Fame and flora for 200 years at city’s Botanic Gardens

THE Glasgow Botanic Gardens represent more than 200 years of flourishing flora at the heart of the city.

The famous landmark was founded on March 24, 1817, by Thomas Hopkirk, a distinguished Glasgow botanist.

Hopkirk donated his own collection to form the basis of the gardens with the original site located at the Sandyford side of Sauchiehall Street.

Owned and run by the Royal Botanical Institution of Glasgow, the Gardens have shared a close relationship with the University of Glasgow since their foundation, providing plant supplies for University classes.

In 1839, due to rapid expansion the Gardens moved west for the first time and in 1842, they moved again to their present site at the top of Byres Road.

Throughout their years at this site, the Botanic Gardens accepted seeds from other notable botanical gardens across Europe including Paris, Budapest and Prague.

The Gardens proved an extremely popular attraction and the public were eventually allowed entry at the weekends for the fee of a penny.

One of the most is the Kibble Palace, originally built as a private conservatory and located quite a distance from Glasgow in the home of John Kibble at Coulport House in Cove on Loch Long.

Kibble, an inventor and engineer, began dismantling the glasshouse in 1872 and it was moved by barge to the Gardens in 1873. Before its intended use for housing and growing plants, the Kibble Palace was an exhibition and concert venue, which hosted the ceremony instituting rectors of the University of notable features

Glasgow. The Kibble Palace also houses many notable sculptures dating from the 1870s.

As the city of Glasgow expanded, the council adopted an ambitious programme for the provision of public parks in the modern sense, beginning with Kelvingrove in 1852) and Queen’s Park in 1857).

Glasgow Corporation acquired the site in 1891 with the annexation of the Burgh of Hillhead, agreeing that they should continue as a Botanic Garden and maintain close links to the University.

The Botanic Gardens were once serviced by their own railway station which was opened by Glasgow Corporation in 1896. This was short lived, however, and closed due to the outbreak of the Second World War. While the station building has subsequently