Glasgow Park Circuit

While scanning the maps of Glasgow, it struck me that three major parks on the southside are within easy walking distance of each other. Preliminary investigation confirmed that Queen's Park, Pollok Park and Bellahouston Park all feature iconic buildings and have hosted large-scale events over the years. This seemed like too good an opportunity to miss and I pieced together a plan to walk out from the city centre and do a circular tour. Glasgow Council has published heritage trail booklets online for each of the green spaces. I took the first direct bus from Cairneyhill on a fine Sunday morning and a two and a quarter mile trek from the Buchanan terminus brought me to the gates of Queen's Park.

Officially opened in 1862 - the year of Queen Victoria's Silver Jubilee - the park was actually named after Mary, Queen of Scots, whose forces lost a battle in the vicinity. Laid out by Sir Joseph Paxton, who also designed the spectacular Crystal Palace in London and - closer to home - Glasgow's Botanical Gardens and Kelvingrove Park, the southern half of Queen's Park was deliberately given a natural feel while a more formal structure was presented in the north. A lavish winter garden and large artificial loch were included in the first submission but scrubbed by the bean counters on the grounds of cost. An army of unemployed men supplied much of the labour. The park was extended in the 1890s when the city corporation acquired Camphill House and its grounds. The mansion was converted to a museum in 1895, then turned into private flats a century later. Hothouses were added to this new corner of the park but were demolished in 1930 - only a set of stone steps remaining, next to the present-day Scottish Poetry Rose Garden. I entered the park and relaxed beside the boating pond and its smaller ornamental neighbour. It was turning out to be a warm day and I refilled my water bottle at a top-up tap by the main gates. I wandered up for a look at Camphill House but the lower half of the 1818 A-listed mansion was obscured by tall surrounding hedges. The former walled garden was transformed into a rose garden in the 1960s and - more recently - set to the theme of Scottish poetry. Despite the fact that many individual poets have monuments dedicated to them, it was felt that a general focus on the art form would be a suitable concept for the new project, especially since the rose itself is often referred to in verse. It was a pleasant area for strolling around and I located the old staircase that once led to the hothouses. Over a dozen poets have their words displayed on stonework within the garden and the languages featured are English, Scots and Gaelic.

I decided to work my way towards the glasshouses that remain. The B-listed Edwardian complex has a central dome with a series of long, low ranges but public access has been prohibited since 2019 due to safety concerns. A similar problem occurred north of the river on Glasgow Green. Engineers estimated around £7 million worth of repairs to the famous Winter Gardens were necessary and it was decided to close the building indefinitely. These places are expensive to maintain and face a challenging future in the age of public sector austerity. On the other side of the coin, mental health is now a key issue across society and access to parkland with engaging facilities is recognised as a way of combating this problem. Hopefully a business solution can be found to preserve these old glasshouses. Indeed, reports suggest the Friends of Queen's Park group are spearheading a move to secure the future of their hothouse. But a lot of money will be required. The council heritage trail document was obviously published before the enforced closure as it mentions that 150,000 people visit the glasshouses annually and that reptile, fish and bird collections live within the humid environment. I was able to poke my camera through the railings and obtain a shot of the glasshouse gardens, which were unfortunately closed on Sundays. Through the trees I could see the top of the monument commemorating the Battle of Langside - a disastrous defeat for Mary, Queen of Scots. The tall granite column was erected in 1887 and stands in the centre of a roundabout outside the park boundary. A lion sits on top with a cannonball under its paw. Decorated with Mary's royal coat of arms, the 60-foot pillar marks the spot where the thick of battle ensued. It was restored in 1988 and is a fitting tribute to a figure whose spirit still looms over Scotland.

