A richly carved lodge rescues fragments of Glasgow University’s lost High Street college within the Gilmorehill campus.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built 1887 using seventeenth-century fragments from the Old College
- Architect / designer
- Alexander George Thomson
- Type
- Baronial university lodge, gateway and former teaching building
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB32925)
- OS grid reference
- NS 57070 66668
Architecture and continuing use
Polished sandstone, crowsteps, a pepperpot stair tower and arcaded loggia combine with carved panels salvaged from the demolished Old College. The gateway joins architecture and campus movement.
Its story
Sir William Pearce funded the rescue of Old College fragments after railway development displaced the University’s High Street home. Thomson incorporated them into this 1887 lodge.
Why it is included
It is at once a Victorian design, a fragmentary survival of seventeenth-century Glasgow and an active university building.
What to notice
- Carved panels and dated fragments from the Old College.
- Arcaded loggia beside the gateway.
- Pepperpot roof and crowstepped gables.
Reading the surroundings
View from public campus routes. Offices are working accommodation and not general visitor space; follow University access and event guidance.
Timeline
- Built 1887 using seventeenth-century fragments from the Old College Sir William Pearce funded the rescue of Old College fragments after railway development displaced the University’s High Street home. Thomson incorporated them into this 1887 lodge.
- Present University offices for Planning, Insight and Analytics and an active campus gateway.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Office teams may relocate; the current University page identifies Planning, Insight and Analytics as the occupier checked on the review date.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Pearce Lodge, LB32925 — Designation status, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- University of Glasgow: Pearce Lodge — Current campus location, architectural interpretation and public self-guided-tour context.
- University of Glasgow: Pearce Lodge and campus development — Current office use and the lodge’s role in the modern campus.
Location
OS grid reference NS 57070 66668 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.