Glasgow Parks - Hotels - Glasgow Green - Botanic Gardens - Kelvingrove Park - Bellahouston - Victoria - Queens - Peoples Palace

Glasgow Parks

The hotel makes a great base for exploring Glasgow's parks, because of its location and exceptional transport links.

Glasgow Green

Glasgow Green became a public park in 1857, after centuries of tumultuous functionality. Home to the People's Palace and Winter Gardens, and adjacent to the beautiful Templeton's Carpet Factory, the green has a marvellous history. As one of Scotland's oldest parks, it has seen its share of political agitation, executions, gang fights and other excitement over the years, but now serves mainly as an ample space for leisure and quiet reflection. The park is also used as a venue for demonstrations and special events, such as the Gig on the Green.

Many famous local and national dignitaries are commemorated here by sculptures and memorials, such as the McLellan Arch, the Doulton, Collins and James Martin Fountains and the Nelson Monument.

Botanic Gardens

The Glasgow Botanic Garden is famous for its range of Glass Houses including the Kibble Palace, an iron glass house of international importance. The Glass Houses contain a collection of orchids, begonias and ferns from China, South Africa, and South America. There is also a collection of more unusual plants. Outside there are herbaceous borders, a herb garden and a recent Rose garden. A good time out even on a winters day will be had at Glasgow Botanic Garden.

Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Park is the West End`s biggest park and it is a popular recreation area in this busy part of the city. It`s also part of a fine piece of urban landscaping as it provides an open space around the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and in front of the tall tower of Glasgow University.

The park is named after the River Kelvin which runs through it. The river is an important wildlife corridor in this part of the city and its route is followed by the Kelvin Walkway. A number of bridges over the river are sited within the park.

Queen's Park

Situated on the south side of the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, Queen's Park lies approximately two miles from the city centre, and can refer both to the park itself, the adjacent residential district, or the football team Queen's Park F.C.

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.

Today the park is still thriving, used by many thousands of people annually, and remains a focal point for the people of the South Side of Glasgow, and beyond.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park is situated in the West of the city and features a pond, gardens, sports pitches and the Fossil Grove Museum. The Fossil Grove is the remains of a 330 million year old forest, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Scottish National Heritage. The fossilised tree stumps were unearthed in 1887 during landscaping work. Today the area is displayed in a specially constructed building with viewing platform.

People's Palace Glasgow

The People's Palace remains one of those great places to while away a Sunday afternoon. Check out how the working class of Glasgow used to live, then wander across the road to the trendy flats of Glasgow's Homes for the Future. The square at St Andrew's church is well worth a visit to see what can be done with old housing stock and a fantastic old church when you throw some public money at them. Trendy coffee bars abound, yards from where Glaswegians used to hang their felons. (Glasgow Green) The only hanging you are likely to see will be in one of the coffee shops or art galleries where many of Glasgow's aspiring young artists display their work.

Bellahouston Park

Bellahouston is a residential suburb in the southwest of the Scottish city of Glasgow. It borders Govan, Cardonald, Mosspark and Craigton. The Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938 was held in Bellahouston Park and attracted over 13 million people.

On the 1st of June 1982, Bellahouston Park was visited by Pope John Paul II as part of his Scottish tour. Almost 300,000 people turned up to hear him perform Mass.

Bellahouston Park also contains the the Palace of Arts Sports for Excellence Centre and the House for an Art Lover by world renowned architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.