Kelvin Hall

Pride: The books that shaped us 

Tickets: Free - ticket required

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Dates and times: Wednesday 25th Jun 2025
6:00pm
Age: Adult
Venue: Kelvin Hall

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Celebrate Pride with the National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall in this discussion about the books that have shaped our panellists’ lives.

This year the National Library of Scotland is 100 years old, and we asked people to share the books they love with us. To mark Pride, our panel of LGBT+ individuals will talk about the books and publications that have influenced their lives.

Free, but ticketed. Please book here.

Panellists

Sasha De Buyl (Chair) is a writer and programmer from Cork. Their work has been published in ‘Gutter’ and ‘The Stinging Fly’ among others. They are currently undertaking a DFA in Writing at the University of Glasgow.

Graeme Hawley (Head of Published Collections at National Library of Scotland) works at the Library and is used to dealing with millions of books. But out of that huge collection some are more personally significant than others. He shares the books that were helpful to him in his coming out, and a tiny entry in ‘The List’ with a big memory attached to it.

Sigrid Nielsen co-founded Lavender Menace, Scotland’s first lesbian and gay community bookshop, as a partnership in 1982. Sigrid managed author readings, mail order lists, and bookshop events. She left as a partner in 1987 and later co-edited ‘In Other Words: Writing as a Feminist’ (Hutchinson Education, 1987) and published articles and short stories. In 2019, she and Bob revived Lavender Menace as an LGBT+ books archive and heritage organisation.

Other panellists to be announced.

Our audience will be invited to share memories and recommendations of books that have influenced them.  

This event has been developed in partnership with Lavender Menace and will be highlighting their queer books archive.

Accessibility guides

The AccessAble guide can be found here

The Kelvin Hall Visual Story can be found here.

A floor plan for the venue is available here.

Other accessibility information

Please note that only assistance dogs are permitted within the building.

Kelvin Hall has a dedicated quiet room that can be used for prayer or for those needing a calm space. It is located on the ground floor beside the Sports Hall, please ask staff for directions.

Sensory bags which include ear defenders are available for visitors to use during their time in Kelvin Hall. These can be collected from reception.

Accessible toilets

The accessible toilet is located off the main corridor. There is changing places toilet.

Assistance dogs

Guide and assistance dogs are welcome.

Hearing loop

There is a fixed loop hearing assistance system.

If you use British Sign Language, you can watch our British Sign Language introduction to Kelvin Hall.

Wheelchair access

There is wheelchair and pram access to all public areas using the lifts and there are free wheelchairs available to hire at reception.

Baby changing

There is a dedicated baby changing room near reception, please ask staff for directions. The Play n' Climb has its own toilets with additional baby changing facilities.

Baby feeding

Cafe or restaurant

The Café at Kelvin Hall is a bright open space, located on the left hand side as you enter the building. There is a combination of booth seating and tables. It's a great space to meet friends, catch up before a class or grab a takeaway coffee before a walk through the West end.

The Kelvin Hall café serves breakfast, lunch, kid's meals, cakes, coffee and cold drinks.

Opening Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8am-5pm

Saturday & Sunday: 8.30am-5pm

Parking

Paid parking is available at the Bunhouse Road car park. The car park is managed by City Parking.

There are spaces reserved for blue badge holders close to the entrance of Kelvin Hall on Bunhouse Road as well as on street parking, where standard charges apply.

Bunhouse Road Car park has facilities for electric car charging as part of the ChargePlace Scotland public network.

Parking costs:

Up to 1 hour £3.00
• 1-2 hours £5.00
• 2-3 hours £7.50
• 3-4 hours £10.00
• 4-5 hours £10.00
• 5-6 hours £10.00
• 6-7 hours £10.00
• 7-8 hours £10.00
• 8-9 hours £10.00
• 9-10 hours £10.00

• Overnight Flat rate 6pm - 8am £3.00

Please note these machines take coins only and no change can be given.

Maximum stay 10 hours

Cashless parking is available as a payment method via RingGo at our surface pay! We advise downloading or registering for RingGo prior to your visit. To register or find out more please visit https://myringgo.co.uk/.

This car park is operated by Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability for more information please visit https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/carparks

Photography and video recording

Please follow this link to read guidelines on photography, filming and sketching in all Glasgow Life Museums.

Free wifi

We encourage visitors to use public transport or active travel to access Kelvin Hall where possible.

Use Traveline Scotland to plan your trip

By train

Kelvin Hall is around 20 minutes walk from Partick Station

Subway

The nearest subway station is Kelvinhall.

By bus

First Bus services 2, 3 and 77 all stop outside the museum.

By Bike:

Kelvingrove Park forms part of the Kelvin Walkway, which links with the Glasgow Loch Lomond Clydeway and the West Highland Way. The venue can be easily reached by bicycle and bicycle parking is available to the front of the building.

By Car

Kelvin Hall is situated on Argyle Street, around 6 minutes from the M8.