Kelvingrove Park

http://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/hes/web/f?p=PORTAL:DESIGNATIONS:0

Type of Site

A 19th-century public park

Location and Setting

Kelvingrove Park is situated on the north side of the River Clyde in the Kelvinside district of Glasgow. It has been laid out around part of the River Kelvin. The setting is entirely residential and urban. There are views down into the park from Park Terrace in the east, the University to the north, and Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in the south-west. General views east and west are seen when driving or walking along Kelvin Way which bisects the park.

The 1st edition OS 1:2500 (25'), 1858, indicates that Kelvingrove Park did not then exist in its present form, but was confined to the ground below Park Terrace and known as West End Park. To the west was private open ground on the north-east side of Dumbarton Road above Clayslap Mills and, west and north of the river, the grounds of Gilmourhill House. These areas were taken into the park by the time of the 2nd edition OS 1:2500 (25'), 1894. The latter area seems to have been incorporated c.1864. The date of incorporation of the former remains to be confirmed. The park was greatly developed for the Great Exhibitions in 1888, 1901 and 1911, but the extent of the designed landscape has remained the same since 1894.

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a large, red sandstone, free classical style building, completed in 1901 to designs by J W Simpson and Milner Allan. The building has rich sculptural decorations. The Gateway to Kelvingrove Street is later 19th-century and consists of six red ashlar gate piers with inner wrought-iron gate piers supporting a pair of wrought iron-gates which feature the City of Glasgow arms. The Park Terrace Balustrade, Railings and Gateway to the park are by Charles Wilson architect, c. 1855. There is an ashlar balustrade with regular stone piers and a section of cast-iron railings. There are nine symmetrically arranged gate piers with cast-iron gates and lamp brackets. The Statue of Lord Roberts is located inside the gateway and was unveiled in 1916. The Stewart Memorial Fountain in West End Park, was designed by James Sellars, architect, and John Mossman, sculptor. It commemorates the introduction of a new water supply to the city from Loch Katrine and is named after the architect of the scheme, Robert Stewart of Murdostoun. The fountain is elaborately carved in pink ashlar with three tiered basins with flying buttresses supported by lions. The central shaft supports a bronze statue of a female figure. There is a wide plain grey granite basin at ground level. The middle basin has ceramic roundel insets of zodiac signs. The Prince of Wales Bridge, c.1894, below Lord Roberts' statue, is a single arch bridge faced with red ashlar. The parapet is polished pink granite. The South African War Memorial by William Birnie Rhind, 1906, depicts a seated figure of a uniformed soldier on a short obelisk. It commemorates the men of the Highland Light Infantry who fell in the South African War, 1899-1902. It is on the east bank of the River Kelvin, opposite the Prince of Wales Bridge. A Monument to Lord Kelvin by Macfarlane Shannan, 1913, is a seated bronze figure with granite base. It lies below the University on the north side of the River Kelvin. The Statue Group of Tigress, Cubs and Peacock by A Cain, sculptor, 1866 is situated to the east of Park Circus. The sculpture was constructed in Paris before being sited in the park, and an exact copy is sited in Central Park, New York.

The Snow Bridge lies at the west end of the park. The cast-iron bridge here today was opened in 1878 and succeeded an earlier masonry bridge of c.1800. The council used to open the gates on the bridge and push the accumulated city snow collected from the roads into the River Kelvin. The 1960s Footbridge below the Prince of Wales Bridge is built of concrete with metal balustrading. The Cameronian Monument beside Dumbarton Road at the west end of the park is a bronze figure group, 1924, by P Lindsay. Lister's Statue is a seated figure on a granite plinth. It stands to the south-west of Lord Kelvin's statue, below the University. Carlyle's Memorial comprises a sculpted bust, seemingly carved from a monolithic rock. It lies on the east side of the Prince of Wales Bridge.

The Bandstand visible today is a 1920s replacement for an earlier bandstand which stood in the area of the present Lord Kelvin's statue. The Pavilions and Tennis Courts on the south edge of the park are 20th-century. Kelvinway Bridge is a single-span masonry bridge with four symmetrically placed allegorical bronze figure sculptures. It was built c.1919. Sunlight Cottages comprise four asymmetrical, two-storey, red brick cottages. They were built for the 1901 Exhibition and presented by the Lever Brothers of Port Sunlight to the City of Glasgow. The cottages are situated on the north bank of the River Kelvin, east of the Snow Bridge.

Paths and Walks

The paths and walks at Kelvingrove Park are picturesquely placed to take full advantage of the undulating ground affording views from high ground to low ground. All paths are now of tarmac. Kelvinway Road, which runs north-south through the park, is planted with Swedish whitebeam.

Water Features

The pond attributed to Joseph Paxton's plan lies on the eastern side of the park and is fed from the Stewart Fountain. The island in the shape of Cyprus is planted with Rhododendrons. The edges of the pond are laid with stones.

The Gardens

The Stewart Memorial Fountain is encircled by clipped holly. Other species in the vicinity include Turkey oak (Quercus cerris). Informal shrub borders include Rose of Sharon (Hypericum calycinum), Potentilla, and ash. A herbaceous border on an axis with the Stewart Fountain is backed by a mixed beech, privet and Aucuba hedge. The statue group of tigress, cubs and peacock is planted around with white Rhododendrons.

The terrace below Park Terrace, is planted with Blue cedar and alder. Below the statue to Lord Roberts there is recent planting including larch, Scots pine, birch and Cotoneasters. Along the top terrace there is Swedish whitebeam and red-leaved hybrid sycamore. In the Park Drive area in the north-east corner of the park, trees include Horse chestnut and elm. There are new plantings of oak and beech.

The riverside walk on the east bank is fenced off from the river. The banks are unmanaged and naturalised species include ash, sycamore, and hogweed (Heracleum montegazzianum).

To the north of Kelvinway the statue of Lord Kelvin is surrounded by an area of formal bedding, with rockwork and steps leading up to the Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery.

Below the University, on the south bank of the river, there is a mixture of Rhododendron, laurel, cherry, ash and Laburnum.

This is situated on the eastern side of the River Kelvin near the tennis courts and playground. It is now planted with shrubs such as willow, Berberis, and dogwood (Cornus alba vars.).