The Battle of Langside was one of the most significant battles to take place in Glasgow. Mary had returned to Scotland from France after the death of her husband Francis II. She then married the Catholic Lord Darnley, but he was assassinated in 1567. That same year, Mary married a Presbyterian earl suspected of the murder - James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Both marriages scandalised Protestant Scottish leaders, who rose up against her. Mary was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle and forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son James. Her half-brother Lord James Stewart, Earl of Moray, was appointed Regent. Following a dramatic escape, Mary set out west, gathering an army along the way. The strength of the force topped 6000 men. In May 1568, her troops were cut off by Moray's forces. Mary’s cavalry made an unsuccessful charge and her foot soldiers marched towards Langside Hill. The two armies battled where the memorial stands today and were reportedly evenly matched until Moray’s reinforcements arrived. The final stage was allegedly over in less than an hour. Mary lost 300 men and Moray a mere handful. Mary - who had watched events unfold from nearby Cathcart Hill - fled south and spent her last night in Scotland at Dundrennan Abbey in Kirkcudbrightshire. She crossed into England where she was held captive in various locations by her cousin Elizabeth I, who believed that Mary had her sights set upon the English throne. Accused of several plots, Mary was sentenced to death for treason and was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire in 1587. I only had time to take in selected highlights of each park but I didn't want to leave before checking out the view across Glasgow from the flagpole. This artificial mound was created with the intention of providing an attractive panorama from the 209-foot summit. The views to the north were the best and the Campsie Fells range could be seen in the distance. It was now time to head for Pollok Park and I paused to check out Langside Hall on the fringes of Queen's Park. The A-listed building was once the imposing National Bank of Scotland within the city centre. As Glasgow expanded and swallowed up outlying districts, the entire building was dismantled and moved stone by stone from Queen Street to Shawlands in order to function as a town hall, which opened for business in 1903.

I arrived at the entrance to Pollok Country Park, which is Glasgow's largest public space at 360 acres. The former private estate was the seat of the Maxwell family for 700 years. It was gifted to Glasgow Corporation in 1966 by Anne Maxwell MacDonald on the condition it be used for leisure purposes. The acquisition of such a tranquil setting finally provided the local authority with a potential home for the famed Burrell Collection which had been sitting in storage for two decades. Sir William Burrell - a native of Glasgow but long-term chief of Hutton Castle, Berwickshire, had assembled an enormous personal art, pottery and sculpture (to name but three) portfolio during his years as a successful shipping tycoon. He too had donated his assets to the people of Glasgow but placed strict stipulations on the type of environment where the collection could be housed. Pollok Park ticked the right boxes and a museum was constructed to showcase the artworks - eventually opening in 1983. I was actually planning to take my mum there a couple of weeks henceforth as the place has recently reopened following an extensive refurbishment. Today I would be focussing on Pollok House and the surrounding country landscape. Rather than head straight for the mansion, I had plotted a walk along the White Cart Water, by a cricket field. What I didn't expect to see was a Highland cow slumbering just yards from the adjacent field boundary. Apparently the herd - now numbering around 100 - has been grazing here since the 19th century as the Maxwells were keen cattle breeders and won many prizes. Each cow is given a traditional Gaelic name and they are often taken to local and national agricultural shows. They are now firmly established as part of the Pollok Park brand. I followed the water along to the old stables and stumbled across a walled garden with ample bench seating. The perfect spot for lunch. Suitably fed and watered, I explored some of paths through the woodland garden before realising I must have overshot the mansion. I reoriented myself and approached the house from one end. A squad of workers were busy packing away a large marquee on the back lawn and I assumed there must have been a wedding here the night before. The property is an amazing sight to behold and now overseen by the National Trust.

Built between 1747 and 1752, the now A-listed house was built with a southerly outlook on to the north bank of the White Cart. Originally box shaped, the Georgian mansion had wings added in 1860. Also added in later years were the terrace and flanking pavilions. The family collection of artwork and ceramics is contained within but I was happy to view the property from the exterior today. Perhaps at some point in the future I will dedicate a morning or afternoon to a complete tour. Wealthy families often had their residence requisitioned by the military during the world wars and Pollok House was used as an auxiliary hospital. The Maxwell-MacDonald family retain the use of two flats on the second floor today. My first sight of the house was across the geometric parterre garden of low clipped hedged and gravel paths. The corner pavilions - introduced in 1901 and topped with cupolas - are also A-listed and I examined the one in front of me before walking across the lawn to find suitable angles for photographs. I sat on the boundary wall to avoid getting in the way of the crew dismantling the tents and turned round to gaze over the White Cart, where people were whiling away time on the banks. An elegant stone bridge across the water is yet another A-listed structure and dates from the 1750s. This would have linked the Mansion House and its stable courtyard with Polloktoun and the South Lodge gateway. The main entrances to the estate from this direction would have provided a stunning approach to the mansion. I wandered through the flower garden and then across to the opposite wing where toilet facilities were available and a small café in operation. It's often the case with stately homes that the most attractive areas are found around the back. This after all is where the occupants would have relaxed to enjoy their privileged position. The front of Pollok House appears stiffer and more formal. A place to park carriages rather than unwind with a drink. I had planned a walking route from the house entrance to the exit closest to my next stop - Bellahouston Park.

