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 (Scottish Gaelic: Pàirc na Banrìghinn, Scots: Queen's Pairk) is a park situated on the south side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The 150-acre (60 ha) park lies about 2 1⁄2 miles (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

Queen's Park Ponds, c. 1910.

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. It is surrounded by several residential city districts, mostly consisting primarily of tenements, namely Battlefield, Crosshill, Govanhill, Langside, Shawlands and Strathbungo. The buildings of Glasgow Victoria Infirmary hospital (both the 19th- and 21st-century facilities) are also nearby.

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] Further negative attention focused on the area in 2008 when local resident Moira Jones was abducted outside her home and killed in the park; the murderer Marek Harcar was a Slovakian with no criminal record in the UK who quickly returned to his home country, but was later linked to the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment.[4][5] In 2014, several thousand women marched through the park and surrounding streets at night to highlight and protest against several sexual assaults which had occurred in the area over the preceding months during hours of darkness.[6] However, further rare but serious incidents of a similar nature occurred following that event.[7][8]

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.[9]

There are three lawn bowls clubs, a tennis centre, a Five-a-side football facility and a miniature golf course within the park, as well as Camphill House (a former mansion built 1806, now private apartments),[10] and Langside Hall, a former bank office which was originally in Glasgow city centre before being moved to its current location in 1889; it is now a community centre.[11] Both buildings are Category A listed.

The park is popular in snowy weather, when the public make use of the park's steep hills for sledging. There is a music festival held annually at the Glasshouse house called The Wee Chill.[9]

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.[12]

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. ↑ "Catching the park killer who vanished 'like a ghost'". BBC News. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Moira Jones killer to serve rest of his sentence in native homeland". Evening Times. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Thousands march in Glasgow after sex attacks on women in the city". The Independent. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Investigation underway after teenage girl subjected to serious sexual assault in Queens Park". Glasgow Live. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  8. ↑ "Queen's Park attack victim warns others to keep safe". Evening Times. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  9. 1 2 The Resident Advisor. "The Wee Chill". Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  10. ↑ The Glasgow Story - Camphill House
  11. ↑ Langside Hall at Canmore.org.uk
  12. ↑ What's On. "Glasgow's Farmers' Market". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
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