3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Abandoned railway station in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens refuses to die
The abandoned railway station in Glasgow Botanic Gardens.
Why do you go there?
I find it fascinating that something so big could be so easily hidden and so little-known by people who have lived in the city for years. It's a reminder of Glasgow's hidden underbelly and its all-too-quickly forgotten past.
It opened in 1896 as part of the Glasgow Central Railway line. But as passengers gravitated toward cleaner, more convenient street trams, the station closed in 1939. It found new life as a cafe called The Silver Slipper and later the Sgt. Pepper's night club – until a fire gutted it in 1970.
Today, only the old platforms remain, overgrown and slowly reclaimed by nature, smothered in weeds, grass and trees. But there's something about the place that refuses to stay hidden.
There was an attempt to redevelop the site in the mid-2000s, but local opposition forced Glasgow City Council to scrap the plans. There's something about the place that refuses to die or be forgotten and in this age of cultural impermanence, that's a beautiful thing to me.
(Image: Colin Mearns)
For me, it also symbolises what great crime fiction does: tells a great story but also reveals the darkness lurking underneath everyday life.
How often do you go?
Anytime I find myself in the Botanics, I make an excuse to wander off and sneak a peek over the old ventilation shafts. The whole area is sealed off below, but some hardy urban explorers and graffiti artists still find a way down to the platforms. They're braver than I am.
Author Andrew Raymond (Image: Andrew Raymond)How did you discover it?
I'd walked past it several times before finally stopping to check why there was a big fence hidden away between some trees. I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it before.
What's your favourite memory?
The first time I found it. I was struck by the idea that Glasgow has so many hidden levels. I knew almost immediately that it had to play a role in the first DCI Lomond book, The Bonnie Dead, because it captures everything the book is about.
Who do you take?
I only ever go by myself, but I'm looking forward to showing it to my son when he's old enough.
What do you take?
I always take a few photos – it gets more mysterious every time.
What do you leave behind?
Nothing. Let's keep the Botanics clean and tidy, people.
Sum it up in five words.
The past never stays buried.
What other travel spot is on your wish list?
Iceland. It has always seemed like my kind of place – the brooding skies, bleak beauty and woolly jumpers of home, with the bonus of more volcanoes and fewer midges.
The Bonnie Dead by Andrew Raymond (Vinci, £9.99) is published in paperback on June 5
