View source for Glasgow Green

{{Short description|Park in Glasgow, Scotland}}
{{Lead too short|date=November 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox park
| name             = Glasgow Green
| native_name             = {{Unbulleted list
 |{{native name|gd|Grian Glaschu}}
 |{{native name|sco|Glesga Green}}
 }}
| image            = Glasgow Green, Nelson Monument.jpg
| image_caption    = The [[Nelson Monument, Glasgow|Nelson Monument]] on Glasgow Green, with the People's Palace in the background
| type             = [[Public park]]
| location         = [[Glasgow]], Scotland
| grid_ref_UK      = NS6017363990
| coordinates      = {{coord|55|50|56|N|4|14|07|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| area             = {{convert|55|ha|acre|0}}<ref name="info">{{cite web |url=https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/glasgowgreen |title=Glasgow Green |website=www.glasgow.gov.uk |date=29 September 2017 |access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>
| awards           = [[Green Flag Award]] (2011)<ref name="info" />
| operator         = [[Glasgow City Council]]
| publictransit    = 
}}
'''Glasgow Green''' is a park in the east end of [[Glasgow]], Scotland, on the north bank of the [[River Clyde]]. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/landscapes/glasgow_green/|title=Scotland's Landscape: Glasgow Green|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=4 November 2018}}</ref> It connects to the south via the [[St Andrew]]'s Suspension Bridge.

==History==
[[Image:AM McLennan Arch, Glasgow Green, at sunset.JPG|thumb|right|McLennan Arch, found at the north-west entrance to Glasgow Green.]]
In 1450, [[James II of Scotland|King James II]] granted the parkland to [[William Turnbull (bishop)|Bishop William Turnbull]] and the people of Glasgow.<ref name="GlasgowGuide">{{cite book | title=The Glasgow Guide | last=Williams |first=David | year=1999 | publisher=Birlinn | isbn=0-86241-840-2}}</ref> The Green then looked quite different from the Green today. It was an uneven, swampy area made up of several distinct "greens" (separated by the Camlachie and [[Molendinar Burn]]s): the High Green; the Low Green; the Calton Green; and the Gallowgate Green.<ref name="formingCity">{{cite book | title=Glasgow: The Forming of the City | editor=Peter Reed  | year=1999 | publisher=Edinburgh University Press | isbn=0-7486-1200-9}}</ref> In the centuries that followed, the parkland was used for grazing, washing and bleaching linen, drying fishing nets, and recreational activities like swimming. In 1732, Glasgow's first ''steamie'', called ''the Washhouse'', opened on the banks of the Camlachie Burn.

From 25 December 1745 to 3 January 1746, [[Charles Edward Stuart|Bonnie Prince Charlie's]] army camped in ''Flesher's Haugh'' (privately owned at the time, but would become part of Glasgow Green in 1792); Charlie demanded that the town supply his army with fresh clothing and footwear.<ref name="streetNamesGlasgow" />

In 1765, the Green was the site where inventor [[James Watt]] was strolling, when he hit upon the idea of the separate condenser for the steam engine.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" />

[[Image:AM Jame Watt stone, Glasgow Green.JPG|thumb|right|Stone commemorating James Watt's inspiration.]]

In 1792, Glasgow extended the parkland to the east by purchasing an additional stretch of land, known as ''Fleshers' Haugh'' from Patrick Bell of [[Cowcaddens]].<ref name="streetNamesGlasgow">{{cite book | title=Street Names of the City of Glasgow | author=Carol Foreman | year=1997 | publisher=John Donald Publisher Ltd. | isbn=0-85976-482-6}}</ref>

