Glasgow Museums Resource Centre

Glasgow Museums Resource Centre is the first publicly accessible store for the city’s museum service. With 200,000 objects on display, it offers new opportunities to explore the collections. The majority of the Robert Burns collection is held here in purpose built facilities. You can enjoy a free, guided tour of the collections at 2.30pm daily. Glasgow Museums Service can also organise tailor made tours to explore the Burns collection. Please contact Education and Access on 0141 276 9375.

Amongst the highlights of the collection are:

Thomas Faed’s Burns and Highland Mary, a masterpiece of Victorian romantic painting.

This painting by famous Victorian artist, Thomas Faed, shows an imaginary meeting of Burns and Mary Campbell. Robert Burns met Mary Campbell in Mauchline, Ayrshire. The details of their relationship are uncertain but it is thought that they married in a traditional ceremony. Burns intended Mary to accompany him to Jamaica but she died in October 1786 at Greenock, whilst waiting for Burns to complete the arrangements for their emigration. Like many artists of his time, his paintings often dealt with Scottish subjects and Burn’s relationship with ‘Highland’ Mary Campbell provided perfect romantic inspiration

The GMRC also cares for Burns’ punchbowl, said to have been used by the poet at Masonic meetings at Lochlea Farm in Ayrshire. There is also a small but diverse collection of Burnsiana, including Mauchline ware and pottery.

From 2006, the star objects in the Burns collection will be on display in the newly refurbished Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.