Queen's Park, Glasgow

Coordinates: 55°49′50″N 4°16′04″W / 55.830433°N 4.267759°W / 55.830433; -4.267759

The glasshouse in Queen's Park. Located at the top of the hill around which the park is formed and close to the flagpole.

Queen's Park (Pàirc na Banrìghinn in Gaelic, Queen's Pairk in Scots) is a park situated on the south side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The 60 hectares (150 acres) park lies about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the city centre,[1] and gives its name to an adjacent residential district, and the football team Queen's Park F.C.

History

The park was developed in the late 19th century in response to the increasing population density of Glasgow in general, and the South Side in particular, with the growth of tenement housing supplying the increased demand for middle-class homes. Victorian Glasgow took the provision of open spaces extremely seriously, with the result that parks such as Queen's Park sprang up across the city.

Queen's Park in winter, looking towards Queen's Park Baptist Church.

The park was acquired in 1857 and was designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, also responsible for noted public parks in London, Liverpool, Birkenhead and the grounds of the Spa Buildings at Scarborough. The park was dedicated to the memory of Mary, Queen of Scots - Mary lost the Battle of Langside near the park. [2]

The residential area came to national attention in 1984 when Patrick Magee, the Brighton Bomber was arrested along with other members of an IRA Active Service Unit.[3]

Current usage

Today the park is used by many thousands of people annually, and remains a focal point for the people of the South Side of Glasgow, and beyond. The park holds the annual Southside Festival which attracts over thirty thousand people. The park holds a farmers market twice a month.[4]

The park is also extremely popular in times of snow when the public rush to make full use of the parks steep hills with sledges in tow for fun in the snow. There is also a music festival held annually at the Glasshouse house called The Wee Chill.[4]

From various points of the park, it is possible to view the full expanse of Glasgow in a given direction. The most comprehensive viewpoint is marked by a flagpole, and affords views of tens of miles to the north, east and south. In good visibility this view encompasses the Campsie Fells and Ben Lomond.[5]

In good visibility Queen's Park affords views of the Campsie Fells.

Archaeology

An earthwork runs over the top of the hill in the park enclosing an area approximately 120 metres by 100 metres. Excavations in 1951 revealed 14th century pottery. By comparison with similar archaeological sites in the area, it is suggested by Eric J Talbot, then of Glasgow University, that this was a Norman ringwork earth and timber castle.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Living in Glasgow". web page. Glasgow City Council. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Glasgow City Council. "Queen's Park". Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  3. ↑ Gareth Parry (10 June 1986). "Patrick Magee convicted of IRA terrorist attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  4. 1 2 The Resident Advisor. "The Wee Chill". Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  5. ↑ What's On. "Glasgow's Farmers' Market". Retrieved 2010-01-02.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, September 02, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.