===19th century===

In the 19th century, two projects were proposed that would have intruded upon the green. The steamship owner [[Henry Bell (engineer)|Henry Bell]] wanted a canal built from the Broomielaw to Glasgow Green with a quay terminal at the green. This proposal was unpopular and was never implemented. Then, in 1821 and 1822, exploratory boring underneath the green uncovered large coal deposits, after which the city's Superintendent of Work recommended a mining operation to extract to coal. At the time, the Glasgow Town Council voted against the plan. It was re-introduced in 1858, and this time the town council approved it, because they were looking for ways to offset the cost of purchasing land to create parks in other areas of the town. But their decision was met with such large-scale public opposition that the plan was dropped. The proposal was reintroduced twice more, in 1869 and 1888, but was rejected both times.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" />

[[File:DoultonFountain-2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|{{ill|The Doulton Fountain|de|Doulton Fountain}}]]

When the [[Napoleonic Wars]] ended in 1815, there was an economic depression, and many people were unemployed. In response, Glasgow Town Council hired 324 jobless workers to remodel Glasgow Green. In 1817 and 1826, efforts were made to improve the layout of the park. [[Culvert]]s were built over the Calmachie and Molendinar Burns and the park was levelled out and drained.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" />

Meanwhile, the green became the locus of much political activity. The [[Radicalism (historical)|Radical]] movement for parliamentary reform was growing, and in 1816, about 40,000 people attended a meeting on the green to support demands for a more representative government and an end to the [[Corn Laws]] that kept [[food prices]] high.

Then, in the spring of 1820, the green became one of the meeting places for conspirators in what was known as the "[[Radical War]]". Strikers carried out military drills on the green before their brief rebellion was crushed. Later, [[James Wilson (Scottish Revolutionary)|James Wilson]] was convicted of treason for allegedly being a leader of the insurrection. He was hanged and beheaded on the green in front of a crowd of about 20,000 people.

When Parliament passed the [[Reform Act 1832]], increasing the electorate from 4,329 (in 1820) to 65,000 (in 1832), over 70,000 people gathered on the green for a demonstration, and a band from the [[Bridgeton, Glasgow|Bridgeton]] area of Glasgow les a procession lead around the green.

The [[Chartism]] movement that grew in response to the Reform Act 1832 eventually resulted in what is known as the ''Chartist Riot'' of 1848.  [[William Ewart Gladstone]]'s [[Reform Act 1867]], which increased the electorate to 230,606 (in 1868), inspired further demonstrations and meetings on the green.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" />

In April 1872, the "women's suffragette society", that had formed two years earlier, held a large open-air meeting on the green. From then on, until the late 1910s, the women's [[suffragette|suffrage]] movement continued to use the green as a meeting place.

The green was also used for sport during the 19th century, notably by two of Scotland's oldest sporting clubs: The [[Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club]] was established in 1857 on the south side of the River Clyde (it moved to Glasgow Green in 1901); the Glasgow University Rowing Club (now known as the [[Glasgow University Boat Club]]) was established in 1867 at the Green, on the banks of the River Clyde. In May 1872, a group of members from the Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club formed a football team and began playing against [[Callander F.C.|Callander Football Club]], using Flesher's Haugh on the green as their playing field. This team was later renamed [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers Football Club]].<ref name="streetNamesGlasgow" />

[[Glasgow Green railway station]] opened on the [[Glasgow Central Railway]] line in 1895. (It was temporarily closed during World War I, and permanently closed in 1953.)

===20th century===
In the early years of the 20th century, the green continued to be a favored venue for political protests. During World War I, members of the anti-war movement held mass demonstrations on the Green.  In September 1914, the revolutionary socialist leader [[John Maclean MA|John Maclean]] held his first anti-war rally there, under Nelson's monument. The [[Military Service Act 1916]] ([[5 & 6 Geo. 5]]. c. 104) inspired a rally on the green that led to its three lead speakers being imprisoned for 12 months for violations of the [[Defence of the Realm Act 1914]] ([[4 & 5 Geo. 5]]. c. 29). On 29 June 1916, [[David Lloyd George]] was invited to receive the [[Freedom of the City]] honour, which sparked mass protests on the green. In May 1917, a number of workers marched through Glasgow to the green in support of [[Russia]]'s [[February Revolution]]. World War I also saw an influx of munitions workers into Glasgow. The growing population led to rent increases, which inspired protests on the green in 1920.

