Alexandra Park is a public park in the East End of
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. It is located in
Dennistoun, east of the city centre. Named after Princess
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
, it opened in 1870. The highest point of the park gives views north to
Ben Lomond and south to the
Tinto Hills. The park is generally open from dawn to dusk daily, but the facilities inside the park have separate opening and closing times accordingly.
History
* 1866: The City Improvement Trustees of Glasgow purchased the land of Alexandra Park from Mr Walter Stewart with the intention of giving the people of the north-east of Glasgow a place of leisure and recreation. When the land was purchased it was bare and barren with hardly any trees. Ordnance Survey maps of this time show the land named as Tollcross Park.
* 1867–1868: Hundreds of unemployed artisans and labourers were employed to begin the renovation of the park to give them something to do during the great trade depression.
* 1870: The park is officially opened and named after Princess
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
who was the wife of the future
King Edward VII.
* 1873: Becomes home of
Alexandra Athletic.
Location
The park is located in the Dennistoun area (bordering
Haghill) about two miles from Glasgow's city centre, It sits neatly between the
M8 motorway to the north, Alexandra Parade/Cumbernauld Road (
A8/
A80) to the south, Provan Road (
Riddrie) to the east and Sannox Gardens (
Milnbank) to the west. It is about in area. Its most identifiable features are the two large pedestrian gates that can be seen from Alexandra Parade/Cumbernauld Road.
Features
One of the notable features of Alexandra Park is the cast-iron
Walter MacFarlane-built
Saracen Fountain, which was gifted to the city of Glasgow after the
1901 International Exhibition and remained in
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, a ...
for 12 years after the exhibition. In 1914, Glasgow Corporation took the decision to re-site the fountain to its present location. In 2000, the fountain was restored at a cost of £22,000.
Alexandra Park Golf Club is a nine-hole golf course situated inside the park. The course closed in 2020.
See also
*
Glasgow Golf Club
References
External links
Alexandra Park– Glasgow City Council
{{Parks and gardens in Glasgow
Parks and commons in Glasgow
Dennistoun
1870 establishments in Scotland
Urban public parks in the United Kingdom
Parks established in the 1870s