A triple bill of Autistic outings today as we revisit St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and art and also to an Autie-eye view of the Provand's Lordship and Glasgow Cathedral to see how the venues are fairing seven years on from Glasgow's Autism initiative.
A quick note that these reviews will be fairly brief as (spoiler warning!) Glasgow Museums have actually been really consistent when it comes to Autism friendly venues since the original Autism initiative began all those years back in 2018.
So, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin, with the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art.
As mentioned previously, named after Glasgow's patron saint and based in Glasgow's Cathedral Precinct, the museum is built on the site
of the medieval Bishops’ Castle with
galleries of objects and art exploring the importance of religion in peoples’ lives across the world
and throughout history.
Like Cassidy and his love for The Riverside Museum, St Mungo's is a favourite of another of our brood, Embeth who insists on visiting whenever we have a chance (we've already been twice in the last fortnight) and it's a joy to see how attentive the staff are with her when she talks to them.
If there's one thing I can say about the staff members at the museums I've visited is that they all seem to really love their jobs with a passion, making every visit a genuine pleasure.
I mean they even take time out to answer my obscure, Autism-based venue questions for which they probably deserve a medal.
Or at the very least a cuppa and a biscuit.
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| Embeth's happy place. |
The museum itself is deceptively large and roomy with the exhibits nicely spaced and
labeled plus there's a surprising amount of interactive exhibits too
which is always a bonus, in fact the whole museum - given it's themes -
has the perfect balance of respect for the various cultures and
religions featured without being stuffy and alienating plus it has a lovely serene atmosphere to it and that, added to the fact that it lies
outwith the city centre gives it an air of being somewhat apart from
everything else in it's own world away from the hustle, bustle, noise and smells of the city.
The entire Cathedral Precinct is perfect for a restful and quiet afternoon and is as interesting as it is serene.
Absolutely brilliant.
With it's attentive and friendly staff and fascinating exhibits (complimented by
Glasgow Life's dedicated Autism page featuring downloadable guides etc.) St Mungo Museum is well worth a visit and it's lovely to see so many Glasgow Museum venues continuing to champion Autistic visitors when so many places have fallen by the wayside.
Your Autastic certificate will be winging it's way to you as soon as.
Across the road from the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is the Provand's Lordship and I must admit that, after living in Glasgow for nigh on 35 years I'd never actually gotten around to visiting till this week (no idea why) but on the advice of Twin 1 Amelia (who loves Mary Queen of Scots) I decided to finally give it a go.
Furnished with a fine selection of 17th-century historic furniture and royal portraits, Provand's Lordship was originally built in 1471 and is one of only four surviving medieval buildings in Glasgow and has the distinction of being the cities oldest building.
Stepping inside Provand's Lordship is literally like stepping back in time, almost immediately you notice how quiet and calm the building seems and how the small looking exterior deceptively hides a labyrinth of treasures within.
Interestingly the majority of the items on show (save for the paintings) are of everyday items such as tables, chairs and the like which gives you a brilliant insight into what it must have been like to live at that time.
As ever the staff were brilliant, friendly and helpful and genuinely seemed to enjoy their work, which is always a bonus when you're approached by a mad Autist asking bizarre questions and the gardens are an utterly gorgeous place to relax in after your visit.
The Provand's Lordship is the very definition of a hidden treasure and I heartily recommend you go visit as soon as if you've never been before.
My final
visit of the day was to Glasgow Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in
mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow, which alongside St
Magnus Cathedral in Orkney, are the only medieval cathedrals in
Scotland to have survived the Reformation intact.
And who says this blog isn't educational?
To be honest I actually had a very specific reason to visit, you see way back at the start of the year Autistic icon and top performer-type person Paul Wady had written an Autistic guide to the Edinburgh Fringe where he pointed out that churches are really great places to go to if you need a quiet space or to recharge.
This struck me as to be so obvious that I was surprised no-one had even thought of it before.
Obviously it took Paul's mad genius to figure it out!
The quiet, peaceful calmness of the (truly magnificent) building is immediately soothing with many places to just sit, contemplate or just soak up the ambience, even Cassidy - our whirling dervish boychild - happily sat for at least a quarter of an hour when he visit, quietly surveying and mapping the intricacies of the cathedral's design.
And with plenty of outdoor seating and the famous Glasgow Necropolis next door you can, surprisingly spend the whole day exploring the Cathedral Precinct.
All in all a terrific triple-bill of places to visit.
Kudos again to Glasgow Museum - and cathedral - staff!
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