The People's Palace-Ashley Lawson

Well we have successfully arrived in Glasgow after a 3-day excursion through the Highlands of Scotland and I have never been so happy to be off a bus and in a dorm! The Highlands were absolutely breath taking but I must say I was ready to be in a stationary place. I feel as if we are now going to get the true city experience and today’s excursion did a great job illustrating how the city has changed. Today’s excursion was at the People’s Palace and it was a needed break from the cold rainy weather outside. Unlike many museums or palaces, the Peoples Palace is set up to be very kid friendly and boasts a wonderful greenhouse on the back of the building called the Winter Garden. The building was erected in 1898 in the Glasgow Green district. The People’s Palace was set up to illustrate how people lived during the mid 1700’s until 20th century. I found this place to be very interesting because of how they set up their exhibits. Each exhibit had main items, such as having quotes from people who lived in that time, but the themes of each one was different. The themes of the exhibits surrounded such social issues as marriage practices, contraception and growing up in tenement housing. I believe that the tenement house portion will be a great precursor to yet another excursion we will be going on this week.

Most times when I go to museums, I find my mind wandering other places but I found that this museum kept my attention. It is very hard to visualize how a person in the mid 1700s actually lived but because of the interactive computer displays, I was able to gain a greater understanding of the lives of the people in Glasgow. I feel as if this is a great illustration of the cultural changes that occurred in Glasgow during the different periods. I found that I was able to tie this museum experience closely to the Ellis Island Museum in New York City. Both museums offered a highly insightful look into the people who once inhabited that area. Both areas seemed to show awareness for the health of their people and had exhibits devoted to its history. I know it is nearly impossible to fully grasp what was like to be in Glasgow in the 1800’s, but I feel as if the People’s Palace does a magnificent job doing so. One of the exhibits that I found to be particularly interesting was actually one of the most simplest tasks; washing laundry. I know that I have been truly spoiled because I have taken for granted the fact that I grew up with a washing machine and a dryer. The people in Glasgow once visited ‘Steamies’ or wash houses every week where they would have to wash their laundry by hand. From what the museum said, this was extremely hard work that took a very long time. The influence of the old Steamie can be still be seen in its modified form in every college town in the United States. The local laundry mat, this is where every college student, who is not within a short drive of their parents house, goes to do laundry. As a college student I have become more than familiar with laundry mats. It has become a place where I can study, catch up with friends and eat dinner. Steamies provided much of the same atmosphere as our modern day laundry mats do for us. They were almost considered a social site for women. It allowed them to catch up with their friends while also still being productive.

Personally, I found the Winter Gardens exceptionally appealing. I am sure that the weather outside played a big role in it. The garden is essentially a huge greenhouse that is filled with exotic plants and flowers from all over the world. I felt as if I had been whisked away from the cold Scottish climate to a tropical jungle. It was so tranquil and quiet in the gardens early in the morning but as the lunch hour neared, the hustle and bustle of people started to pick up in the café. I ended up having a wonderful lunch there with Laura. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised that I was able to enjoy the museum and also learn something pertinent to our class at the same time.