Think about a Scotsman and inadvertently the image of a merry Piper with a set of bagpipes and donning some smart Scottish checks spring into mind. Talk about lovable clichés… this one has endeared itself to the whole world and the merry music of the Great Highland Bagpipe can melt even stone hearts. And if you have a fondness for Bagpipe music, Scottish food and even Scottish culture then the National Piping Centre should be on your agenda.
The National Piping Centre is dedicated to the culture of this instrument and till date remains one of Glasgow’s most loved attractions. It was founded by a few reputed names in the ranks of Scottish nobility and one of its patrons is none other than Prince Charles. The National Piping Centre has an auditorium, boutique hotel, reference library and shop, restaurant and the famous Museum of Piping.
History
The National Piping Centre is artistically set up in a re-converted Church that was built in 1872 by the architects Douglas and Sellers. The Cowcaddens Free Church (as it was known back then) had a restrained look despite the elaborate French Gothic style that was popular in the 1870’s. This church however adopted the classic Florentine style and had galleries on 3 sides along with a seating capacity of 1,000 people. Preaching and not communion was the dominant theme of the church and one look at its interiors will tell you this.
The building is made of cream-colored sandstone with a broad campanile and a prominent central door with side doors wrapped in pilastered quoins… the principal features remain intact today and the Building is now a listed construct. The church has a Roman style slate roof and consoled eaves and it underwent a major conversion project to become the National Piping Centre (NPC) and incorporates a centre of excellence for bagpipe music and propagation and culture of the traditional bagpipe art of Scotland. The Piping Museum was built to showcase the grand 300 year old history of the pipes and slowly a hotel, restaurant and shop (on the same theme) were established.
The National Piping centre underwent months of refurbishment and opened in 1996 after its collections had been enhanced. In 2018 the College of Piping announced its decision to merge with the National Piping Centre and that’s how the latter became the single most important centre of excellence that deals with everything related to bagpipes. The National Piping Centre is now home to the National Youth Pipe Band and to the Piping Live event as well as the Glasgow Piping Festival.
What To See & Do
Look above as you get in from the main entrance to the National Piping Centre and you will see a set of 3 exquisitely designed stained glass windows. These are no ordinary windows as they contain the stories of classical bagpipe music i.e. Piobaireached in their panes. The three windows are designed on a proportional grid and the skeleton of the music ‘Canntaireachd’ is written into this grid.
The base is jewel blue in all 3 windows and the three different types of Piobaireachd i.e. the Salute, Lament and March are depicted in the windows. These windows were designed by John K Clark and till date remain one of the most intriguing stained-glass creations in the UK. The audio guide of the museum will tell them about it in good detail.
Museum of Piping
The museum contains more than 3 centuries of piping history encapsulated in its displays and artefacts. The refurbishment has added new items like bagpipes that belonged to John Ban Mac Kenzie & John Mac Coll, Bible belonging to Donald Cameron and death certificate of Angus MacKay. Medals of Robert Reid, the pipe box of John MacDonald and the legendary Culloden Pipes are all part of the collection. These refurbished exhibits are sourced from the College of Piping building near West End Glasgow. Another notable addition to the museum is the ‘Tain Pipe’ that was recently donated by Daniele Mac Kenzie… these beauties were part of a feature in the 2019 Piping Times.
Look out for the traditional bellow instruments as well as English and European classical pipes. The instruments of old times to the modern Gore Tex technology bagpipes are all on display in a chronological sequence. The oldest bagpipe of the world i.e. the lain Dall MacKay (well-known poet and composer also referred to as Blind John) Chanter that was donated to the museum. The Chanter is a longish cylinder with many finger holes which play melodies… it’s a predecessor to the Scottish bagpipe. This particular Chanter has travelled the world and had been with 8 generations of the MacKay’s. A bagpipe set claiming ownership to Robert Burns is also on display. It’s interesting to check out the printed pages of Bagpipe music that are on display in the museum.
