27 July 2026

On Wednesday, the Glasgow School of Art Board informed the public that the most prized building in Scotland would not be rebuilt in its original form. They were talking about the iconic Mackintosh building which was seriously damaged by two fires in 2014 and 2018.

There has been a long running dispute with the insurers which had just been settled. Whilst the amount of the settlement was not disclosed, Ann Priest, the Chair of the School’s Board of Governors, told the press that £265M was required to reinstate it and they didn’t have the funds available.

‘It is a national disgrace what has happened here. Nothing less than an authentic recreation of what Mackintosh left Glasgow and the world will do.’ said Lachlan Goudie, painter and writer. ‘The Scottish Government need to be saying this is vital to our national character – we had architectural crown jewels left to us.’

It is certainly a different response to President Macron’s immediate intervention when Notre Dame de Paris went up in flames. Not only did he give a commitment that the iconic cathedral would be rebuilt but that it would be done within five years. And it was.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Alex Massie chastens the Scottish Government for not rising to the occasion. ‘The choice not to rebuild Mackintosh’s masterpiece – and it is a choice, not an inevitability – is breathtaking in its own way.’

For some, the past is not important but it helps to inform our future. Rebuilding such a masterpiece would be inspiring to all those involved in the project. It would be an investment in future generations of artists and, most of all, a celebration of Scotland’s rich cultural heritage which has been acknowledged as world class.