Category Archives: Culture

News about all the good things like books, films, theatre, music and food!

Pollok House exhibition coincides with Black History Month

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Celebrating Glasgow-Ghanaian artist Maud Sulter with a new exhibition

The National Trust for Scotland is to present a new exhibition of the work of the internationally renowned Glaswegian-Ghanaian artist, Maud Sulter (1960 -2008) at Pollok House, Glasgow.

Maud Sulter was an award-winning artist and writer, cultural historian and curator of Ghanaian and Scottish heritage who lived and worked in Britain, and whose work is now in museum collections around the world, including the V&A and Tate. Throughout her career and across different media, Maud Sulter’s work interrogated the representation of black women in the histories of art, the media and photography. An activist and feminist, she was often inspired by African American activists, artists, and writers. Her work explored the many connections between Africa and Europe, the often-hidden lives of black people, and the complex experiences of the African diaspora in European history and culture.

The exhibition features a range of works across Maud Sulter’s career including selections from her series Zabat and Hysteria. It offers visitors an opportunity to experience her recollections of growing up as a Black child in Scotland in the 1960s through her photographic series and suite of poems, both called Memories of Childhood.

Caroline Smith, National Trust for Scotland’s Operations Manager at Pollok House, said: “We’re thrilled to feature the work of Maud Sulter in this new exhibition at Pollok House. The exhibition’s opening in October coincides with Black History Month and so is especially appropriate given Sulter’s exploration and representations of black artists, women and culture across history.”

The Estate of Maud Sulter said: “It’s such a pleasure to see Maud Sulter’s work centre stage in her hometown of Glasgow. We’re delighted that this beautiful and historical institution is showcasing her art so new audiences will be able to connect with the engaging themes of her photography including Memories of Childhood.”

Inspiration for the exhibition has come from the National Trust for Scotland’s Facing our Past project, which has set out to investigate connections between the places and properties in its care and the wide diversity and identity of people involved throughout their history, including through links to slavery. As with many Trust properties, the heritage of Pollok House and its family history have multi-generational links to West Indian plantations and so provides an appropriate context within which to explore and understand themes contained within Sulter’s work.

Pollok House was the graceful 18th-century seat of the Stirling Maxwell family and was gifted along with its world-class collection of Italian and Spanish art by its family to the people of Glasgow in 1966. Glasgow City Council remains responsible for Pollok House, which is operated by The National Trust for Scotland on the city’s behalf. The Trust opened the changing exhibition gallery at Pollok House in 2017 and earlier this year, it featured an exhibition exploring the art and photography of Glasgow Boy E.A. Hornel, his Glasgow connections, and the identity of his sitters from Scotland and from around the world.

https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/pollok-house

The exhibition runs from 15 October – 4 December 2022 and 6 January – 15 January 2023

Maud Sulter


University publishes a book of its own knitting patterns

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The University of Glasgow has launched its own book of knitting patterns inspired by its architecture. 

Designers from across Scotland contributed their designs for a range of knitted items based on the splendour and beauty of the University’s architecture – from the ornate details in the cornicing and spires to the sweeping arches and grand windows and the modernism of the library.

Knitters will be able to follow a pattern for a teapot cosy inspired by the windows on the historic main building or a beanie hat based on the Cloisters arches, or a scarf whose design is based on the University spires that pierce the Glasgow skyline.

Knitting the University of Glasgow book was compiled by Professor Lynn Abrams and Professor Marina Moskowitz – both historians of Scottish knitted textiles – and Christelle Le Riguer, research co-ordinator at the University’s School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan. All three are keen knitters.

The book is the result of a collaboration between historians, the University Archives & Special Collections and a talented band of independent Scottish knitwear designers, including staff and students at the University. It is a part of the Fleece to Fashion project, which is researching the history of knitted textiles in Scotland from around 1780 to the present day. It will be sold through the University’s gift shop.

Professor Abrams of School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan at the University of Glasgow said: “The genesis of this book of knitting patterns, inspired by the built environment of the University of Glasgow, lies in research carried out by historians at the University of Glasgow into the economies and cultures of hand knitting in Scotland from the eighteenth century to the present. 

“Scotland’s long tradition of knitwear production is rightly celebrated. It feels fitting therefore to celebrate the beauty of the University of Glasgow’s iconic buildings in knitted form. We hope that this book will be as well received by knitters around the world as our own branded wool – Cochno Wool – was when we launched that in 2018.”

