Botanic Gardens Station, Glasgow 1857922 0fb79ef9

Botanic Gardens railway station was a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

serving the

Botanic Gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

located in the

Kelvinside Kelvinside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde and is bounded by Broomhill, Dowanhill and Hyndland to the south with Kelvindale and the River Kelvin to the north. It is an affluent area of Gl ...

area in the West End 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 ...

History

The station was opened on 10 August 1896 by the

Glasgow Central Railway The Glasgow Central Railway was a railway line built in Glasgow, Scotland by the Caledonian Railway, running in tunnel east to west through the city centre. It was opened in stages from 1894 and opened up new journey opportunities for passengers ...

. The station building was on ground level, and the platforms were underground, beneath the

Glasgow Botanic Gardens Glasgow Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. It features several glasshouses, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The Gardens has a wide variety of temperate and tropical flora, a ...

. It was closed between 1 January 1917 and 2 March 1919 due to

wartime economy A war economy or wartime economy is the set of contingencies undertaken by a modern State (polity), state to mobilize its economy for Materiel, war production. Philippe Le Billon describes a war economy as a "system of Production (economics), p ...

, and closed permanently to passengers on 6 February 1939, with the line being closed on 5 October 1964.

Architecture

The station building was an ornate red brick structure with two towers sporting a clock and Caledonian Railway monogram, topped by domes reminiscent of a Russian orthodox church. The extant, but disused, station building at

Possil Possilpark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde and centred around Saracen Street. The area developed around Saracen Foundry of Walter MacFarlane & Co., which was the main employer. In the wake of the ...

is of a similar design. It was a well-known landmark along Great Western Road and was designed by the renowned Glasgow railway architect of the period, James Miller. Miller also designed the next station on the line at

Kelvinbridge Kelvinbridge is the common name of the Great Western Bridge, a cast iron road and pedestrian bridge located in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, built to carry the Great Western Road (A82) at a high level across the River Kelvin. ...

and went on to design the main buildings for the

1901 Glasgow International Exhibition The Glasgow International Exhibition was the second of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition took place during a period of half-mourning requested by Edward VII but ...

in nearby

Kelvingrove Park Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. History Kelvingrove Park was originally created as the West End Park in 1852, and ...

and the interiors of the famous Clyde-built ocean liners, the RMS ''Lusitania'' in 1907 and RMS ''Aquitania'' in 1914.

Use following closure

The building was converted into shops after the station's 1939 closure and by the late 1960s was occupied by a popular café called 'The Silver Slipper', a nightclub called 'Sgt. Peppers' and a plumbers shop, 'Morton's'. It was ravaged by fire on the night of 22 March 1970.

Destruction by fire

Local Glasgow newspapers, the '' Evening Times'' and the ''Evening Citizen'', of 23 March 1970 stated the fire started after a 'Battle of the Bands' contest had been held in the nightclub and it was likely someone had left a cigarette burning in the attic as it was primarily the roof space that had burned resulting in the decision of the fire brigade to pull down the two domed towers for safety reasons the following day. The cafe owner's German Shepherd dog died of smoke inhalation but no humans were injured. Despite the outer walls of the building remaining intact and the damage confined largely to the roof area, the decision was taken by the then

Glasgow Corporation The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament. Local government As one o ...

not to undertake repairs and instead to completely demolish the building. At the time of the fire, plans were being considered to demolish the building as part of a controversial scheme to widen Great Western Road and this might lie behind the decision not to repair the building despite its prominent and recognisable presence in the West End for seventy-four years and its housing of three viable local businesses.

Today

The site of Botanic Gardens Station remains derelict to this day, over fifty years after the fire. The platforms still remain underground where they can be seen from above through still-open air vents in the Botanic Gardens, and the floor of the building is still visible within the fenced-off section of the gardens marking where it stood. The platforms are accessible via the tunnel portal at the Kirklee end of the gardens. An abandoned tramway kiosk designed in the same style as the building and built in 1903 is still present at the site. The site is heavily overgrown, vandalised and dilapidated, and is considered dangerous to enter.

Redevelopment

In September 2007, it was reported plans were under consideration to redevelop the site as a bar/restaurant/nightclub/exhibition space and miniature railway which would involve completely rebuilding the station building to its original design on its footprint. The plans were met with considerable opposition from local people who organised a campaign group largely objecting to the idea of a nightclub appearing in a tranquil place like the gardens. It was reported on 17 April 2008 that the campaign against the plans had been successful and Glasgow City Council had abandoned the plans. There are no current plans to redevelop the site.

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

Video of the station April 2011Postcard
depicting station building in 1906.

at Hidden Glasgow
RAILSCOT
pictures on platforms * {{Glasgow railway stations Disused railway stations in Glasgow Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1896 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1917 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1919 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1939 Former Caledonian Railway stations James Miller railway stations