Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

Moderators: John, Sharon, Fossil, Lucky Poet, crusty_bint, Jazza, dazza

Postby Vinny the Mackem » Sun Apr 03, 2005 1:33 pm

turbozutek wrote:We are only teasing you Fossy!!

;-)

I had a memory that just surfaced there about the Glasgow Festival!! The Coca Cola Roller - my first EVER time on a coaster!

Classic!

Chris...


The Coca Cola Roller was great. I remember standing in the queue and hearing all the girls screaming. I suggested to the group I was with that I was going to shout something very rude, certainly not something a 15 year old should be shouting! Anyway, the carriages move back and, at "take off" I go to shout out rude words and, quite literally, cannot get anything out of my mouth .. the air pressure pushing back was so intense! Fantastic stuff!
User avatar
Vinny the Mackem
Second Stripe
Second Stripe
 
Posts: 399
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:11 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby Apollo » Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:23 am

Found an interesting comparison to the state of Glasgow's Garden Festival site, and the how it has, or has not, been developed in the years since its doors closed.

A 20 year compaison of the first festival, staged in 1984 Liverpool shows that they managed to retain somewhat more of the site memorabilia than Glasgow, but that only half the site has been developed, and they too have a selection of luxury flats occupying a prtion of the site.

There a past/present slideshow, and a video worth a look at too.

Maybe one for the HG diary. Produce a similar review for submission to the Beeb's site in 2008 :?:
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby JoeyCape » Fri May 06, 2005 2:06 am

My neighbours still have a Garden Festival sticker in their window!! I'll try and get a photo without being labelled a peeping tom.
JoeyCape
First Stripe
First Stripe
 
Posts: 53
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 12:03 am
Location: Belle Isle Tech

Postby Apollo » Fri May 06, 2005 9:48 pm

I took the opportunity to wander through the little Festival Park yesterday, on Govan Road, across from the IMAX theatre. Is this the most unknown and unvisited park in Glasgow?

The place is deserted, other than one mother with pram and wean in tow I saw once. The place is almost immaculate, with near perfect grass and plant beds carefully maintained. The only damage I saw was on the hillside rock garden left from the festival, where one of the steps has come loose.

There are two kid's play areas with swings, roundabouts, climbing frames, slides etc. and the one distinguishing factor about them is the near pristine condition of their brightly coloured paint. It's virtually unmarked by busy little feet or use.

I'd have illustrated with pics, but it was a fluke visit, so no means of grabbing any.
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby Captain Brittles » Fri May 06, 2005 9:53 pm

I used to take my lunch in the wee park regularly - I worked across the road for 7 years. Macfarlane Packaging - the place is closed now of course.
User avatar
Captain Brittles
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 531
Joined: Fri Feb 25, 2005 1:05 am
Location: The Gleneagles front

Postby lordsleek » Sat May 07, 2005 12:23 am

Don't blame yourself captain :wink:
User avatar
lordsleek
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 477
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:43 am
Location: Uddingston

Postby viceroy » Sat May 07, 2005 10:33 am

Apollo wrote:I took the opportunity to wander through the little Festival Park yesterday, on Govan Road, across from the IMAX theatre. Is this the most unknown and unvisited park in Glasgow?


It is indeed a lovely wee park and all the vegetation looks nicely settled in too, considering it's probably the newest park in Glasgow. Likewise, during my occasional lunchtime perambulations there I hardly ever see anybody. I suspect relatively few people, even locals, actually realise it is there. It is well worth a visit.

What I particularly like is the stream which runs through the centre of the park. The only gripe I have is that the water feature at the Old Govan Road end isn't working, which is a pity. I have a feeling that this water feature may have been left over from the Garden Festival, but I could be wrong about this. My memory is crap these days.
User avatar
viceroy
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1048
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:23 pm
Location: Glasgow no more

Postby Apollo » Sat May 07, 2005 12:02 pm

Yes, the feature you mention is one of the remnants, so I think it fair to say you'll never see it working as the working parts will have been abandoned in 1988. Another Scottish success, as the visitors could walk on it while the water was running, unlike a certain recent English memorial.

It's been there since 1991. I came across it then and wandered through while they were working on it, and got some pics.

The step feature and the stream as mentioned:-

Image

Image
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby viceroy » Sat May 07, 2005 7:55 pm

Apollo wrote:Yes, the feature you mention is one of the remnants, so I think it fair to say you'll never see it working as the working parts will have been abandoned in 1988. Another Scottish success, as the visitors could walk on it while the water was running, unlike a certain recent English memorial


This has jogged my memory and I remember it now thanks, Apollo. But I'm sure I saw it working on a visit to Festival Park a few years ago so perhaps it is still capable of operating. Probably something like the Stewart Memorial Fountain in Kelvingrove Park which was beautifully restored some time ago but never seems to be working these days. No doubt it all comes down to money or the so-called lack of it.

The pictures are interesting but being 14 years old they do show the park in a somewhat barren state, which might give the wrong impression as to what it looks like now. Since then course the trees have grown and the whole place has taken on a much more mature appearance, making it really a very pleasant park to walk about in.
User avatar
viceroy
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1048
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:23 pm
Location: Glasgow no more

Postby Apollo » Sat May 07, 2005 10:13 pm

True to say the pics are not representative of the present day site.

I didn't even know the park was being built there the day I took them. I'd actually been ferreting about on the open ground beside it to see if there were any bits of Garden Festival left (to be picked up) and spotted the wall and gate, and decided to wander in for a look.

They were taken early on in the development of the park, and these are the only 2 pics from a set I took at the time that would be recognisable. The others show the remains of the exhibits on the area that were not retained. These were a reconstructed peat farm and small cultivated area.

You're right about the trees now overlooking the steps, completely changes the look.

Probably no money to have the water operating, kind of pointless too, as there's no one to see it. Would be good if the guts were still there and working though, as the new developments in the area could mean it gets busier and might lead to some money for it.
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby engineer » Sun May 08, 2005 9:59 pm

some festival park pics
Image

Image

Image

Image
User avatar
engineer
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 790
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:33 pm
Location: media quarter

Postby Pgcc93 » Sun May 08, 2005 10:24 pm

Never realised that it was so well maintained. Those are recent pics right?
User avatar
Pgcc93
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 4104
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 8:12 pm
Location: Hotel Du Vin

Postby engineer » Sun May 08, 2005 10:27 pm

this afternoon.
didn't go right into the park, but it by the looks of the flower beds and grass it is well looked after
User avatar
engineer
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 790
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:33 pm
Location: media quarter

Postby Apollo » Mon May 09, 2005 12:08 am

As noted above, the place really is almost immaculate, and looks even neater than the pics. The flower beds are freshly planted and the turf edges cut to shape.

I think the common phrase that could be re-arranged to sum it up would be: "This would be a great place to work if the customers didn't keep getting in the way".

:)
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby Apollo » Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:29 pm

Catch the shops before they shut, or detour for some pics? Well...

The first nicely painted play area, though you should be able to make out some of Senga's (yup, girl's names) graffiti on the climbing frame.
Image

The second play area, populated by a lone cyclist at the picnic table.
Image

The bottom of the original Garden Festival water feature. A solitary blue water pipe to the left keeps it suitably moist.
Image

Same feature viewed from the top. Didn't notice before, but the lower gaps in the steps (like the one visible on the left), where the water used to trickle down, have been reinforced with sheet steel to stop them breaking up if walked on.
Image
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

PreviousNext

Return to Hidden Glasgow Projects

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 44 guests