace Studios.
The Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks was designed by award-winning Malcolm Fraser Architects to provide teaching and learning space for their Modern Ballet, Production Arts and Musical Theatre students.
Just ten minutes walk away from the building at Renfrew Street, the premises house four large high-specification dance and musical theatre rehearsal studios which are also available to hire to appropriate groups. There are also extensive design, set and wardrobe construction studios including a full size paint frame.
This development puts the Royal Conservatoire at the heart of an ambitious urban regeneration programme supported by Glasgow City Council. It is a cornerstone in the creation of a hub of artistic activity in this part of the city, with partners Scottish Opera and the National Theatre of Scotland directly adjacent.
Find out more:
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