Professor Moskowitz of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA, said: “Our aim as historians is to investigate the place and significance of hand-knitted textiles to Scotland’s economy and culture, in the past, the present, and the future.

“Studying knitting can be used to think about the role of craft in linking individual creativity to economic pursuits, local design traditions to national heritage, and domestic economies to the creative economy of Scotland. Scotland’s rich heritage of hand-knitted textiles contributes to other national industries, such as tourism and fashion.”

Christelle Le Riguer said: “We hope this book will make its own contribution to help increase public understanding of the ways in which knitting enhances health and wellbeing and cultural enrichment. 

“We also hope the patterns will inspire people to visit the University of Glasgow and to knit your own little bit of the university.”

In 2014, the University of Glasgow established the ‘Knitting-in-the-Round’ network which developed collaborations with a range of sectors – business, heritage, education, tourism and culture and arts – and explored the emergence of knitting as the pin-up craft for sustainability, creativity and authenticity. 

The University employed a knitter-in-residence, Susan McComb, who took the University architecture as her inspiration to produce some original designs, some of which appear in the new patterns book. 

Since then the team of historians have engaged with the University and the wider Scottish knitting community in all sorts of ways, drawing on the enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise of hand knitters to knit all the Commonwealth flags for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games and to test knit nineteenth century patterns for so-called Shetland lace.

In 2018, the team produced University of Glasgow Cochno knitting yarn. The University’s Cochno Farm has a large sheep flock, primarily to service the needs of veterinary sciences. The fleece from the Scotch Mule sheep was turned into a double-knit worsted yarn and sold through the University gift shop.

A competition amongst staff and students to produce original knitting patterns inspired by the built environment of the University and capable of being knit in our wool elicited designs that reference our gothic architecture and several of those items are included in this collection.

The brief for the new pattern book was to produce an original design for a hand-knitted garment or accessory referencing the built environment of the University. The designers toured the main campus and the archives where they viewed original plans of the University’s Gilmorehill site in the West End of Glasgow. Their designs are inspired by old and new elements of our buildings, from the ‘gothic’ tower and cloisters to the modern perpendicularity of the University Library.

At the Hunterian – UNDERFOOT – an exhibition about carpets

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The Hunterian will host the first solo exhibition in Scotland by Turner Prize winning artist Elizabeth Price. Referencing and employing never before exhibited  archival material, the commission will focus on the textile heritage of Glasgow’s industrial age and in particular Stoddard International Plc and James Templeton & Co. Ltd, world-famous carpet manufacturers based in Renfrewshire and Glasgow. The exhibition opens to the public  from 11 November 2022 – 16 April 2023. 

UNDERFOOT is being developed in partnership with The Hunterian, Panel, Fiona Jardine (The Glasgow School of Art) and Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. Working with these partners, Price will create an ambitious new moving image work and bespoke textile piece – the artist’s first in this medium – both of which have been commissioned by The Hunterian for its permanent collection. The textile piece also marks Price’s first major commission in a medium other than video in over five years.

Carpet designs, industrial machinery and architectural interiors will all feature within the moving image work UNDERFOOT and the textile piece, SAD CARREL will take the form of a hand-tufted rug. Though it reflects the process of its production in largely abstract ways, a recurring vinyl record motif is a key point of connection to the themes of the moving image work.

Price said: “As an artist working in digital media, I am also really fascinated by the shared technical histories of woven textiles and computing, and most of the industrialised carpet production of Templetons directly employed jacquard technologies, or processes derived from the Jacquard loom. Understanding the relation between carpets and data in this way, perhaps also offers ways to think about the realm or terrain they visualise: related to the creation of digital or virtual worlds. But, I am always also interested in the political and social histories and/impacts of cultural artefacts, and this is why part of the project focuses upon the use of carpet in civic and public space – specifically the Mitchell Library with its intensely coloured and patterned carpets, which have unexpected psychedelic effect. If carpets imagine another space, what space was/is imagined here?”   

