Mackintosh At The Willow JU9 Jug

The original Willow Tea Rooms was opened by local entrepreneur, Miss Catherine Cranston, and designed by internationally renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The Tea Rooms soon became the most famous of those in Glasgow, as the temperance movement was increasing and venues where people could meet to relax and enjoy non-alcoholic refreshments were becoming popular.

The facade of the tea rooms was a carefully considered asymmetric design, respecting the neighbouring buildings by matching the cornices and heights of adjoining buildings, whilst still exploring the ideas of Art Nouveau and modern movement. Mackintosh chose to finish the building in a white smooth render, in contrast to the natural stone finish of nearby buildings. Ornamental tiles formed a chequered border pattern around the perimeter of the facade, framing the small paned windows.

It was the building itself that inspired designer, Kerry Goodwin, rather than the treasures it held within it walls. When it came to the shape of her design, Kerry wanted to encapsulate the purpose of the tea room, together with the modernity that Mackintosh stood for, and so Moorcroft’s modern, no handled jug was the perfect vessel. One of the most intricately tubelined pieces to have emerged from the kiln in recent times, each one of the tiny lead window panes is tubelined, while the small black ornamental tiles run vertically up the jug, just as they do the building on Sauchiehall Street.

In 2014 the Tea Rooms were bought by Glasgow businesswoman, Celia Sinclair in order to prevent the forced sale of the building, closure of the Tea Rooms and loss of its contents. The building is now in the ownership of ‘The Willow Tea Rooms Trust’, a registered charity, and it re-opened on 7th September 2018 after an extensive restoration. Almost 120 years since it was first designed and built, Mackintosh at the Willow is as glorious today, as it was when it first opened in 1903.

Ex Tax: £479.17

• Designer: Kerry Goodwin
• Dimensions: H 20.00 x W 9.00 x D 10.00 cm
• Availability: In Stock