Elder Park is a public park in the

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

area of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, located a short distance south of the River Clyde, to the east of the

Linthouse Linthouse is a neighbourhood in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly south of the River Clyde and lies immediately west of Govan, with other adjacent areas including Shieldhall and the Southern General Hospital to the west, a ...

neighbourhood. It contains , a boating pond, the original Fairfield farmhouse, and Linthouse Mansion portico. Statue of Isabella Elder, Elder Park, Govan, Glasgow

Statue of Isabella Elder, Elder Park, Govan, Glasgow

History

The park was given to the people of Govan in 1885 by Isabella Elder, in memory of her husband, the shipbuilding magnate John Elder. It was created on the site of Fairfield farm, the farmhouse of which still stands. The headquarters of the family's

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy ...

were directly opposite the park to the north on Govan Road – the buildings still exist as the Fairfield Heritage Centre. Elder gifted the park for "healthful recreation by music and amusement". The park's sandstone entrance gates were refurbished during 2021, with a small ceremony taking place at the conclusion of the project in February 2022.Govan K13 memorial safeguarded for future
Glasgow Times, 15 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022

Buildings

lies at the south-eastern end of the park, on Langlands Road. It was opened in September 1903 by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, gifted to the people of Glasgow by Isabella Elder, and designed by

John James Burnet Sir John James Burnet (31 May 1857 – 2 July 1938) was a Scottish Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow and London. He was the son of the architect John Burnet, and later went into partnership with ...

t. It is a Category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The Linthouse Mansion was built in 1791, however the only remaining part of the house now is the portico.

Statues and memorials

There are two statues within the park, ( Sir J. E. Boehm, 1906, Category A listed), and one to her husband John Elder ( Archibald Shannan, 1888, Category B listed). There are also two memorials, commemorating the SS Daphne disaster in 1883 and the HMS K13 submarine disaster in 1917,Tragic tale behind K13 submarine memorial in Glasgow's Elder Park
Ann Fotheringhay, Glasgow Times, 11 September 2021 both of which involved the death of local shipyard workers (from Stephens and Fairfields respectively).

References

External links

* {{Parks and gardens in Glasgow Parks and commons in Glasgow Govan 1885 establishments in Scotland

History

Buildings

Statues and memorials

See also

References

External links