Elizabeth Price is an artist who creates powerful, accessible and innovative works that address social history. Her 2012 Turner Prize-winning work, The Woolworths Choir of 1979, stitched together news footage of a fatal fire in a Manchester branch of Woolworth’s with a TV performance by the Shangri-Las and digital animations analysing the cultural and political relationships between the two, to profoundly moving effect. Throughout her oeuvre, Price creates narrative works that feature historic artefacts and documents, often of marginal significance or derogated value. Her selection and treatment of them is shaped by a politics of gender and social class and she often uses historical material to consider and give expression to the adjacent blind spots, oversights and erasures of particular archives and museum collections.

UNDERFOOT was developed by Price’s 2020 Research Fellowship with the University of Glasgow Library that facilitated access to the archives of the Stoddard and Templeton carpet and textile factories, held within the University Archives and Special Collections and which encompasses thousands of design sketches, photos, books, journals and carpet pieces. Stoddard International Plc and James Templeton & Co. Ltd were world-famous carpet manufacturers based in Renfrewshire and Glasgow respectively, operational during the 19th and 20th century. The artist looked at the Stoddart Templeton pattern books and also at photographic records which showed industrial manufacturing processes. A particular interest was in the way these framed the bodies of workers themselves, often showing them only partially, as working or gesturing limbs.  

UNDERFOOT is funded by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland with support from The Glasgow School of Art and Kingston University.

Alongside the exhibition of new work by Price, The Hunterian and Glasgow School of Art will present a two-day symposium in March 2023 as well as a public programme of talks and events during the run of the exhibition, aimed at bringing new audiences to The Hunterian for the first time. 

Dominic Paterson, Curator of Contemporary Art, The Hunterian, said, “The Hunterian is honoured to be working with our collaborators to bring new work by Elizabeth Price to our audiences. We are very grateful to receive Creative Scotland funding to support this project and are particularly excited that this public funding will enable Elizabeth to make an ambitious new body of work that will become part of The Hunterian’s permanent collection. This project has been developed through close collaboration with Panel, Dovecot and Fiona Jardine, and it was supported by a research fellowship at the University of Glasgow Library which gave Elizabeth access to the remarkable archival resources held there. UNDERFOOT is a key moment in our ongoing effort to make our exhibitions and collections more meaningful and relevant to audiences today. Elizabeth’s work considers major issues in contemporary culture: using digital animation, she has raised questions of power, gender, value and language in post-war history, often thinking in particular about how technology and culture intersect. In UNDERFOOT these themes will be explored through the specific context of the Stoddard Templeton archives, giving the project a profound connection to Glasgow and its heritage. We are thrilled that Elizabeth and our collaborators have been so committed to the project and can’t wait to share its results with our visitors in November.”

Catriona Duffy and Lucy McEachan of Panel said: “Panel is delighted to be working with Elizabeth Price, The Hunterian, Dovecot Tapestry Studio and Fiona Jardine of The Glasgow School of Art on this exciting new commission, investigating classified ideas of social space through design and making.” 

Celia Joicey, Director of Dovecot in Edinburgh, said: “The exhibition is an outstanding opportunity for Dovecot Studios to explore Elizabeth Price’s thoughtful approach to creating art, craft and design with hand and machine processes. Price is a world-class contemporary artist and this commission will showcase art made in Scotland to an international audience.” 

Fiona Jardine said: “I am thrilled to be working with Elizabeth Price, The Hunterian, Panel and Dovecot on UNDERFOOT, sharing expertise and resources. The Glasgow School of Art holds the Stoddard Templeton Design Library, actively used in teaching a new generation of students for whom Elizabeth’s powerful, intellectually curious approach will be inspirational. The opportunity to reflect on the legacies of local textile and manufacturing histories through this project is especially resonant today, as we reimagine what it means to inhabit and construct our social spaces.”

Press view 10th November, 9.30am to 12 noon at The Hunterian Art Gallery.

Glasgow in the final two for Eurovision 2023

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Glasgow has been shortlisted with Liverpool as the final two cities in the running to host Eurovision 2023.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “We’re excited that Glasgow has made it to the final two cities in the running to host Eurovision and a celebration of Ukraine next year. 

“The competition has been very strong, but Glasgow has an unrivalled track-record for successfully hosting major global events.

“Between that experience and expertise; our famous live music scene, and one of the world’s top entertainment venues in the OVO Hydro – Glasgow has everything it takes to host a show that the whole Eurovision family can be proud of.”

Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “We are delighted that Glasgow has made the final selection to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

“The Scottish Government will continue to engage with Glasgow council as they progress their final bid.”

COP26 – Pathway to Paris concert to open the conference

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Pathway to Paris in collaboration with Regular Music announced a special concert on 31 October at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. 

This concert will help to open the United Nations Climate Change Conference which takes place from 31 October to 12 November 2021. The evening will focus on the importance for nations to push for, achieve, and go beyond the climate targets highlighted in the Paris Agreement, and for cities to lead the way.

Bringing together leading musicians, artists, thinkers, and policymakers, the event will serve as a call to action, urging the international community to ramp up ambition towards a climate safe future for all.

The first Pathway to Paris concert took place in Paris in 2015, and coincided with the adoption of the Paris Agreement. In 2017 at the United Nations Secretariat, Pathway to Paris announced their 1000 Cities initiative for Carbon Freedom. The initiative invites all cities of the world to transition away from fossil fuels and move to 100% renewable energy as soon as possible in order to turn the Paris Agreement into reality.

Co-Founder of Pathway to Paris, Jesse Paris Smith, said: “In the world of music, the best way to improve is through collaboration. This is the same with the critical issue of climate change. We must join together to make this the most ambitious collaboration of our century. We will not be able to implement crucial and challenging solutions to climate change, and all urgent environmental problems as long as we stand divided. Inseparable from the issue of climate change is the need for world peace, global communication, and an international collaboration unmatched by any event in human history.”

Co-Founder of Pathway to Paris, Rebecca Foon said: “These meetings mark a critical moment in history, as we collectively need to come together to massively ramp up our targets and actions. Cities play a critical role in transforming our world out of the era of fossil fuels and into a renewable world. This is our time to make this shift and transform our nations and cities to become sustainable and resilient for us all and future generations. This is our chance as our window of time is drastically narrowing.” 

The concert will feature Patti Smith, Tenzin Choegyal, Soundwalk Collective in collaboration with Patti Smith and Jesse Paris Smith to perform CRISIS OF THE LOST, a sound piece composed of underwater recordings deriving from the TBA21–Academy sound archive. This resource documents the voice of ocean life in contrast with the destructive impact of manmade acoustic pollution over all species of marine life. 

The live performance is accompanied by visualisations by Territorial Agency to provide insights into the scale and mechanics of the ecological threat that is sound pollution in the ocean. The piece features additional recordings carried out by sound artist Jana Winderen during field trips in Belize, Panama, Dominican Republic, Norway and Iceland as well as recorded detonations of the seismic airgun blasting acquired from Simone Baumann Pickering’s lab at Scripps Institute for Oceanography, and cello written and performed by Lucy Railton.

CRISIS OF THE LOST is part of a collaborative body of work and series of album projects between Patti Smith and Soundwalk Collective, entitled CORRESPONDENCES, due for publication and release in Spring 2022.

Pathway to Paris Founders Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon will also be performing throughout the evening. Speakers include 350.org’s Bill McKibben and other special guests to be announced soon.

All proceeds from this evening will be donated to Pathway to Paris’ 1000 Cities Initiative for Carbon Freedom.

Tickets on sale here www.atgtickets.com

Pathway to Paris was founded in September 2014 by Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon, with an intimate evening of music and speakers at Le Poisson Rouge immediately following the People’s Climate March in New York City. A series of similar events unfolded in North America over the ensuing years. The events were initially intended to build awareness to help establish a global climate agreement, leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference (Cop21) that took place in December 2015, and culminated with two major concerts in Paris at Le Trianon, the first weekend of the conference. In November 2017, Pathway to Paris launched the 1000 Cities Initiative at Carnegie Hall in the lead up to COP 23.

Royal visit to mark the 350th anniversary of the Botanics

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A year after the pandemic interrupted celebrations for its 350th anniversary year, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh welcomed Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and The Duchess of Rothesay to the garden on Friday.

During the visit science, conservation, education and community engagement were all recognised.

Greeted by Dominic Fry, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Regius Keeper, Simon Milne, MBE, the first stop was the historic Botanic Cottage. In the botanical teaching room of the Scottish Enlightenment where Their Royal Highnesses met key science staff and heard news of current research and forthcoming initiatives addressing the impact of the biodiversity crisis and climate emergency.

