Glasgow City Council confirmed on June 12, 2025 the sale of the former martyrs ‘School, a building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, at the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland for an amount of £ 250,000 (around € 293,000), according to Project Scotland. The ecclesiastical organization plans to install a museum of Scottish Catholic Archives and its administrative offices. The transaction concerns a building classified category A for Scottish heritage.
Built between 1895 and 1898 by the firm Honeyman & Keppie, while Mackintosh was the main partner, the Martyrs’ School is part of the first phase of its career. Located in Townhead, the building was first intended for non -denominational elementary education, before being converted to St Monggo’s Academy annex until 1973. It then welcomed an artistic center, then municipal services, before being left vacant in 2024, following a reorganization of the city’s building stock.
The call for candidates for sale was launched in October 2024. According to the BBC, five full proposals were received. The offer of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has been retained due to its secure funding, the absence of suspensive conditions and the complete occupation of the building provided by the project.
The renovation plan provides for a total budget of £ 1.75 million (around € 2.05 million), entirely supported by the Bishops’ Conference. The work will include the restoration of the sandstone masonry, the conservation of original ironwork and the maintenance of the light volumes characteristic of Mackintosh. Once the permits and technical studies are finalized, the work should start in early 2026, for an opening of the museum to the public planned in 2027, according to Glasgow World.
The project arouses divergent reactions. Glasgow City Council presents the sale as an example of sustainable reallow of a classified building. On the other hand, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society criticizes the procedure, denouncing an absence of consultation and deadlines deemed excessively short. Stuart Robertson, former director of the CRM Society, believes that“No serious opportunity has been given to local heritage actors to submit a competing offer”.
