Hill House

Top choice

LoginSave

Built in 1902 for Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie, this is perhaps architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh's finest creation – its timeless elegance still feels chic today. The interiors are stunning, with rose motifs and fabulous furniture. Water soaking through the rendered cement exterior means that you'll find the house enclosed in a giant covering structure. You can stay on the top floor here – check the Holidays section of the NTS website. It's near Upper Helensburgh station, though not all trains stop there.

The house also has a beautiful garden. Mackintosh was very protective of his creation: he once chided Mrs Blackie for putting the wrong-coloured flowers in a vase in the hall.

If you're arriving at Helensburgh Central station, it's about a 1-mile uphill walk to Hill House. Buses 302 and 306 can get you close.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • UK, Scotland, Glasgow, ceiling in St Mungo cathedral

    Glasgow Cathedral

    21.93 MILES

    Glasgow Cathedral has a rare timelessness. The dark, imposing interior conjures up medieval might and can send a shiver down the spine. It's a shining…

  • Glasgow Riverside Museum, Zaha Hadid Architects, 2011, Exterior wide view of riverside facade

    Riverside Museum

    19.46 MILES

    This visually impressive modern museum at Glasgow Harbour owes its striking curved forms to late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. A transport museum…

  • Mackintosh House Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland.

    Mackintosh House

    19.74 MILES

    Attached to the Hunterian Art Gallery, this is a reconstruction of the first home that Charles Rennie Mackintosh bought with his wife, noted designer…

  • Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

    Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

    19.85 MILES

    A magnificent sandstone building, this grand Victorian cathedral of culture is a fascinating and unusual museum, with a bewildering variety of exhibits…

  • Paisley Abbey

    Paisley Abbey

    16.88 MILES

    Paisley Abbey is well worth the short trip from Glasgow. This majestic Gothic building was founded in 1163 by Walter Fitzalan, first high steward of…

  • UK, Scotland, Glasgow, Glasgow Science Centre and Glasgow Tower on River Clyde

    Glasgow Science Centre

    20.13 MILES

    This brilliant science museum will keep the kids entertained for hours (that's middle-aged kids, too!). It brings science and technology alive through…

  • Glasgow School of Art

    Glasgow School of Art

    20.84 MILES

    In 2018, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's greatest building was gearing up for reopening after a devastating 2014 fire when, unbelievably, another blaze…

  • Mount Stuart

    Mount Stuart

    19.25 MILES

    The family seat of the Stuart Earls of Bute is one of Britain's more magnificent 19th-century stately homes, the first to have a telephone, underfloor…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. McLean Museum & Art Gallery

4.8 MILES

In the historic centre of Greenock, this was closed for refurbishment at the time of research and due to reopen in 2019. There's quite an extensive…

2. Maid of the Loch

5.33 MILES

The vintage paddle steamer Maid of the Loch, built in 1953, is moored at Loch Lomond Shores while awaiting full restoration – you can nip aboard for a…

3. Loch Lomond Shores

5.34 MILES

Loch Lomond Shores, a major tourism development situated a half-mile north of Balloch, sports various visitor attractions, outdoor activities and boat…

4. Loch Lomond Sea Life

5.37 MILES

The centrepiece of Loch Lomond Shores is this aquarium, which has displays on the wildlife of Loch Lomond, an otter enclosure (housing short-clawed Asian…

5. Newark Castle

6.03 MILES

The fine 16th-century castle is still largely intact and has a spectacular position on the shores of the Clyde. Once a far grimmer fortified tower, it was…

6. Benmore Botanic Garden

9.94 MILES

This garden, 7 miles north of Dunoon, contains Scotland's finest collection of flowering trees and shrubs, including impressive displays of rhododendrons…

7. Glengoyne Distillery

14.13 MILES

Glengoyne Distillery, about 2 miles south of Killearn, is a traditional place run by genuine people in lovely surrounds. There are various tours: the…