In more recent times, the green has been a favorite spot for many live music events. [[Michael Jackson]] performed there on 18 August 1992 during his ''[[Dangerous World Tour]]'' in front of 65,000 people; it was the only live show he did in [[Scotland]]. In 1990, [[the Stone Roses]] performed at the green. The band later split up, but came back together for a world tour, after which they returned to the green on 15 June 2013 and gave another live performance.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

===21st century===
In 2004, the Green was host to the [[Download Festival|Download Festival Scotland]], a live music festival featuring [[Metallica]], [[Linkin Park]], [[Korn]], and [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]]. In May 2014, the Green was the site of [[Radio 1's Big Weekend]], the biggest free ticketed music event in Europe. The event featured some of the biggest acts in the world, and they performed to a total of over 50,000 spectators in the course of the weekend.

As part of the legacy of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Green became one of 27 sites in Glasgow to be protected by [[Fields in Trust]] through a legal "Minute of Agreement". The agreement aims to ensure that the Green will be preserved as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fieldsintrust.org/FieldSite/Glasgow-Green|title=Glasgow Green, Greendyke Street, Carlton, Glasgow, G1 5PU|publisher=Fields in Trust|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=31 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131122428/https://www.fieldsintrust.org/FieldSite/Glasgow-Green|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Since 2017, the Green has served as the venue for the music festival [[TRNSMT]].

The Green is also currently the home of the [[World Pipe Band Championships]].

The Green continues to host sporting events in addition to music events. The annual [[Great Scottish Run]], which is generally held in early October, finishes up on the Green, with runners entering it through the historic McLennan Arch.

==Landmarks==
[[Image:AM Nelsons Monument, Glasgow Green, at sunset.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|right|[[Nelson Monument, Glasgow|Nelson Monument]] in Glasgow Green]]

===Nelson's Monument===
A {{convert|43.5|m|ft|adj=on}} tall [[Nelson Monument, Glasgow|monument]] to [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Admiral Horatio Nelson]] was erected in the Green in 1806, the year after his death.     A Nelson monument had been erected in [[Taynuilt]] the previous year, privately funded by employees of the Bonawe Iron Foundry, which had made most of the cannonballs for the navy while it was under Nelson's command. But the Nelson monument in Glasgow Green was the first civic monument in Britain commemorating Nelson's military victories. It predated [[Nelson's Pillar]] in [[Dublin]] by two years and [[Nelson's Column]] in London by three decades.<ref>[http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%26+heritage/war+%26+conflict/pre%2d20th+century+conflict/tra29483 England expects &mdash; on the trail of Admiral Lord Nelson] Nelson monuments</ref> Four years after its construction it was struck by lightning, causing the top 6 metres to collapse, but the damage was promptly repaired.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" /> In 1970, the monument became [[Listed building#Scotland|listed as a category A historic site]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Glasgow Green, Nelson Monument - British Listed Buildings|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/sc-33837-glasgow-green-nelson-monument-including-r|website=www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk|access-date=18 December 2016}}</ref>

Over the course of two centuries since the monument was erected, it accumulated some damage. In 2002, it was repaired and restored to its original condition, and floodlights were installed for nighttime viewing. The cost of the restoration programme was £900,000.

===St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge===
[[Image:AM St Andrews Suspension Bridge, Glasgow Green, at sunset.JPG|thumb|left|St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge, viewed from the Hutchesontown side]]
The St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge opened in 1855. It connects the park to the north with [[Hutchesontown]] to the south. It was meant to ''"replace [the] busy ferry, [by] conveying workers from [[Bridgeton, Glasgow|Bridgeton]] & [[Calton, Glasgow|Calton]] to Hutchesontown"''. The bridge was repaired in 1871 and 1905.  As it neared its 150th birthday, a programme to completely refurbish it was undertaken, partially funded by the [[European Union]], and executed between 1996 and 1998. It is a [[Listed building#Scotland|category A listed]] structure.

