Top Five Places to Visit in the Southside for Glasgow Doors Open Day

The Glasgow Door Open Day is back, taking place from the 16th-22nd of Septemeber. The event aims to celebrate Glasgow’s cultural heritage by opening the doors of over 100 historical buildings to the public across the city. We put together a list of the top five places to visit in the Southside.

Interior of Govanhill Baths. Credit: Becky Duncan

By Molly Adams | Photos by Becky Duncan, David Pritchard, Iain McLellan, Devon McCole, Thomas Nugent

1.    Glasgow Gurdwara

Close up of the Glasgow Gurdwara. Credit: David Pritchard

Situated in the heart of Pollockshields, Glasgow Gurdwara opens its doors for another year to invite the public to participate in a personal tour of the two-story building. Built in 2013, the Glasgow Gurdwara became Scotland’s first Sikh temple. It aims to serve not only as a place of worship for the Scottish Sikh community, but also as a site of education to schools from across Scotland seeking to understand Sikhism’s rich history, culture, and identity. The building is fully equipped with a large main prayer hall, a Langar Hall (free kitchen) and seven classrooms dedicated to providing Punjabi lessons, music, religious and English-language classes.

Tours are available by booking only and run every half an hour.

2. House of An Art Lover

House of an Art lover. Credit: publicdomain/WikimediaCommons

Home to the artistic vision of Glasgow’s most esteemed architect; Charles Rennie Macintosh, House of an Art lover is a space enriched in Scottish history, art, design, and culture. The building was completed in 1990 and inspired by Macintosh’s 1901 sketches that he had entered in a German magazine’s design competition. The competition challenged participants to create an ‘Art Lover’s House’ and explains the detailed designs featured throughout the building.

Situated in the grounds of Bellahouston Park, the site offers a unique combination of exhibition and gallery space, with an events venue, café, and play park. Initially conceptualised as space for a select few with a refined taste for art and culture, House of An Art Lover now exists to encourage public interest in the arts. The organisation offers a range of accessible exhibitions, lessons to people of all ages and even scholarships. For this year’s Glasgow’s Doors Open Day, you are invited to explore this marvelled building and its grounds.

3. The Deep End

Entrance to The Deep End. Credit: Devon McCole. 

The Deep End is the Govanhill Bath Community Trust’s Art space which to aims to encourage community regeneration to the local area through access to arts driven and environmental projects. It is equipped with artists’ studios, workshop space and a fully functional ceramics studio. It is home to the organisation Rags for Riches, an up-cycling project for textiles, wood, and plastics whilst also providing a space for a variety of other organisations including Glad Radio, Conradh Na Gaeilge Glaschú and Outlaw Hairdressing.  

 For Glasgow’s Doors Open Day, The Deep End will be showcasing two exhibitions highlighting the history and progression of Govanhill Baths; 1. The Baths, 2. An Open Aye photo exhibition of Govanhill Baths’ phase 1B development. An exhibition of the original slipper bath doors from Govanhill Baths. The exhibitions provide an insight into the cultural significance of the Govanhill baths and feature audio recordings from South Asian and Irish diasporas.

4. Queen’s Park Camera Club

Photographs on display in Queen's Park Camera Club premises. Credit: Iain McLellan

With 2025 marking Queen’s Park Camera Club’s 40th anniversary, the organisation opens its doors to showcase the group’s winning work over recent years as-well as a video display of the best work over the last year. The club began in 1945 when a small group of friends joined together at Queen’s Park Secondary School, to share their passion in photography and eager interest in camera equipment.

The group began by meeting to arrange lectures and demonstrations on how best to utilise a camera. After this initial meeting, the club proved to have widespread popularity within the community, with membership increasing to 70 people in less than a year since the club’s emergence. For Doors Open Day, members of the club will be providing the opportunity to purchase prints, showcase studio spaces and provide information on upcoming sessions and lectures.

5. Titwood Bowling Club

Titwood Bowling Club. Credit: Geograph/ThomasNugent/CC.

This is the first year Titwood bowling club has participated in the Glasgow’s Doors Open Day. The club formed in Pollokshields in 1890 with the ambition to encourage the community to participate the sport of bowling. Since its inception, the club has supported many in learning the sport, with several members competing at the highest levels. It is known as a site for socialising hosting quizzes, parties and in the summer months an accessible beer garden and outdoor seating area. For Doors Open Day, the club encourages people to come to enjoy the club’s grounds with bowls available should you and your family wish to play.

For more information on further events on during Glasgow Door Open Day event, please follow the link below to view the full programme here.