The Burrell Collection is the most surprising museum in Britain — a single shipping magnate’s lifelong hoard of nine thousand objects, gifted to Glasgow in 1944 with the condition that it had to be displayed somewhere away from the dirty city air, and now housed in an award-winning glass-and-sandstone pavilion deep inside Pollok Country Park.
The £68 million refurbishment that reopened in March 2022 transformed the visitor experience. The Burrell Collection Glasgow won UK Museum of the Year in 2023, and it’s now one of the very best free museum visits in Europe. This is a complete 2026 visitor guide.
Burrell Collection at a glance
Address: 2060 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow G43 1AT (inside Pollok Country Park). Opening hours (2026): Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm; Sunday 11am – 5pm. Entry: Free. Estimated visit time: 2–3 hours minimum; a full half day if you also walk in Pollok Park. Best entrance: the gracious oak-and-glass main door facing the courtyard.
Who was Sir William Burrell?
Sir William Burrell (1861–1958) was a Glasgow shipping owner who started collecting at 14, made a fortune buying ships in slumps and selling them in booms, and used the proceeds to assemble one of the most personal art collections of the 20th century. He gifted the entire collection — 9,000+ objects — to the City of Glasgow in 1944, but the gift came with conditions: the building had to be at least 16 miles from the city centre, away from coal soot. Pollok was eventually chosen as the home, the original 1983 building won the Royal Institute of British Architects national award, and the entire complex was rebuilt and reopened in 2022.
What to see: The Burrell’s six headline highlights
1. The medieval tapestries (Galleries 16–18)
The Burrell holds 200+ tapestries — one of the world’s finest collections — including the 15th-century Hercules Initiating the Olympic Games and the elaborate Charity Overcoming Envy. The new lighting after the refurbishment finally lets you see these works in proper colour. Don’t miss the Devonshire Hunting Tapestries fragments.
2. Chinese pottery and porcelain (Gallery 4)
Burrell amassed 1,800 pieces of Chinese ceramic — one of Europe’s most significant collections. The 7th-century Tang horse, the 14th-century blue-and-white Yuan jar and the Ming dynasty cobalt vases are the visitor favourites. Five thousand years of pottery in a single room.
3. The Impressionists (Gallery 12)
Manet, Cézanne, Degas, Pissarro and Sisley — Burrell bought French paintings in the 1920s when British buyers still considered them suspect. Highlights include Degas’ Jockeys in the Rain and Cézanne’s The Château de Médan. Small but seriously good.
4. Stained glass (across the building)
Burrell collected 700+ pieces of medieval stained glass and the architects of the rebuilt museum incorporated them into the very fabric of the building — windows backlit by Pollok Park’s daylight. Look up; some of the loveliest pieces are in the corridors rather than the formal galleries.
5. The Hutton Castle Rooms
Burrell rebuilt rooms from his own home, Hutton Castle near the Borders, inside the museum — a 1500s drawing room, a Tudor bedroom and the dining room. They’re disorienting and brilliant: domestic-scale spaces in the middle of a public museum.
6. The Egyptian gallery
200 pieces of ancient Egyptian art, including a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus, the wooden statue of Pa-di-Imen and the small but exquisite collection of mummified animals.
What’s new since the 2022 reopening
Gallery space increased by 35%, allowing 225 displays across 24 galleries — many objects are on permanent display for the first time. There are 90+ digital displays integrating context and short films. New touch tables in every gallery let you zoom in on the objects. The reopened museum won UK Museum of the Year 2023.
Free guided tours
Volunteer-led free guided tours run twice daily Tuesday–Sunday (typically 11am and 2pm) and last about an hour. They’re the best way to make sense of a sprawling collection on a first visit. Sign up at the front desk on arrival; first-come first-served.
Where to eat at the Burrell
The on-site Burrell Café on the ground floor is a lovely glass-walled space looking out at the woodland — soups, sandwiches, stronger lunch options around £10–£15, decent kid-friendly options, and a child-portion menu. There are also five indoor picnic spaces if you want to bring your own — a generous policy for a museum.
Combine with Pollok Country Park
The Burrell sits in the middle of Pollok Country Park, the largest park in Glasgow at 361 acres. Any Burrell visit is worth combining with at least an hour outside. Don’t miss:
- The Highland cattle — Glasgow’s famous Pollok Fold of “hairy coos” graze fields a five-minute walk from the museum.
- Pollok House — the Maxwell family’s 1750s neoclassical mansion with one of Britain’s best Spanish art collections; small entry fee.
- The walled garden & the Riverside Walk — both within easy walking distance.
- The play park for families — see our companion best Glasgow playgrounds guide.
How to get to the Burrell Collection
Train: Pollokshaws West (10 minutes from Glasgow Central, every 30 minutes) — then a 5–10 minute walk through the park. Cheapest and simplest option for visitors without a car.
Bus: First Bus 57 from Argyle Street drops you at the Pollok Park entrance.
Driving: Free parking at the Pollok Country Park car park; 10-minute walk from there to the museum.
Subway: Shields Road is the closest Subway station, then a 20-minute walk or a £10 taxi.
Accessibility
The Burrell is exceptionally accessible: step-free throughout, with two Changing Places toilets (Scotland’s first museum to install them), nine accessible toilets, free wheelchair loan, large-print labels, and a dementia-friendly tour offering. Hearing loops in lecture spaces; assistance dogs welcome.
Best time to visit the Burrell
Weekday mornings (Tuesday–Friday, 10am–11.30am) are noticeably quieter. Sundays are the busiest — locals visit for the café and the park. Avoid school-holiday Saturdays if you want a quiet wander.
Burrell with kids
Surprisingly child-friendly. The new digital touch tables, the Egyptian sarcophagus and the medieval armour gallery are all instant hits. The free family-trail booklets at the front desk turn the collection into a treasure hunt. Pram-friendly throughout. Combine with the playpark and the Highland coos for a full day. See our wider Glasgow with kids guide.
FAQs
Is the Burrell Collection free?
Yes — entry to all galleries, the temporary exhibitions and the free guided tours is free. Donations (£5 suggested) are welcome but not required.
How long should I spend at the Burrell?
2–3 hours is enough for a focused visit covering the medieval tapestries, Chinese pottery, Impressionists and the Hutton Castle rooms. A full half day if you take the free guided tour and have lunch at the café.
Is the Burrell Collection worth visiting?
Genuinely yes — it won UK Museum of the Year in 2023 for good reason, and the post-2022 redisplay finally does justice to one of the most personal art collections in Europe. Combined with the surrounding park, it’s a brilliant free half-day.
Can I take photos at the Burrell?
Yes, in almost all galleries (no flash). A few lender exhibits prohibit photography — clear signage indicates which.
How do I get to the Burrell from central Glasgow without a car?
Train from Glasgow Central to Pollokshaws West (10 minutes) — then walk. Total journey under 30 minutes.
Is the Burrell Collection good for kids?
Yes — digital interactives, family trails, the dramatic medieval armour gallery and an excellent café make it one of the most child-friendly museums in the city.
Plan more Glasgow museum days
The Burrell is the jewel of the Southside but the city has a stack of other free museums. Read our companion deep-dive on Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and our complete Glasgow museums and galleries guide for the full list.