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Mackintosh Hill House goes 'naked' for first time in 122 years

News imageBBC It trapped water within the walls, resulting in both the structure of the house and the bespoke interior decoration being damaged by water penetration BBC
Visitors can see Hill House exposed completely in its bare brickwork

Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House has been exposed in its naked brickwork for the first time since it was built, in a conservation "milestone" to save the property.

National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said the roughcast removal will now allow experts to make the 122-year-old building watertight.

The property, in Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, is considered to be the Glasgow artist's most complete example of a domestic home.

A Portland cement render was applied to the building in 1904, under Mackintosh's instruction, but it ended up soaked by the driving rain of Scotland's west coast.

Mackintosh had envisioned Hill House as "a home for the future" and used the experimental material which contributed to the building's damp problems.

A timelapse shows the "milestone" removal of roughcast from the Hill House

It trapped water within the walls, which left the structure of the house and its bespoke interior decoration damaged by water penetration.

Hill House was placed inside a chainmail box in an attempt to protect its saturated walls and allow them to gradually dry out. This is due to be removed in 2028.

Over the past five-and-a-half months stonemasons have removed all the roughcast from the building.

They will now work with experts to develop a long-term replacement roughcast that responds to Mackintosh's original design while protecting the building fabric.

News imagePA Media A large white building, with a protective roof and covering placed over the whole buildingPA Media
A giant box was built around the house to allow the roughcast walls to dry out
News imageNTS The modern looking home designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh sits inside a massive chainmail protective box. NTS
The protective box was put in place in 2019

Phil Long, NTS chief executive, said: "The Hill House is one of Scotland's most important architectural treasures, and the completion of the roughcast removal marks a significant moment in its conservation.

"It follows years of careful research, monitoring and specialist work to better understand the building and determine how best to protect it for the future.

"With continued support, we can ensure that the Hill House and the wider legacy of Mackintosh and Macdonald are protected, understood and shared for generations to come.

"There is still a great deal of work ahead, and we will continue to need the support of our partners, funders and donors as the project progresses."

News imageNTS Close-up view of a weathered red sandstone building featuring a curved projecting bay with boarded-under timber supports, leaded-glass windows, and aged masonry. The historic structure sits beneath a large modern steel canopy, highlighting the contrast between old and new architectural elements.NTS
Stonemasons spent five-and-a-half months removing roughcast from the building

The work to save the Hill House is part of NTS's Mackintosh Illuminated project which aims to conserve, celebrate and share the legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh.

Together they designed Hill House for publisher Walter Blackie. The couple had a hand in the design of every aspect of the building and its fittings.

NTS took ownership of the house in 1984.

It is seeking to raise £14m towards the £20m conservation costs for both the house and the Mackintosh Tearooms on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow.

In June, it received an anonymous donation of £625,000, which it said was one of the largest anonymous donations it had ever received.