Riverside Museum

  • The Riverside Museum opened in the summer of 2011
  • Interior exhibit at the Riverside Museum
  • Riverside Museum at Glasgow Harbour on the north bank of the River Clyde

Visit the Riverside Museum

Glasgow's newest museum is now open to the public.  Visit the stunning Riverside Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid, to explore Glasgow's outstanding transport collection.  Find full information about opening times and travel information here.

The Riverside Museum is free to visit.

Lead Partner: Glasgow City Council

Other Partners: funding partners: Heritage Lottery Fund, Riverside Museum Appeal

Project Team: architects: Zaha Hadid Architects main building contractor: BAM mechanical, electrical, structural and civil engineering services: Buro Happold exhibition designers: Event Communications project managers, quantity surveyors and planning supervisors: Capita Symonds.

Website: 
www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/riverside/pages/default.aspx

Project History
Click an image to enlarge

  • View of Riverside Museum during construction
  • Installation of glass facade to Riverside Museum
  • Riverside Museum nearing completion
  • The Riverside Museum and SV Glenlee at Glasgow Harbour
  • A Victorian Street has been recreated at the new Riverside Museum
  • Interior exhibit at the Riverside Museum

Location:

Greater Govan & Glasgow Harbour, Glasgow Harbour

Description:

The Riverside Museum provides an exciting new home for Glasgow's transport collection and replaces the Museum of Transport previousy located at the Kelvin Hall. The development has a riverside location on a site where the River Clyde meets Glasgow's other main river, the Kelvin, and will be adjacent to Glasgow Harbour, a private-sector led mixed-use development extending to 120 acres.

The Riverside Museum project is funded by Glasgow City Council, with the Heritage Lottery Fund also a major sponsor.

Moored outside is the 19th-century sailing ship, Glasgow's Tall Ship, the Glenlee.

The much-acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid created the design for the Riverside Museum, which has already been dubbed 'Glasgow's Guggenheim'.

The new museum houses collections not previously on display at the Museum of Transport, and for the first time allows the proper interpretation of Glasgow's important maritime history. Visitors can walk down a re-created 1900s street, drive a locomotive and tackle a tenement fire.

With more than 3,000 objects on display, from skateboards to locomotives, paintings to prams, velocipedes to voiturettes, there is something for visitors of all ages.

The Riverside Museum Appeal has a target of £5m to reach to provide the final funding for the project.

Find out more about local history and heritage and places to visit on the Clyde Waterfront Heritage site.

 

Current status:

The project started on site in 2007. During summer 2008 foundational work was carried out and massive underground trenches created to house the services for the building. By late September 2008 the steel skeleton of the structure was taking shape.

During 2010 the cladding of the building was put in place and fitting out continued along with the landscaping works.

The building work was completed late autumn 2010 and the museum was opened on 21 June 2011.

Glasgow's Tall Ship, the Glenlee has now moved to its new position at  the Riverside Museum and also reopened on 21 June 2011.

Timescale:

2007– 2011

Cost:

£74 million