Dining Room - The Hill House
The Hill House
The Hill House, Helensburgh - a Charles Rennie Macintosh masterpiece
The house was designed and built in 1905 for wealthy publisher, Walter Blackie, as a family home. The house itself and most of the interior was designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh; his wife, Margaret MacDonald designing many of the furnishings.
When compared to the dark and heavy decor of the late Victorian period, this house must have seemed 'out of this world' to its visitors and was decades ahead in building and interior design.
Although much of the panelling in the formal areas is dark oak, the family rooms (only one of the bedrooms is included here) were bright and airy with a predominantly white or pink decor.
The design and construction of the house made use of innovative features and materials. However, they have not stood the test of time and water ingress has caused considerable damage to the fabric. The building is now covered by a 'box' with chain-mail siding which allow the building to gradually dry out. Once this is complete, work to restore the building for future generations will begin. The project is expected to take between 10 and 15 years.