More than £3.5 million has been awarded towards a building preservation project in Glasgow.

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Willow Tea Rooms Building in Sauchiehall Street is being restored to mark the 150th anniversary of Mackintosh's birth in June 2018.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has now granted £3.579m to The Willow Tea Room Trust, which will allow the organisation to continue to resotre the original tea rooms Salon de Luxe.

The trust also plans to develop an interactive visitor centre, education and learning suite, conference facilities and shop.

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Lucy Casot, Head of HLF Scotland, said: "What better way to celebrate the Year of History Heritage & Archaeology than to support the revival of these famous tea rooms. Thanks to players of the National Lottery, we are delighted that works by one of Scotland's greatest and most influential designers will be restored so that they can be enjoyed by all as they were first intended."

Celia Sinclair, Founder and Chair of The Willow Tea Room Trust said: "Works to the exterior of the building are almost complete. The HLF award means that our vision for restoring the interior, commissioning furniture, crockery, cutlery and building the interactive visitor centre along with an education and learning suite, conference facilities and shop can now forge ahead."

Image: Interior of one of the original Willow Tea Rooms

(LM)