Glasgow has the best public transport networks in Scotland, and if we’re being biased, one of the best in the UK too - but we’ve lost a lot of transport hubs along the way. Today we wanted to look back at the old train stations Glasgow’s lost through the years.
Back when Glasgow was at the peak of it’s industrial era, there was constant plumes of smoke shooting up from steam trains criss-crossing across the cities railway network - pumping in and out iron, coal, and people as if the city itself was a big steel heart. To facilitate all that industry we needed a hell of a lot of trains, railway stations, and depots - so many that in the 60s the council had decided that we simply had far too much, so several were put up on the chopping block.
A lot of these stations were more than just platforms too, they were points of civic pride - for many visitors it would be the first and last thing they would see in Glasgow, so it was important to make a good impression. The top architects were employed to make some incredibly imposing and awe-inspiring buildings for the stations - one only needs to check out our gallery below to see that.
All aboard as we take a look around 12 lost old train stations of Glasgow down below - enjoy yourself, and mind the gap!
1. Kirklee Railway Station (1896-1939)
You could find Kirklee down in Kelvinside in the West End - it was one of the shortest lived train stations, operating for just over 40 years, though trains still ran down the line through the station without stopping until 1964. The station building was designed by famous architect Sir J.J. Burnet who earned his knighthood on the basis of his design for the extension of the British Museum. The construction of the station was controversial in the 1890s as it destroyed a local beauty spot known as the Peartree Well. | Glasgow City Archive
2. Botanic Gardens Railway Station (1896-1939)
One of the most visible old stations in Glasgow - you can still look down on to the old platforms from the open-air roof vents in the Botanic Gardens. The building was converted into shops after the station's 1939 closure and by the late 1960s was occupied by a popular café called 'The Silver Slipper', a nightclub called 'Sgt. Peppers' and a plumbers shop, 'Morton's'. It was ravaged by fire on the night of March 22 1970 - it remains derelict to this day. | Contributed
3. Kelvinbridge Subway Stations (1896-1952)
Down on the banks of the River Kelvin, you could find Kelvinbridge railway station - by the site of where Inn Deep is now, and just along the river from the Kelvinbridge Subway Station. | Contributed
4. Glasgow Green Railway Station (1895-1953)
Glasgow Green Station is pretty well-remembered, it's facade remained in place in the East End right up until 2012 when it was demolished after sustaining storm damage. | Contributed