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Showing posts with the label Spanish

Pollok House and Estate, Spanish Art, European Emblems and links to European language learning

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  Pollok House Pollok House is the last of a series of houses built on the same site, as homes for members of the ancient and celebrated Maxwell, later Stirling Maxwell family. Pollok House was gifted to the City of Glasgow in 1966, and is managed for the city by the National Trust for Scotland. https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/pollok-house Photos of Pollok House : J Wilson Spanish Art The elegant Georgian House, with a magnificent view south over and beyond the White Cart river, was built in 1752. It is fundamentally Georgian with sympathetic early twentieth-century additions. One of its most important aspects now though dates from rather later: the collection of Spanish art (as well as works by Rubens, Raeburn, William Blake and others) amassed by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell (1818-1878, initially William Stirling) who at different points in his career was the MP for Perthshire, Rector of both St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities, and Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. ...

Whitelee Wind Farm

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Renewable Energy - Our Future The Whitelee wind farm which can be seen from most parts of Glasgow is a vast wind farm on the southern edge of Glasgow. The main visitor centre is located in East Renfrewshire, but the majority of turbines are situated in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It is the largest on-shore wind farm in the UK and second largest in Europe after Fântânele-Cogealac, in Romania. It has 215 Siemens and Alstom wind turbines and a total capacity of 539 megawatts (MW). Whitelee was developed and is operated by ScottishPower Renewables, which is part of the Spanish company Iberdrola. https://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/whitelee-windfarm-about-us The Wind Farm also has an excellent visitor centre and receives many educational visits. For example, to teach primary school children about renewable energy: And, as well as being popular on Instagram, Wind Farms are popular with young Scots! 67% of 16-24 year olds in Scotland support the use of onshore wind to generate power:...

Glasgow City Chambers

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The City Chambers features Western Europe's largest marble staircase. The three ornate levels were built using Carrara marble imported from Italy.  As you climb the stairs there is a white lion carved in them.  It is considered “lucky” to rub the lion’s nose every time you pass by.  The City Chambers were designed by William Young,  The statue of a woman on top of the building is Truth and the statues beside her represent Riches and Honour. The dark wood in the Council Chamber itself is made from Spanish mahogany. The City Chambers also has on display information about links to Glasgow's Twin Towns. View from the City Chambers onto George Square Commemorative Plate from European City of Culture year 1990 Photos : J Wilson The magnificent interiors include marble staircases, grand rooms and wonderful paintings.  In the magnificent Banqueting Hall for example, you can this painting of Glasgow Fair on Glasgow Green: . Nelson Mandela received his Freedom of t...