Glaswegians urged to explore city's hidden gems as Doors Open Day Festival kicks off
There could be some once in a lifetime opportunities to discover hidden gems not usually open to the public
Glaswegians are being urged to explore their home city as the annual Doors Open Days festival gets underway.
For the next week, buildings which are not always open to the public will be ushering in visitors - some opening once in a lifetime - for a celebration of history and heritage.
When Doors Open Days began in 1990, 44 events took place in Glasgow and Ayr.
It has now expanded to reach all 32 council regions of Scotland with visitors accessing nearly 1,000 events.
Doors Open Days is coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust and is part of European Heritage Days alongside Scottish Archaeology Month, coordinated by Archaeology Scotland. Both are supported by Historic Environment Scotland.
The free event runs across Glasgow from September 11 2023 - September 17 2023 and organisers estimate that around 20,000 people flow through the city for the festival.
'See inside buildings you've never seen before'
Event coordinator, Stephen Sheriff, said: "The festival offers people an opportunity to see inside buildings that they won't have seen before.
"There are so many fantastic organisations working across the city, and it's a chance to find out the things people are working on and get involved with the civic life of Glasgow.
"I think Doors Open Days is about finding out about the place that you live and interacting with the city in a different way.
"There are lots of heritage trails and things like that, and perhaps people haven't gotten a chance to see that type of thing before.
"I would say our primary audience is local people, because we're telling local stories.
"It's stories about the history of the city that people know and love, I mean, people walk down these streets every day and at Doors Open Days you get to find out a little bit more about your home."
Britannia Panopticon
One of the venues throwing open the doors will be the Britannia Panopticon in the Trongate - the oldest surviving music hall in the world.
Speaking from the venue, Lord Provost of Glasgow, Jacqueline McLaren, said: "This, in particular, is one of Glasgow's best hidden gems.
"I'm super excited to see it, I've been reading about this building for a number of years and I'm so excited to be in it now - the history is fabulous.
"I'd encourage all Glaswegians to take a day off their work and tour the city.
"We've got venues right across the West End, the South Side... there are hundreds of buildings that people don't even know are there, so this is really important to help people see how wonderful Glasgow really is."
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