The dear green people behind Glasgow's acclaimed parks

During the current pandemic they have been used as places to escape lockdown, to enjoy fresh air and a sense of freedom.

There are more than 90 parks or green spaces in Glasgow – the smallest is Festival Park and the largest, and most dramatic, is Pollok Country Park on the southside of the city, home to a photogenic herd of Highland cattle and a range of wildlife.

Nearby, Bellahouston Park has hosted two papal visits – Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in front of 300,000 in 1982 and Pope Benedict who did the same to 60,000 in 2013 – and several top music acts such as Eminem, The Cure, Paulo Nutini and Calvin Harris, as well as the World Pipe Band Championships, while Rouken Glen Park, a few miles away, has hosted sell-out Electric Glen winter light show.

Glasgow Green – the oldest park – has been the setting for countless major events such as the first ever T in the Park with the likes of superstars REM, Beyoncé and Kylie Minogue, and more recently its successor, TRNSMT, and the finishing line for the Great Scottish Run was at the Green as well, displaying just how much the city relies on its open spaces in so many different ways.

Parks offer a vital, recreational outlet, just as they did in the late 1800s when the city was one of the fastest growing in the world.

People needed employment and homes, but they also needed entertainment to fill their leisure time; the city parks were specifically designed with recreation in mind with bandstands, boating ponds and glasshouses often included in the plans for this purpose.

Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT) has been taking a closer look at the city’s parks and individual features therein to find out who were the forward-thinking minds behind the planning and construction.

GCHT, formed in 2007, is an independent charity and funder whose grant programmes help projects which promote the understanding, appreciation and conservation of Glasgow’s historic built environment.

In the last few months its team has been exploring various parks around the city, highlighting buildings, ponds, green houses, ancient trees, sculptures and the minds behind them.

Silvia Scopa, Community Engagement Officer for GCHT, found out more about Elder Park in Govan, for example, which was established in 1885 by philanthropist, Isabella Elder.

Isabella, who died 20 years later, dedicated her life to improving the city and the living conditions of its inhabitants.

The majority of her philanthropic projects were centred on Govan, including establishing the park to offer “healthful recreation by music and amusement” to the people of Govan.

The Isabella Elder Rose Garden is the main ornamental garden component of the original design. It was restored in 2010 and includes the Isabella Elder statue, which is Category A-Listed and was the first statue of a woman other than Queen Victoria in Glasgow.

Isabella also keenly supported the development of medical training for women. In 1894 the University of Glasgow’s medical school produced Scotland’s first female graduates in medicine. Isabella’s statue shows her dressed in her graduate robes from the University of Glasgow, where she was awarded an honorary degree in 1901.

Gardener and architect, Sir Joseph Paxton (1803-1865), was the brilliant mind behind some of the most beloved parks in the city, including Glasgow Botanic Gardens in the West End and Queen’s Park on the Southside.

He participated in the design of West End Park, now known as Kelvingrove Park, and among his main achievements was the design of the Crystal Palace in London for the Great Exhibition of 1851.

“Last year, we ran an online Glasgow Park of the week series and covered about 15 of them,” said Silvia. Elder Park won a place on the GCHT list.

“The smallest one to feature was Festival Park, located on Govan Road and it is the only surviving ground from the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival, which was held on the site of the former Prince’s Dock, once the largest on the Clyde,” said Silvia.

“One of the highlights of this park is without doubt the remains of the Highland river, lochan, and waterfall, which were once amongst the features of the Festival.”

The honour of being the first park of the week went to Linn Park on the city’s south side. Named after the waterfall on the White Cart Water, this is the second largest park in Glasgow covering 82 hectares.

With people spending more time in the city parks, more have been taking notice of bandstands and glasshouses, described by Rachel Kacir GCHT’s heritage outreach managers as “the loved and lost treasures” of Glasgow parks.

“Glasgow’s parks are beautiful spaces with many intriguing features such as glasshouses, bandstands, fountains, playparks, outdoor gyms and so on,” said Rachel, who spends a lot of time in Alexandra Park in Dennistoun.

She looked at companies specialising in producing fountains, bandstands and architectural cresting and ornaments.

The most celebrated work of MacFarlane’s & Co, founded by Walter MacFarlane (1817-85), is the Saracen Fountain in Alexandra Park, commissioned as their principal exhibit for the International Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park in 1901.

They gifted the fountain to the city and it was relocated to Alexandra Park in 1914 and was restored to working order to celebrate the Millennium in 2000. The company also manufactured the Queen’s Park bandstand – now a venue once more known as the Queen’s Park Arena – and the components of the Kibble Palace, the jewel in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens crown.

Rachel said that Simpson & Farmer were the company that led the way when it came to glasshouses. Describing themselves as ‘Horticultural Builders, Heating and Ventilation Engineers,’ they were responsible for the glasshouses, or ‘Winter Gardens’, in Tollcross, Springburn and Queen’s Parks.

The Tollcross Winter Gardens glasshouse was closed in the 1980s and much of the steel framework was lost due to vandalism. It was restored in the late 1990s/early 2000s, but storm damage during the winter of 2010-11 led to it being closed again.

The GCHT, which has grant-aided some of Glasgow’s most well-known buildings including Hutchesons Hall, The Mackintosh Church at Queens Cross, The Britannia Panopticon and Argyll Arcade, says the Winter Gardens are once again classed as ‘At Risk’ on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland, while Springburn Winter Gardens have remained derelict for some time due to major structural problems. Springburn Winter Gardens Trust, a community led organisation, is working to restore them.

Queen’s Park glasshouse closed last year and work began to remove its dome, which was in an unsafe condition. Friends of Queen’s Park are working with Glasgow City Council and others to ensure the long-term sustainability of the facility.

Despite such issues, Glasgow parks will continue to be an attraction.

So, whether you are heading out for a quiet stroll, a jog, walking the dog, a seat on a bench to take in your surroundings, or longer term, waiting for that next music gig, parks are creating a renewed interest in all of us.