Despite its beloved reputation in Glasgow, It's fair to say the People's Palace and Winter Gardens, which is today marking its 125th anniversary, has had it tough in recent times.
Back in 2018, they both closed for vital repairs and refurbishments, before the People’s Palace reopened. Sadly though, the Winter Gardens has remained closed with some hoping it might be able to reopen soon.
When it was originally constructed, the People's Palace and Winter Gardens were a museum and meeting space for people in the east of Glasgow, with concerts performed as well as a library installed.
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Origins
At the end of the 19th Century, the east end of Glasgow was unhealthy, extremely overcrowded and suffered terrible levels of deprivation.
Glasgow Green, which was gifted to the people of Glasgow by the city’s bishop in 1450, was the only real public leisure space available in the east of the city, while amenities such as the Botanic Gardens and Kibble Palace had sprung up in the affluent west end.
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The idea of creating a museum for the people of Glasgow’s east end had first been floated in 1866, though official plans did not materialise until 1889. Glasgow’s City Engineer, Alexander Beith McDonald, designed the building in red sandstone, with a curved roof of steel and glass supported by iron columns for the Winter Gardens.
Over 770,000 visitors
Work finally began on the £32,000 structure in 1894 and the building was opened in 1898 to host 770,807 visitors in its first year alone. It originally provided an exhibition area to display art, a natural history collection and displays on the city’s industry.
Interestingly as well, the Winter Gardens was the site of regular music performances, which filled the huge glass auditorium. One photo provided by Glasgow City Council shows a concert performance by the Orpheus Choir in 1910, with hundreds of people squeezed inside the venue.
At the opening of the Palace and Gardens in 1889, its commissioned Lord Rosebery spoke to a crowd of 3,500 people. He declared the venue open, saying it was “open to the people for ever and ever”, before calling the location a “palace of imagination”.
The purpose of the building was for the enrichment of the east end, offering libraries and other resources to allow education and development opportunities.
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However, the vast glass structure of the Winter Gardens could not last forever without maintenance, meaning that the Gardens were closed for almost two years around 1998 to allow restoration work to take place. Renovations at the time took place particularly at the rear of the building around the Winter Gardens. The grand reopening of the structure was scheduled to take place in time for the 100th anniversary of its original construction.
In January 1998, though, disaster struck the Winter Gardens, as 40 firefighters tackled a fire at the museum. Five separate fire engines were called to the Glasgow Green scene, with the fire at least 30 metres by 20 in the single-story glass conservatory.
In January 2019 both the People's Palace and Winter Gardens closed again, with rare plants moved to alternative homes as the site was ruled structurally unsafe. Pictures of the derelict interior would lead to widespread criticism from local politicians and heritage campaigners, with MP Paul Sweeney branding the state of the complex an "appalling act of civic vandalism".
A £350,000 refurbishment saw The People's Palace portion of the complex reopen in June 2019, however, it was closed again when the coronavirus pandemic arrived.
The People's Palace is open once more, but the Winter Gardens, an integral part of the museum, remain closed and the plants destroyed it is hoped that the Council restore them to their former glory this year.
On the 125th anniversary of the museum, a spokesperson for Glasgow Life, which is responsible for the venue, said: “For the last 125 years, the People’s Palace has been a place for Glaswegians and visitors to explore and enjoy.
“Originally part of an attempt to shape social reform, the People’s Palace has become a leading social history museum which offers a unique insight into how Glaswegians lived, worked and played in years gone by.”
A spokesperson for the Friends of the People's Palace said: "Sunday will be a great celebration of this much loved museum. Part of our ongoing work to see the People's Palace and Winter Gardens fully restored for us all to enjoy for another 125 years!"
A version of this story was first published in July 2019.
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