===Glasgow Humane Society===
The [[Glasgow Humane Society]] (the oldest practical lifeboat and lifesaving organisation in the world) is based in the Green. The society's Officer's house and its boatyard are located next to the St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge.

===Templeton Factory===
{{main|Templeton On The Green}}
The Templeton Carpet Factory was completed in 1889. After repeated design proposals had been rejected by the city council, [[James Templeton & Co]] employed the architect [[William Leiper]], who designed a facade inspired by the [[Doge's Palace]] in [[Venice]].

On 1 November 1889, the factory facade collapsed due to insecure fixings; 29 women were killed in adjacent weaving sheds. (The story was carved into a section of stone beneath the base of Templeton Gate, installed during refurbishment work to the area in 2005.) In 1900, a fire in the factory resulted in more deaths.

The building was extended in the 1930s. In 1984 it became the Templeton Business Centre. In 2005, the 1930s extension was demolished to make way for 143 new flats as part of a £22 million regeneration project, and [[Scottish Enterprise]], the center's owners sold it for £6.7 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/news-se/news-fullarticle.htm?articleid=87807 |title=Sale of Glasgow landmark signals start of major redevelopment project |author=David Cannon |date=26 November 2004 |publisher=Scottish Enterprise |access-date=27 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118203559/http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/news-se/news-fullarticle.htm?articleid=87807 |archive-date=18 January 2007 }}</ref>
[[File:Glasgow Humane Society lifeboat station .jpg|thumb|Glasgow Humane Society lifeboat station & pontoon]]
[[Image:AM William Collins fountain, Glasgow Green, at sunset.JPG|thumb|[[William Collins (Lord Provost)|William Collins]] fountain in Glasgow Green]]

===Fountains===
In 1881 a fountain was erected in the park to commemorate [[William Collins (Lord Provost)|Sir William Collins]], a figure in the [[temperance movement]] who had served as Glasgow's [[Lord Provost]] between 1877 and 1880.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" /> In 1992, the fountain was moved to stand behind the McLennan Arch.

{{ill|The Doulton Fountain|de|Doulton Fountain}}, given by Sir [[Henry Doulton]] to Glasgow as part of the [[International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry|International Exhibition of 1888]], was moved from [[Kelvingrove Park]] to the Green in 1890.<ref name="GlasgowGuide" /> Designed by architect Arthur E. Pearce, the {{convert|46|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} fountain was built by the [[Royal Doulton]] company to commemorate [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria's]] reign. It featured a {{convert|70|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} basin, with a slightly larger than life-size statue of Queen Victoria, surrounded by four life-size statues of water-carriers representing [[Australasia]], [[Canada]], [[India]] and South Africa. A lightning strike in 1891 destroyed the statue of Victoria, and, rather than let the city replace the statue with an urn, Doulton paid for a second hand-made statue to be produced. In the 1960s the fountain's water was turned off and it was allowed to fall into disrepair. However, in 2002, a £2 million programme began to restore the fountain to its original condition. {{As of|2004}}, the fountain had been placed in a new location, in front of the [[People's Palace, Glasgow|People's Palace]]. It is [[Listed building#Scotland|category A listed]].

===People's Palace===
{{main|People's Palace, Glasgow}}
The People's Palace was opened in 1898 by the [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery|Earl of Rosebery]]. It was designed as a cultural centre for residents in the east end of the city. It originally had reading rooms on the ground floor, a museum on the first floor, and an art gallery on the second floor.   Since the 1940s, it has been a museum dedicated to the history of Glasgow. It is [[Listed building#Scotland|category A listed]].

