Visual Delights at Holmwood
The conservation team at Holmwood is diligently restoring and preserving ‘Greek’ Thomson’s intricate designs so visitors can experience the Glaswegian villa in its original glory of ancient, classical, and Egyptian visual delights.
To conservators’ surprise and delight, Thomson’s evidence of original interior decoration scheme has been uncovered – much of it surviving intact under layers of paint applied over the years by the home’s former owners. These highly colorful and intricately stenciled walls are rare examples of Thomson’s interiors, and the only ones open to the public. With painstaking conservation work they are being explored, conserved, and recreated, ensuring the vision of Thomson and the visual delight of this home can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Detailed and extremely specialized work has been underway at Holmwood over the past few years, generously supported by major donors of The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA including Naoma Tate and Sandra and Holt Massey. As the rich colors and opulent designs have been brought vividly to life, piece by piece, we are excited this ambitious restoration project is nearly complete. Now, we turn to sharing Thomson’s genius with the world by restaging the home to its original specifications, including bespoke carpeting, enabling visitors to experience what the villa would have looked like when it was first constructed in 1857–8.
From grand cliff-side estates to the humble cottage where Robert Burns was born – the Trust cares for some of Scotland’s most special places. Our architectural holdings are diverse and preservation projects cover a range of interests. Contact Kirstin Bridier at kbridier@ntsusa.org to learn more about all our current architectural heritage initiatives.