Doors Open Days 2018: A guide
Walk, run and jump through Scotland's built heritage from churches to concert halls as Doors Open Days returns for 2018
In 2018 you can pull up the highest-res photographs or dive inside a Street View approximation of an iconic building at the touch of a button, but there’s just no substitute for seeing things up close and personal. Helpfully, that's the exact premise of Doors Open Days, returning this month with a huge range of doors kicked ajar throughout the month.
Glasgow’s celebration of all things architectural is the most impressive – there are dozens of exciting sites to explore from 10 to 16 September, including a host of new places to check out this year. These fresh additions range from the shiny and contemporary – like the Scottish Ballet headquarters at Tramway, or Dear Green coffee roastery in the East End – to the chunky and venerable. Ever wanted to look around the Old Central Police Courts, but didn’t want to do the crime that would necessitate doing the time? Now you can, although you’d also have a lovely afternoon at Robert Allason’s Greenbank Gardens, home to more than 3,600 species of plants. From the restored 1840s Engine Works in Maryhill to cultural hotspots like The Common Guild and the Rockvilla base of the National Theatre of Scotland, there’s a veritable shitload to see and do.
The Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church serves as a pop-up hub throughout the Doors Open Days festivities in Glasgow, with an extensive programme of talks and events lined up over the course of the week. We’re talking Parkour tours of the city, walks that shine a light on the buildings shaped by the M8’s path through Glasgow, and trails around the city’s examples of brutalist architecture. Oh the concrete you’ll see!
Up in Dundee on 8 and 9 September, things are equally varied. Artistic? Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Dundee Rep, taking in the costume department, workshops and rehearsal rooms as if you're the real theatrical deal. You can also head over to DCA for a look around their Print Studio and a glimpse of their cinema set-up. Like boats? You can have a peek around the HMS Unicorn, one of the world's oldest surviving warships, and have a gander at the exterior of the V&A while you're at it. Big pub fan? Hit up the Edwardian classic that is the Speedwell Bar for a 15-minute guided tour. And if you like a variety of things, get to the Collections Unit at the McManus to see the various Archaeology, Natural and Social History artefacts on offer.
And in Edinburgh (29-30 Sep), spiritual home of the old old building, there's a plethora of places to check out. Down in Leith, you can take a wander around the renovated Leith Theatre, or have a tour round the newly-revived Custom House (we advise bookending your visit with a coffee in Custom Lane and lunch at Leith Market). The Drumsheugh Baths in the New Town are a Moorish marvel built in the 1880s, so if you like big shadows and lovely arches we suggest you pop along; Edinburgh University's flagship McEwan Hall in Bristo Square is also on the list for this year, offering a chance to check out its ceremonial grandeur without being shouted at for disrupting someone's graduation ceremony and/or stand-up comedy gig.
Music-lovers can check out St Cecilia's Hall, Scotland's oldest concert hall that dates back to the 1760s and now houses hundreds of musical instruments and artefacts. Book fans can head to the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre (come for the literature, stay for the engraved glass dome ceiling), and those of you who are into skeletons can take a rare opportunity to check out the Anatomical Museum at the University of Edinburgh. Basically, there's something for everyone – just push open the door and find out what's behind.