Directly in front of the main gates to Pollok House running north to south is a steep avenue of lime trees. This feature was planted in 1888 as a gift from Alexander Crum of Thornliebank to Sir John Stirling Maxwell to commemorate his 21st birthday. Each spring the avenue is illuminated by masses of Daffodils which flower along each side. I began heading up the wide stretch of grass and, out of nowhere, a horse overtook me from behind at great speed. Meanwhile, I plodded along on Shank's pony. Lime Avenue merged into Rhododendron Way - deliberately designed as two almost perpendicular straight lines in order to make the most of the rise and fall of the land and give long spectacular views. It was a pleasing traffic-free route. Not sure how environmentally friendly rhododendron plantations are though. I believe this non-native plant is pretty invasive. I did cross over estate roads a couple of times before finally emerging at a pond, where two mallard ducklings where swimming alongside their mother. I couldn't help wondering why only two youngsters were in the group. Had a heron gobbled up their siblings? I eventually left the massive estate and took a footbridge over the M77 that connected me with Bellahouston Park, obviously a neighbouring estate back in the day. The motorway passes through the southwest corner of Pollok Park and there were protests against its construction in the mid 90s. Opponents to the scheme objected to the destruction of 5000 trees and claimed local communities would be cut off from the park. Activists came from across the UK to occupy newly-built treehouses and tunnels on the site. The eco-camp was named the Pollok Free State. A giant land sculpture dubbed "Carhenge" was erected on the site. Built from half-buried old vehicles, the environmentalists argued for a future with more public transport and less individual car ownership - a theme relevant in today's world with ever-increasing concern over carbon emissions. The campaign ultimately failed to prevent the development of the motorway but pressure groups reared their heads again in 2008 when plans were announced to create a treetop adventure course - run by Go Ape - through the north woods of Pollok Park. Campaigners said it would disrupt the peaceful nature of the area and objections were lodged by the National Trust and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. In the end, the company walked away from the proposal.

I entered my third set of park gates and began walking through the vast open space. Bellahouston Park has hosted numerous mass gatherings over the years and the Glasgow Summer Sessions music festival was held annually in the run-up to lockdown. Those aged over 50 will recall Pope John Paul II paying a visit in 1982 which attracted 250,000 worshipers. A third of this figure turned up to see Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. Perhaps indicative of the declining role of organised religion in society? I wanted to explore the heritage of the 1938 Empire Exhibition staged here. The centrepiece was the 300-foot Tait Tower, built upon the summit of Ibrox Hill in the centre of the park. It boasted three observation decks and could be seen from 100 miles away. Along with most of the exhibition infrastructure, the tower was dismantled a year later and nowadays only the foundations can be traced. An urban myth states that demolition was ordered in 1939 lest the tower become a landmark for enemy bombers but in truth the exhibition - as was normally the case back then with events of this scale - was always intended to be a temporary installation. Rather frustratingly, the hilltop is now dominated by tree growth, which obscures some potentially decent views of the city. The park was opened to the public in 1895 and extended over the following decade. Ibroxhill Mansion and its grounds were added to the green space but the house was demolished in 1914 after serving as a tea room for a few years. Another grand property located within the park boundaries was Bellahouston House, on the lower slopes of the hill. Long demolished, only the basements walls remain and the site is now named the sunken garden. Rows of concrete blocks have inserted as an art display - but it didn't do much for me. The focal point of Bellahouston today is the modern House for an Art Lover. Surrounded by manicured gardens and a sculpture park, the property was completed in 1996 upon the foundations of Ibroxhill House. The portico of the latter had been retained and served for many years as an entrance to a rockery garden, before being repurposed as the gateway to the new project. House for an Art Lover is based on plans drawn up in 1901 by esteemed architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He had entered a German competition to design a grand house in a modern style that challenged ideas of the time. The submission was disqualified from the competition on grounds of insufficient perspective drawings. On a positive note, the designs were awarded a special prize for their personal touch, along with an innovative form and the uniformity of both exterior and interiors. I suppose that's what you call a result.

