Provan Hall has been an enduring presence in Auchinlea Park for over 500 years. It is speculated that Provan Hall is Glasgow’s oldest surviving building, although much of its history is relatively unknown. A new restoration project aims to uncover more about Provan Hall and to establish a new visitor centre.
In January of this year, a £2million contract was awarded by the council for the restoration of Provan Hall. The project is supported through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Scottish Government, Historic Environment Scotland and Glasgow City Council.
This project will see a new chapter added to Provan Hall’s long and fascinating history, as Provan Hall and Auchinlea Park will act as a new visitor gateway for the Seven Lochs Wetland Park. This collaboration connects existing tourist attractions and sites of natural beauty that are located in the Glasgow City/North Lanarkshire council boundary between Easterhouse, Coatbridge, and Stepps.
This unique heritage site will offer a space for local people and visitors to learn about Glasgow’s medieval past. The Provan Hall Trust will manage the site and have developed an expansive programme of activities and events. Ian Monteague, chair of the Provan Hall Trust said “It’s fantastic to see the restoration works now underway at Provan Hall and a welcome boost to the area. The restored building will allow the Trust to develop a wide-ranging programme of activities that we hope will attract both local people and visitors from across Scotland.”
New artwork was created by digital artist Janie Nicoll in collaboration with the local community to mark the start of this major restoration. Pupils from local primary schools and participants from the Saturday Art Club, Nu Gen and Art Factory at Platform in Easterhouse all contributed to the installation. The 30m mural (below) celebrates Provan Hall’s long history. Jenny Crowe, Arts Manager at Platform said “I am delighted that local residents from a number of Platform’s regular groups were able to work creatively with Janie to bring real life and humour to the mural for the Provan Hall restoration works. Provan Hall is an amazing asset for the local area and Platform is incredibly proud to be part of the Community Management Trust.”. The installation can be found in Auchinlea Park, adjacent to the restoration works.
The re-establishment of Provan Hall began at the start of this year in January 2021. It is expected that the repairs and refurbishment will take over 12 months to complete. The newly reinstated building will open its doors to the public in early 2022.