Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938
Encyclopedia
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
held at Bellahouston Park
Bellahouston Park
Bellahouston Park is a public park in the South Side of Glasgow, Scotland, between the areas of Mosspark, Craigton, Ibrox, and Dumbreck, covering an area of . It is based around Ibrox hill in the centre, with commanding views over most of the city, exceptions being views to the east that are...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, from May to December 1938.
The Exhibition marked fifty years since Glasgow's first great exhibition, the International Exhibition (1888) held at Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the world-famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.-History:...
. It also offered a chance to boost the economy of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, recovering from the depression of the 1930s.
The event
An international football competition, the Empire Exhibition Trophy
Empire Exhibition Trophy
The Empire Exhibition Trophy was a football competition held in 1938 in conjunction with the Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 in Glasgow. It was held to commemorate the Exhibition, then underway in Bellahouston Park, and the prize was a solid silver model of the Tait Tower.Four teams from Scotland...
, was held in conjunction with the Exhibition.
Exhibition pavilions were erected on the site, the two largest being the Palace of Engineering and Palace of Industry, and countries in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
contributed their own national pavilions. The Exhibition was masterplanned by Thomas S. Tait
Thomas S. Tait
Thomas Smith Tait was a prominent Scottish Modernist architect. He designed a number of buildings around the world in Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles, notably St...
, who headed of a team of nine architects, which included Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
and Jack Coia.
The most prominent structure was the Tait Tower
Tait Tower
Tait Tower was a tower in the art deco style constructed at the summit of Bellahouston Hill in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow in Scotland as part of the Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938.It was designed by Thomas S...
(officially the Tower of Empire), 300 feet high (91.44 m). Although it was intended to remain as a permanent monument after the exhibition, the tower was demolished in July 1939.
Legacy
The only major surviving original structure on the site is the Palace of Art.In December 2007, Digital Design Studio
Digital Design Studio
The Digital Design Studio is a research and postgraduate centre of Glasgow School of Art, specialising in 3D digital visualisation and interaction technologies.-History:...
at Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
created a 3D graphic reconstruction of the 1938 exhibition, sourced from contemporary photographs, film footage, sketches and drawings from the archive of the Mitchell Library
Mitchell Library
The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...
, amongst other sources.. In 2010, the Digital Design Studio
Digital Design Studio
The Digital Design Studio is a research and postgraduate centre of Glasgow School of Art, specialising in 3D digital visualisation and interaction technologies.-History:...
was awarded a further research grant to enhance the 3D model for public engagement.. The Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
's youtube channel contains several videos of the 3D model.
See also
- International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry (1888)
- Glasgow International ExhibitionGlasgow International Exhibition (1901)The Glasgow International Exhibition was the second of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Summary:...
(1901) - Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and IndustryScottish Exhibition of National History, Art and IndustryThe Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry was the third of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Summary:...
(1911) - Glasgow Garden FestivalGlasgow Garden FestivalThe Glasgow Garden Festival was the third of the United Kingdom's five National Garden Festivals, and the only one to take place in Scotland.It was held in Glasgow between 26 April and 26 September 1988...
(1988)
Further reading
- Perilla Kinchin and Juliet Kinchin - Glasgow's Great Exhibitions: 1888, 1901, 1911, 1938, 1988 ISBN 0-9513124-0-5
- Johnston, Ian (2008). Edit. Glasgow's Greatest Exhibition. Recreating the 1938 Empire Exhibition. Edinburgh : RIAS. ISBN 978-1-873190-59-3.
External links
- Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 - 3D reconstruction of the exhibition by the Digital Design Studio at Glasgow School of Art
- Bellahouston Park
- Empire Exhibition, Glasgow 1938: visual library
- Glasgow's great exhibitions
- Bellahouston Park History & Heritage - Glasgow City Council (includes Empire Exhibition history)
- National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (selection of archive films about the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow, 1938)