===McLennan Arch===
[[File:McLennan Arch, Glasgow Green (6058112495).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|McLennan Arch at Glasgow Green]]In 1890, the Assembly Rooms building that had been designed by [[James Adam (architect)|James]] and [[Robert Adam]] was demolished. However, the arch that had formed the centrepiece of the building was reconstructed, with funding provided by James McLennan, and in 1893 it was sited at the western end of Monteith Row. In 1922, it was moved to the western edge of the Green, facing Charlotte Street.<ref>{{cite book | title=Lost Glasgow | editor=Carol Foreman  | year=2003 | publisher=Birlinn | isbn=1-84158-278-6}}</ref> In 1991, it was moved again to its present position in the Green — facing the Old High Court in the [[Saltmarket]]. It is known as "The McLennan Arch".<ref name="GlasgowGuide" /><ref name="cityparks">{{cite web |url=http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4962 |title=Glasgow Green |publisher=Glasgow City Council |access-date=8 October 2013 |archive-date=21 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521184612/http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4962 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Tidal Weir===
[[File:Glasgow Tidal Weir - geograph.org.uk - 761267.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|Glasgow Tidal Weir from south west (Glasgow Green on opposite bank)]] In 1901, the [[Glasgow Corporation]] built a [[weir|tidal weir]] over the River Clyde, in an effort to maintain the river's water level as it runs through the Green. The water is saltwater on the western side of the weir and fresh water on the eastern side, where it runs past the park. This has resulted in an unusual phenomenon: the development of two distinct ecosystems right next to each other. Because of its distinctive design, the weir has been made a [[listed building]]. A short distance downstream from the weir is the [[Albert Bridge, Glasgow|Albert Bridge]], which connects the area to the [[Gorbals]] district south of the river.

===Fleshers' Haugh===
[[File:East Glasgow from the air (geograph 5374196).jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of the area (within meander of river), 2017]]
[[File:Flesher's Haugh.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|The River Clyde at Flesher's Haugh]] 
The Glasgow Green Football Centre, featuring 18 different football pitches of various sizes and qualities, opened in November 2000 on Fleshers' Haugh,<ref>[https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00706&t=2 Glasgow Green Pitches (Burrell Collection Photo Library, 1920s)], The Glasgow Story</ref> the site where Scottish football club [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] [[History of Rangers F.C.#Formation and early years (1872–1899)|played their first ever match]] against Callander over a hundred years earlier. This area is also the location of the [[Glasgow National Hockey Centre]], built for the [[2014 Commonwealth Games]].

At the west side of this part of the Green is the [[King's Bridge, Glasgow|King's Bridge]] providing a road link to Hutchesontown. There was a pedestrian link to the [[Oatlands, Glasgow|Oatlands]] district on the south side of the river, namely [[Polmadie Bridge]], but in 2015 this was declared unsafe and dismantled. Further upstream at the south-east edge of the Green is [[Rutherglen Bridge]].

Glasgow Green also has within it part of [[National Cycle Route 75]], which runs from [[Argyll]] to [[Edinburgh]], as well as the [[Clyde walkway]], which runs from the City Centre to [[New Lanark]].

==See also==
* [[Glasgow Golf Club]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Glasgow Green}}
* [https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/glasgowgreen Park profile on official Glasgow website]
* [http://www.clydewaterfrontheritage.com/glasgowgreenintro.aspx Clyde Waterfront Heritage - Glasgow Green] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209011155/http://www.clydewaterfrontheritage.com/glasgowgreenintro.aspx |date=9 December 2009 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080807114201/http://www.rutherglen.net/glasgow-green-weir.html Glasgow Green Weir Photographs]
* [http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ Sustrans - sustainable transport charity]

{{Glasgow}}
{{River Clyde}}
{{Parks and gardens in Glasgow}}

[[Category:Glasgow Green| ]]
[[Category:Culture in Glasgow]]
[[Category:Parks and commons in Glasgow]]
[[Category:Music venues in Glasgow]]
[[Category:Defunct football venues in Scotland]]
[[Category:2014 Commonwealth Games venues]]
[[Category:1450 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:15th-century establishments in Scotland]]