House for an Art Lover is accessible to the public and features an exhibition and café. Pre-booking of tours was necessary however and I enjoyed a seat in the gardens instead. I then wandered around the sculpture park, noting the Peace Cairn - erected in 1938 for the Empire Exhibition. The steel globe on top was added in 2004 and depicts the word "peace" in various languages. I also went in search of the granite monument commemorating the grand event and found it nestled in a shaded area of Ibrox Hill. Although 1938 proved to be one of the wettest summers on record, the exhibition attracted 12 million visitors and the two largest pavilions (among 100 display sites) were the palaces of industry and engineering. The eating facilities included one of the first Indian restaurants in Scotland and the Atlantic Restaurant, modelled on an ocean liner. The Clachan, a life-size model of a Highland village proved a popular attraction and featured native Gaelic speakers carrying out their daily tasks. One of the stars was Mary Morrison from Barra, who sang laments in her mother tongue while working at her spinning wheel. The only surviving original building from the exhibition is the Palace of Arts. It was intended to be a permanent fixture and was earmarked to house the City of Glasgow's art collection once Bellahouston Park returned to normal. The square structure had an inner courtyard with galleries leading off this space. Scottish works were prominently displayed. Plans changed somewhere along the line and the building ended up as a community sports hall. It was extensively refurbished at the turn of the century, along with the adjacent leisure centre that had opened in 1967. People often lament the fact that these grand exhibition sites were taken down afterwards but a major part of the pulling power was the very fact the attractions wouldn't be around for long. The had to be promoted as "once in a lifetime" events in order to bring in droves of punters. This in turn (hopefully) recouped the vast costs of staging the exhibition and you have to ask what could realistically have been done with a series of recently vacated halls. I attended the Glasgow Garden festival in 1988 when the European City of Culture title was bestowed upon our largest city. Virtually no trace remains today.

As I exited Bellahouston Park, I realised I was close to Ibrox Stadium and I took a walk down to the famous home of Rangers Football Club. I've been to a handful of matches there over the years and thought it would be interesting to see the place without crowds of people milling around. I was virtually the only person walking past the huge bulk of the main stand with its red-brick facade. Now a modern all-seated arena with a capacity of 50,000, Ibrox has dark periods in its history. A 1902 tragedy caused the deaths of 25 supporters when part of a stand collapsed during a Scotland versus England fixture, dropping between 200 and 300 people to the concrete floor below. The disaster led to an overhaul in grandstand design. Wooden terraced seating upon a framework with nothing underneath was largely replaced by structures sitting upon solid earth or concrete embankments. In more modern times, two people were crushed to death in 1961 on stairway 13 while exiting the ground after the match had ended. One has to ask whether lessons were learned on this occasion because a far greater catastrophe unfolded on the very same staircase a decade down the line. In the club's defence, £150,000 had been spent on safety improvements - a considerable amount of money at a time when there was no national legislation on the matter. The traditional New Year fixture against Celtic in 1971 was nearing the end of play when Rangers scored a last-gasp equaliser. This, naturally, prompted great delight among the home supporters, many of whom had already made their way towards the exits (Celtic having dampened the mood by edging ahead just a minute earlier). Nobody knows exactly what sparked the chain of events on the steep exit stairs. One theory suggests some fans tried to turn back in order to take part in the goal celebrations, only to be engulfed by the dense mass behind them. This speculation has largely been rejected by studies of the disaster which concluded the 66 people who lost their lives had all been proceeding in the same direction. That said, the 1961 incident also featured a goal in the dying seconds against arch-rivals Celtic....

In all probability it was a case of a tragedy waiting to happen. The ritual of fans leaving a packed stadium via narrow exit channels occurred on a weekly basis up and down the land. The official inquest said the deaths were caused by either asphyxiation or suffocation but the bottom line is 66 people set out to watch a game of football and never returned home. I wandered over to the memorial, installed in 2001 on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. The name of each victim is inscribed on a blue plaque and a statue of John Greig - Rangers captain on the day - stands above. Sadly, the Ibrox disaster did not mark the end of people losing their lives inside a football ground. A horrific fire at Bradford saw 56 fans perish on the final day of the 84/85 season. (A 15-year-old boy died beneath a collapsed wall at Birmingham on the same afternoon). The death toll at Hillsborough Stadium in 1996 eventually reached 97 and only very recently did a court rule the fans were unlawfully killed. Football stadia are now considered safe family-friendly places but it took a long time to get there. The fact does remain that when you funnel large volumes of moving people into relatively small spaces, a risk is created. Nor did the dangers disappear with the turn of the 21st century. As recently as 2010, a crush in a tunnel at the German Love Parade pop festival claimed the lives of 21 revellers. You also don't need many thousands of people to constitute danger. The rock band Great White were playing in a Rhode Island nightclub when a fire broke out on stage and exactly 100 people were killed, many in the stampede for the front door, where a bottle neck quickly developed. On that sombre note, I made my way down to the River Clyde and followed it back to the city centre.