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Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:24 pm
by misspandalebear
Have just come across this thread about the Glasgow Garden Festival. I was 10 years old and lived just across the road in Kinning Park. We had the luxury of watching the Coca Cola coaster being built from our living room window (we were witness to the numerous lightning strikes it sustained, and saw the poor people who were stuck in it upside down for about half an hour being rescued). We had the option to get our season tickets half price since we were in the G51 postcode so my dad bought them for us all. My friends and I used to go as often as we could, and although my memory isn't that brilliant I can still remember a few bits an bobs from the site.....

I loved all the science exhibits but some of my favourite things were the holographic Irn Bru can, and the photographic wall that took a picture of your shadow.... there was the giant tap fountain, the pyramids of grass (one of which had a flower display to mark the 100th aniversary of Celtic Football Club), the wee railway, the multi-coloured 'tower block' sculptures, the naked lying lady sculpture that we all had our photo's taken sitting on her side, the Clydesdale Bank tower with the revolving viewing room, the peat digging sculpture near the stream/waterfall part..... It's all coming back to me now.... we had a brilliant time.

It was such a lovely thing, such a shame it had to go and such a horrible waste to let the ground lie rotting for so many years......

however.....

Had it not lain unused for so long i may never have experienced some of the best days of my life.... the days of 'sneaking in'......
What was to others a wasteland became our playground.... We loved looking in the peat pit for frogs (from the tadpoles in the pond)... climbing the pyramids, we explored under the tunnels which led through to Seaward St. end of the site, exploring the grounds, sneaking into the Four Winds which had been used as the tram shed (it was empty and derelict by this point)... we even made a 'den' on a 30 foot high platform in there.... oh if only our parents knew.....

I still have some family photos of our visits to the festival and if i can figure out how, I'll post some too.

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:57 pm
by misspandalebear
attempt at posting some pictures... take 1
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Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:17 pm
by misspandalebear
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Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:23 pm
by misspandalebear
oh, and nearly forgot...
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Re:

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:51 am
by misspandalebear
BTJustice wrote:Call that celebrity? I bumped into Glen Michael when I was there ::):

I told a joke to Andy Cameron, for his radio show,
He didn't seem too happy though as it had a 'bad' word in it...

What's Gr**n and turns Red at the touch of a button?.....

A frog in a liquidizer!....

It was the only joke I knew (and still is) and being 10 I had no clue about his football preferences.... ::):

Re: Re:

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:38 am
by Godsgift
misspandalebear wrote:
BTJustice wrote:Call that celebrity? I bumped into Glen Michael when I was there ::):

I told a joke to Andy Cameron, for his radio show,
He didn't seem too happy though as it had a 'bad' word in it...

What's Gr**n and turns Red at the touch of a button?.....

A frog in a liquidizer!....

It was the only joke I knew (and still is) and being 10 I had no clue about his football preferences.... ::):


Jaysus. You spoke to Andy Cameron. Did you have a translator? ::): Thanks for the garden festival pics. Takes me back but you must have been a child back then too. I was 28 back then myself. :roll:

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:04 am
by War Baby
Garden Festival, 1988 - liked seeing a tram car again, first time since 1962 when they went off the rails... But I also saw Jim McColl of the Beechgrove Garden, standing blethering to someone in a greenhouse. And I saw Roddy Llewellyn ... the guy who almost married Princess Elizabeth. (I think he designed garden landscapes.) ...Would have liked to have spoken to Jim McColl. Did anyone out there manage a wee chat with him?
Brian

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:46 pm
by misspandalebear
War Baby wrote:Garden Festival, 1988 - liked seeing a tram car again, first time since 1962 when they went off the rails... But I also saw Jim McColl of the Beechgrove Garden, standing blethering to someone in a greenhouse. And I saw Roddy Llewellyn ... the guy who almost married Princess Elizabeth. (I think he designed garden landscapes.) ...Would have liked to have spoken to Jim McColl. Did anyone out there manage a wee chat with him?
Brian


it's probably on here already but here's a wee youtube reminder....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO2DmTnXlDA&feature=g-hist

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:52 pm
by Dexter St. Clair
War Baby wrote:Garden Festival, 1988 - liked seeing a tram car again, first time since 1962 when they went off the rails... But I also saw Jim McColl of the Beechgrove Garden, standing blethering to someone in a greenhouse. And I saw Roddy Llewellyn ... the guy who almost married Princess Elizabeth. (I think he designed garden landscapes.) ...Would have liked to have spoken to Jim McColl. Did anyone out there manage a wee chat with him?
Brian


Which Princess?

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 9:09 pm
by The Egg Man
The other one. Llewellyn was only weeks old when the big sister got married.

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:10 pm
by War Baby
My mistake. I meant Princess Margaret.

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:59 am
by scarf_llama
I'd forgotten all about the Glasgow Garden Festival. I remember going once when I was about 7. I remember the giant tea pot and the cup. I remember the tree man as well. I was sure there was more than one sculpture floating in the river. A big red one and a big blue one, but I must be wrong.

I remember going to Cumbernauld and seeing the tap and fork and wondering why they were there as I'd seen them at the garden festival.

I remember we got up to the bit with the globe and then the tubular bells and I think there were some other sort of bells you could make noises with and then it was time to go home. I wish my parents had brought their camera.

Found this online.
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Years later we got the train into Glasgow and got off at the SECC station to go to the old science centre. My Dad thought that the Bell bridge would still be open as we'd gone over it to get to the GF. It wasn't and we had to walk for miles to find another bridge. I was exhausted by the time we found the science centre. All I remember was what a bad mood my Mum was in because she wasn't feeling well and had to walk for miles. We stopped at a cafe where a very nice Glasgwegian couple who owned it took pity on us. I think we only stopped to use the loo, but I'm sure they fed us some sandwiches for free coz we hadn't got any money. I wonder who they were.

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:37 pm
by moonbeam
Went on the "Jimmy Mack" radio show which went out live from a sort of tent "thing". Did three 15 minute slots regarding old gramophone records. Some sort of contest to find who had the oldest records in the UK. I have some records from 1898 or so and the BBC did not have copies in their collection. Turned out one of my records was the 15th sold in the UK. These are Berliners not cylinders. Bernard Cribbins was a guest on his show. After one of my 15 minutes of fame wandered round the site with Bernard Cribbens! A fairly small man. Spent a very pleasant hour or so with him. I recall kids asking for his photo! It was really hot weather I seem to recall.

Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:13 pm
by Giffer
I may just be sinking into a cynical retirement, but my memory of the Garden Festival was an expensive pile of tacky, non-permanent sheg. Like many other Glasgow white elephants it was but a flash in the pan destined for the scrappie.
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Re: Glasgow Garden Festival 1988

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 5:06 pm
by Mori
Giffer wrote:I may just be sinking into a cynical retirement, but my memory of the Garden Festival was an expensive pile of tacky, non-permanent sheg. Like many other Glasgow white elephants it was but a flash in the pan destined for the scrappie.


Did the cat pee in yer cornflakes this mornin then ya grumpy auld thing . ::):

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