The museum is best explored with its audio commentary guide that’s available in 6 languages. The audio guide and a tour of the exhibits comes free with the ticket price.
A more detailed ‘Come and Try Bagpipes’ workshop experience is also available though it’s only offered to groups. A Scottish bagpiper will welcome the group and then lead them around the museum after the Bagpiper host details all facets of the instruments and gives an introductory lesson on how to play it. The beautiful bagpipe music renditions are an added bonus. Prices for this workshop start from 10 pounds per person. Check the museum official website to know details.
Timings
- The museum is open from 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and from 9.0 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Friday
- Museum opens at 9.00 a.m. and closes at noon on Saturdays.
Bagpipe Shop
The Bagpipe shop is one of the best dealers in Scottish bagpipes and accessories… they are in fact one of the biggest retailers of this kind globally. Browse through their selections of David Naill, RG Hardie, Peter Henderson and McCallum bagpipes; mere looking is educative even if you don’t make a purchase. There are bagpipe themed and Scottish art souvenirs on sale which can make for interesting gifts for people back home. You will also get highland themed clothing, drumming gear, CD’s and DVD’s, chanters and books. The pick of the lot are the 3.5 inch tall rubber ducks that are smartly dressed in red and black plaid outfits with blowpipes and epaulets… these are simply too cute to resist. You will find these ducks decking bathrooms in the hotel too.
Timings
- The shop is open from 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and from 9.0 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Friday
- Shop opens at 9.00 a.m. and closes at noon on Saturdays.
The Pipers Tryst Hotel
A boutique hotel comprising of a handful of rooms all done up in traditional Scottish textile dressing and bagpipe-oriented décor… staying at the Pipers Tryst might be an interesting experience. All 8 rooms have en-suite bathrooms, flat screen TV, hair dryer and tea/coffee makers. Look out for the small touches like Scottish spring water served in bottles, plaid red & tan blankets.
The hotel is known for its sumptuous breakfast spread… it’s usually a buffet consisting of Scottish yoghurt, fruit, juice, bread jam butter and a range of cereals (cornflakes, muesli, bran). You can order one cooked item too.
Guests need to pay extra for availing the lavish Pipe Majors breakfast. The best butcher’s cuts from Ramsay of Carluke, fish from the Fish People and freshest organic produce along with prized items from local food artists are on offer in this spread. Expect Ayrshire Bacon, Stornoway Black Pudding, smoked haddock with poached eggs, salmon with scrambled egg, yoghurt, banana bread and hot croissants besides traditional Haggis.
You don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the breakfast. Just turn up at 8.30 a.m. (any day apart from Sunday) and grab your table. Hote
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Pipers Tryst Restaurant
The Pipers Tryst Restaurant is not very big but it has oodles of Scottish charm and impeccable standards of hospitality. There are multiple menu choices including the Scottish market menu, vegan menu, gluten free menu and breakfast menu. The Bar offers the best Scottish blends including the famed Glenfiddich. Also on offer are Scottish craft beer and cider and a reasonable wine list.
Private dining events can also be arranged here. You can book your table in advance.
Restaurant Timings
From Monday to Thursday
Breakfast: 08.00 – 11.30 a.m.
Lunch: 12.00 p.m. – 2.45 p.m.
Dinner: 17.00 – 20.30 p.m.
On Friday and Saturday
Breakfast: 08.00 – 11.30
Lunch: 12.00 noon – 14.45
Dinner: 17.00 – 21.00
Sunday:
Breakfast: 08.00 – 10.00
Restaurant closed thereafter for no hotel guests.
Learning Centre
The Learning centre here is one of the best places in UK to learn all about the glorious Scottish bagpiping art. The Learning centre is also alternatively known as the College of Piping and since the 2018 merger, all College of Piping courses and activities are offered here. They have numerous courses that teach the art of using Scottish pipe bands and there are various skill levels and durations. The learning centre also organises customised workshops for pipe bands of all types… topics like instrument set up, tuning, music selection, maintenance, competition, arrangement, technique etc. are common themes.
