The award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will ensure the completion of The Willow Tea Rooms Trust’s mission to conserve and restore the building at 217 Sauchiehall Street.

The tea rooms and new visitor centre are scheduled to open for the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Mackintosh’s birth on June 7 next year.

The HLF award will allow The Willow Tea Room Trust to continue their work restoring the original tea rooms and famous Salon de Luxe. The Trust also plans to incorporate an interactive visitor centre, education and learning suite, conference facilities and shop to ensure that the project is sustainable for future generations to enjoy. It will operate as a genuine social enterprise delivering a range of exciting activities far beyond its original function as a tea room.

Celia Sinclair, founder and chairwoman of The Willow Tea Room Trust, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players the important cultural and rich heritage of The Willow Tea Rooms Building will be conserved.

“Works to the exterior of the building are almost complete. The Heritage Lottery Fund 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.”