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It’s #glasgowparkoftheweek time again! Todays park is Queen’s Park, situated on the south side of the city and nominated by @partickbrody Images courtesy of our Deputy Director Niall Murphy and Development Officer Taylor Cross-Whiter (Viewpoint)
The park was originally part of the lands of Langside, owned by the Maxwells of Pollok. In the C17th the western part was sold to form Camphill Farm. In 1799 it was sold to Robert Thomson, who built Camphill House in 1806. Category A-Listed, the house is now private apartments.
Robert’s son purchased the adjacent Pathhead Farm in 1834, and the merged land was sold by his grandson Neale Thomson to Glasgow Corporation in 1857 for the purpose of developing Glasgow’s third park. The park was a response to the growing population in the surrounding areas.
The park was designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, who also designed the Botanic Gardens, Kelvingrove Park and Alexandra Park. His original plans included a winter garden and loch, but these were considered too extravagant and were removed in amended plans by City Architect John Carrick
As with Kelvingrove, Paxton’s design was evocative of the grand Victorian manner. The main drive sweeps through grand entrance gates and up a granite staircase to a magnificent terrace. From the staircase you can see the grand vista along Victoria Road towards the city centre.
Although the loch did not materialise, a boating pond was excavated out of the lawn of Camphill House in 1905. The pond has been used by model boat enthusiasts and also for paddle and rowing boats in the past.
The park’s original bandstand was manufactured by Walter MacFarlane & Co. and constructed in cast and wrought iron from the Saracen Foundry. It drew large crowds to listen to concerts. It was moved to Duchess Park, Motherwell, in the 1920s.
It was replaced in 1930 by a new south facing bandstand with amphitheatre style seating. The bandstand burned down in 1996, with only the terraces remaining. Now redeveloped, the bandstand is known as Queen’s Park arena and hosts a variety of events.
The arena features a mosaic mural by artist Joanne Dawson, with assistance from the local community, who were asked what the park was used for and what it symbolised. Look carefully and you’ll spot a tree, bird, fish and bell, all symbols from Glasgow’s Coat of Arms.
Not far from the bandstand is The Viewpoint, offering spectacular panoramic views across the city. The centre of the view point is marked by a flagpole.
The park’s glasshouse was built in 1905 by Simpson & Farmer of Partick and is Category B-Listed. Simpson & Farmer also built the glasshouses at Botanic Gardens, Springburn Park and Tollcross Park. The glasshouse is home to a collection of tropical plants, fish, birds and reptiles
The glasshouse was closed in March 2020 and in August work began to remove its dome, which is in an unsafe condition. It is hoped that the dome can be restored. Glasgow City Council are keen to work with interested parties to ensure the long term sustainability of the facility.
Friends of Queen’s Park Glasgow can be contacted to express an interest at [email protected], or contact the Council at [email protected]
Near the Glasshouse is the Category B-Listed Langside Monument. It commemorates the Battle of Langside in 1568, which marked the final defeat of Mary Queen of Scots. The memorial was built in 1887 and designed by Alexander Skirving, a former assistant of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson
On the edge of the park is Langside Halls. Category A-Listed, they were originally a bank office which stood in Glasgow city centre. When Mount Florida, Langside and Shawlands were annexed to the City of Glasgow in 1891, the city had to provide a public hall for the area.
The whole building was dismantled, moved and reconstructed at its current site in 1902-3, which probably cost less than building a new building of a similar quality from scratch!
Let us know what you love about Queens Park, and remember to tag us @GlasgowHeritage in photos of you out enjoying Glasgow’s parks and greenspaces! Use the hashtag #glasgowparkoftheweek to nominate your local park to be featured.