They even offer Skype lessons that make teaching accessible all across the globe. In case you fall in love with bagpipes after your visit to the centre, you can actually sign up for virtual lessons and learn how to play the bagpipes from an expert.
Just call +44 (0)141 353 0220 to know more. A block of 10 lessons (around 50 minutes each) cost around 220 pounds.
Mc Phater Street City Centre Auditorium
The 120 seater auditorium with its striking red/ navy carpet and cerulean blue chairs is mostly hired for small Scottish wedding events. Drinks reception can also be arranged in the Museum of Piping. Sometimes special music events happen here.
Special Events
The Piping Live! Festival is an annual bagpiping festival that’s organised by the National Piping Centre. The festival opens at the Royal Concert Hall and the starting ceremony has performances by the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. There are no fewer than 150 individual events that include ceilidhs, concerts and classes at different locations in Glasgow.
Tickets for the festival can be brought at the National Piping Centre Website as well as other agencies. If you visit the Bagpipe Shop at the Piping Centre you will find an assortment of CDs that the institute has released… centring around the Piping Live Festivals that have been happening since 2003. The festival happens in August as a prelude to the World Piping Championships.
Special events related to piping and Scottish music history are very common in the National Piping Centre. Meet the Bagpiper is a musical, cultural and historical episode that takes visitors on a journey through the rich history of bagpipes. Visitors are taught to play the pipes and they are treated to performances. Apart from their own home events, the National Piping Centre also sells tickets for prestigious events like Glenfiddich Piping Championship.
Incidentally the Piping Centre is well adaptable for the needs of the differently abled. There is a lift on the side of the building that provides to the most important floors of the building… this can be availed by notifying in advance. All floors have accessible toilets. However the boutique hotel has no lift. Incidentally the Piping Centre is a leader in environmental sustainability. Towels are reused, lights are energy efficient LED ones and glad, and bottles, paper and cardboard in the premises are usually recycled.
Admission & Hours
Entry to the National Piping Centre Museum is not free unfortunately. The adult museum entry price is 4.5 pounds while the concession museum entry price is 2.50 pounds. You can buy your tickets after arriving at the museum.
For more ticketing enquiries call 01413530220
Location & Contacts
Both the major rail stations of Glasgow i.e. Central Station and Queen Street are 10 minutes of walk away from the Piping Centre. The Cowcaddens Subway station is just a 5 minutes stroll away and this gives easy access to the Piping Centre from the Southside as well as the West End of the city. The National Piping Centre has easy accessibility to the biggest bus depot of Glasgow i.e. Buchanan Bus Station.
In case you are driving into the National Piping Centre from eastern outskirts of Glasgow then take junction 16 off the M8 while if you are travelling from the Glasgow Airport, taking the junction 18 from M8 will be suitable. The non-availability of onsite parking at the National Piping Centre may be an issue. However the area has many large car parks at nearby locations like Concert Square, Dundasvale, and Cambridge.
The National Piping Centre is only 10 minutes away from the attractions of the Glasgow City Centre. Once you are done tasting the awesome Scottish food at the restaurant and exploring the museum, cross the street to check out Theatre Royale… the oldest theatre in Glasgow and home to the Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. If you are looking for other dining options nearby then you will be spoilt for choice. There is Ardnamurchan Scottish Restaurant, Dragon I and Bar and Café Hula… both on Hope Street. Hope Street also has an outstanding place for afternoon tea… it’s innovatively named Vanilla Black at the Theatre. Renfield Street also has some great dining options like the Flying Duck and the Atholl Arms.
30 – 34 Macphater Street, City Of Glasgow, G4 0HW
Phone: +44 (0) 141 353 0220
Email: [email protected]; Official Website
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.