Located in the bustling city center of Glasgow, the Mackintosh Tearooms stands as the last remaining tearoom designed by renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, making it one of the city’s most valued heritage sites. However, last week, locals were surprised to see a newly installed shopfront next to the historic 1903 category A-listed tearoom, featuring bright pink letters on a white plastic sign advertising a vape and mobile phone repair shop.
This development comes six months after a fire at a nearby vape shop destroyed the B-listed Union Corner, and nearly a decade after two devastating blazes affected the Mackintosh-designed Glasgow School of Art building in 2018. The decision to permit a vape shop to open adjacent to such an important heritage site has sparked significant concern and backlash from community members and advocacy groups.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the fire at Union Corner originated from a vape shop, prompting an audit of vape retailers that revealed numerous fire safety violations, including a lack of understanding regarding fire safety laws and responsibilities.
Matthew Williams, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, emphasized the importance of the Mackintosh Tearooms as a significant architectural and cultural asset that contributes to Glasgow’s identity and tourism. He expressed that the heightened risk of fire posed by a neighboring vape shop is entirely unacceptable.
The society has urged both Glasgow City Council and the Scottish government to intervene and prevent the shop from opening in the Sauchiehall Street culture and heritage district, which is undergoing a ten-year revitalization effort aimed at preserving the area’s historical significance.
They also highlighted that this street is home to the C-listed ABC music venue, which was lost in the 2018 art school fire, along with the historic Centre for Contemporary Arts, which shut down earlier this year due to financial difficulties. Williams cautioned that losing the Mackintosh Tearooms to fire would represent another cultural loss for the city, advocating for swift action from local officials.
Sarah Thomas, 32, who relocated to Glasgow in the early 2010s to attend the art school, reflected on the emotional toll of losing such historical buildings, stating that the city cannot endure another loss like that. She expressed frustration that a shop filled with flammable materials could be allowed to operate next to a building rich with historical artifacts, suggesting a lack of oversight for Glasgow’s architectural heritage.
In response to the situation, Glasgow City Council noted that the premises had long been approved for retail use and mentioned that there is currently no licensing framework governing vape shops in Scotland. Following the Union Corner incident, the council had urged the Scottish government to enhance regulations, but it was clarified that local planning decisions fall under the jurisdiction of the city council.
In March, Paul Sweeney, a Labour MSP for Glasgow, called for a prohibition on vape shops in historically significant buildings. Commenting on the new establishment next to the Mackintosh Tearooms, he expressed his astonishment at the government’s lack of urgent action regarding planning reforms. Sweeney warned that similar situations could arise throughout Glasgow, as numerous vape shops and novelty stores occupy vulnerable historical buildings.
The Glasgow School of Art, which had previously committed to restoring the Mackintosh building authentically, announced in July that it could not proceed with the project without additional financial support. Although the Union Corner site is expected to be operational again this year, a new permanent structure is not anticipated until 2031.
Meanwhile, residents of Glasgow continue to express their opposition creatively. Street artist Ashley Rawson recently visited the new shop with an artwork titled “unexploded vape,” a sculpture inspired by the Union Corner fire that features a one-meter-long vape labeled “burnt heritage flavor.” In an Instagram video set to Billy Joel’s 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Rawson questioned whether this was the direction the heritage of Sauchiehall Street should be taking, expressing his bewilderment at the lack of learned lessons from previous incidents.