Scientists, Michelle Hart and Rebecca Yahr, giving an insight of their work to HRH The Duke of Rothesay.

Out in the garden, The Duke and The Duchess chatted with local people whose health and wellbeing has benefitted from spending time in the open air with nature. They also spoke to staff and volunteers responsible for delivering a range of activities aimed at engaging the wider community with the environment.

The Duke met ladies from the Women’s Community group and heard about their involvement in the Botanics’ Edible Gardening Project.

The last time His Royal Highness, Patron of RBGE, was joined at the Garden by Her Royal Highness was in 2006 for the opening of the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden. Today, Their Royal Highnesses received updates on plans to rejuvenate the area for a new generation of visitors.

The Duke and The Duchess also had an opportunity to learn more about the imminent start of the Edinburgh Biomes project to restore the Garden’s A-Listed public Glasshouses, and replace the aging research houses.

Before leaving, Their Royal Highnesses met horticultural staff and students and heard about new plant health initiatives, conservation horticulture and rhododendron conservation.

Finally, a year on from the Garden’s 350th anniversary, the royal couple planted a young Sorbus pallescens from China to mark the historic event.

The Sorbus pallescens was wild collected in China by RBGE horticulturists Martyn Dickson and David Tricker in 2016. This was during fieldwork near the Lijiang Alpine Botanic Garden and Jade Dragon Field station which the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh shares with Kunming Institute of Botany and is part of a collaborative conservation programme.

Seed was collected and split into three shares, the majority going to the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species at the Kunming Institute of Botany. A small amount came to Edinburgh and the remainder stayed at the Jade Dragon Field Station where it was sown and the arising saplings planted on the Yulongxueshan, within the partnership’s conservation area.

Simon Milne said it had provided a valuable opportunity to explain the diversity of the organisation and the experiences of some of those people with whom it engages. He said: “The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh means many different things to different people.

“The one million visitors we welcome to our four magnificent Gardens each year come to discover 13,500 species of plants from around the globe. Increasingly, many are also discovering how being in a green space can bring real benefits to their physical and mental wellbeing. Yet, behind the beauty and tranquillity of our Gardens, is a world-class scientific institution and a centre of excellence for plant conservation and education. For those of us who work here, it is all these things. We are privileged to be part of one of the world’s finest and most respected botanic gardens and it has been an honour to share some of our stories with The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.” 

Signing the visitors’ book

The King’s Theatre panto is back – oh yes it is

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The pants returns to the King’s Theatre for the first time since 2019 with the tale of Cinderella.

Elaine C Smith and Johnny Mac will be taking audiences to the panto ball as they return in style with their laugh-out-loud comedy routines and plenty of boos and hisses.

Cinderella tells the much-loved rags-to-riches tale of the popular title character who outwits her wicked stepsisters and meets her Prince Charming. Packed with all the traditional elements of pantomime the King’s Theatre audience has come to expect including stunning scenery and scrumptious costumes, this year’s show will be the Godmother of all pantomimes.

Cinderella runs at the King’s Theatre from Saturday 27 November 2021 – Sunday 2 January 2022. Various evening, matinee and access performances are scheduled.

atgtickets.com/Glasgow or call 0333 009 6690

PHOTO Greg Macvean 21/09/2021 – Panto stars Elaine C Smith and Johnny Mac are pictured at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow

Scottish Government back the Burrell

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The Scottish Government has awarded £5m towards refurbishment of the Burrell Collection to help with their plans.

The ‘internationally significant’ museum has received support from the Scottish Government ahead of a major modernisation programme.

The Burrell Collection closed in October 2016 for a £66 million refurbishment of the A-listed building. The project – the Burrell Renaissance – is essential to ensuring the site can continue to house the 9,000-piece collection, enabling expanded display space while improving facilities and the visitor experience.

Announcing £5 million Scottish Government funding towards the cost of the project, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Burrell Collection is a world-class and internationally significant museum, with many rare and wonderful items. Not only that, but the building in Pollok Country Park is also a much-loved architectural gem.

“Currently only 20% of the collection is on public display at any one time and these substantial refurbishments will enable a much more significant part of the collection to be exhibited.

“I am pleased we can contribute £5 million towards ensuring that the building becomes a fitting 21stcentury home for the Burrell and I look forward to the museum reopening in 2020.”

