The ‘forgotten’ daughter of Sir William Burrell

The Burrell Collection reopens next year, and houses over 8,000 objects in the south side of Glasgow.

Collected by shipping magnate Sir William Burrell and his wife, Constance, this treasure trove was bequeathed to the city in 1944.

The Burrells were a very private couple and many assumed that the collection had been left to the city as they had no children.

But they did have one daughter, Marion. This spirited girl grew up to have a decidedly-strained relationship with her parents, running parallel to an eventful life that saw three broken engagements, a stint working as a nurse during the Second World War and travel to Australia and New Zealand.

This is a well-written story that gives an insight into the lives of the upper classes and is all the more relevant for being told by the god-daughter of Marion herself.

Collector’s Daughter: The Untold Burrell Story, by SMO Stephens, published by Glasgow Museums, £9.99.

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