Palace birthday bash marks 123 years

EXACTLY 123 years to the day, Lord Roseberry declared the People’s Palace “open to the public for ever and ever”.

To mark the building’s birthday, supporters held a socially distanced outdoor celebration.

Thanks to Friend’s of People Palace Winter Gardens & Glasgow Green (FOPPWGGG), yesterday’s event saw a performance from Michael Larkin, a violinist with the orchestra of Scottish Opera.

To the sounds of Auld Lang Syne and Happy Birthday, a birthday cake was cut.

Elspeth King, chairwoman of FOPPWGGG, said: “We always like to remember the birthday celebrations and even this year with the building shut and social distancing in place, we wanted to do something.

“These are bleak times but we have to work to keep the People’s Palance in people’s thoughts and not let it be shut for ever and ever.

“It was for weather like this the Winter Gardens was built – when it’s crisp and clear and you step inside that tropical climate.

“Without travel to sunnier climes, Glasgow really needs somewhere like this.”

The friends group is asking people in Glasgow to think about how to create a sustainable future for what is one of the city’s most loved buildings.

The public museum and winter garden is the last of the People’s Palaces

In 2019, city authorities said residents would lead the refurbishment of the historic building.

Described by Glasgow City Council as the “largest exercise in participatory democracy seen in the city”, the project is to see citizens consulted on every aspect of the building’s future – including the glasshouse structure – as part of a £750,000 project.

The year before the Glasshouse was forced to close on Hogmanay after a structural report raised concerns.

A £350 million refit saw the People’s Palace Museum re-opened but the steel structure of the glasshouse needs work.