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “This is fantastic news and we are very grateful to the Scottish Government for what is a ringing endorsement of our ambitious plans for the refurbishment and redisplay of the Burrell Collection. Sir William’s great legacy has been described as the greatest gift a city has ever received and we have a duty to protect and promote the collection in the years ahead.

“Our plans will provide a world-class home for the 9,000 treasures, massively increasing access and enjoyment of the collection for generations to come.”

Texas launch new album with video

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You may be struggling a little to get tickets to the two outdoor shows in Kelvingrove Park this July as they are already sold out, but they are playing other dates in different places.

Texas return with a new video to accompany their anthemic single ‘Tell That Girl’. Written and produced by Texas founders Johnny McElhone and Sharleen Spiteri with Karen Overton joining them in the studio following their successful collaboration on 2013’s The Conversation, Tell That Girl is a soaring modern pop song and the second single from the forthcoming album ‘Jump On Board’, out on 21 April 2017.

Filmed in a few hours at The Poetry Club in Glasgow (owned and programmed by Turner Prize nominated artist Jim Lambie) the band is joined by Game Of Thrones star Rory McCann (The Hound) on drums, along with Sharleen revisiting her former adopted home city, Paris.

One of the album highlights and a certified pop hit, the track powers along with punky guitars and more than a passing nod to classic British New- Wave.

Other shows later in the year :

September
Mon 11th CARDIFF, St Davids Hall
Tues 12th CAMBRIDGE, Corn Exchange
Weds 13th OXFORD, New Theatre
Fri 15th IPSWICH, Regent
Sat 16th SHEFFIELD, City Hall
Sun 17th LONDON, Royal Albert Hall
Tues 19th LEICESTER, De Montfort Hall
Weds 20th GRIMSBY, Auditorium
Thurs 21st YORK, Barbican
Sat 23rd EDINBURGH, Usher Hall
Sun 24th DUNDEE, Caird Hall
Mon 25th INVERNESS, Leisure Centre
Weds 27th NEWCASTLE, City Hall
Thurs 28th MANCHESTER, Bridgewater Hall
Fri 29th LIVERPOOL, Philharmonic Hall

October
Sun 1st BIRMINGHAM, Symphony Hall
Mon 2nd NOTTINGHAM, Royal Concert Hall
Tues 3rd SOUTHEND, Cliffs Pavilion
Thurs 5th LLANDUDNO, Venue Cymru Theatre
Fri 6th BRISTOL, Colston hall
Sat 7th PLYMOUTH, Pavilions

 

The rise of Glasgow’s independent coffee culture

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Glasgow last night played host to the launch of Scotland’s first Independent Coffee Guide, cementing its place as a major player on the speciality coffee scene.

coffe photo2 photo1 indieguide

Over 100 people packed into South Block on Osborne Street to experience the landmark moment for the local industry, as Salt Media publishers unveiled their glossy 130-page encyclopaedia of Scottish coffee shops and roasters.

The guide is the first of its kind in Scotland after similar successful projects by Salt Media in the south-west and north of England. North Berwick-based photographer Gavin Smart contributed an array of images to the guide, and these were displayed in a mini-gallery at the launch event.

“Incredible”

Jo Rees, editor of the Indy Coffee Guide, said: “There’s loads of coffee in Scotland – some of it incredible, some not so good, but with your Indy Coffee Guide in your back pocket, you can be confident that you won’t waste your precious and limited caffeine intake on anything but the very best speciality coffee. It’s your starting point for some brilliant coffee adventures.”

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, UK Barista champion, said: “The guide represents the emergence of “coffee tourism”. After all, guidebooks have led people to new and exciting realms for centuries.”

A four-strong panel picked out 44 top coffee shops and 11 top roasters stretching from Ullapool to Berwick. Also included are supplementary lists of 27 highly recommended shops and 7 roasters. All in all, 22 Glasgow establishments are featured in the Guide.

The Scottish speciality coffee industry is riding a wave of publicity at the moment. The second Glasgow Coffee Festival was held in October last year, and the launch of the Independent Coffee Guide comes one day before the ‘northern’ heat of the 2016 UK Barista Championship which is being held in Glasgow today.

The guide will be available for sale at the coffee venues featured in the guide, at Waterstones and good bookshops, via Amazon and from the Indy Coffee Guide website