Just off Pollokshaws Road, tucked underneath one of Glasgow’s stunning Gurdwara temples and behind the Tramway Theatre, are the Hidden Gardens.
In a recent YouTube video uploaded by A Scottish Odyssey, we’re taken round the gardens in the Southside of Glasgow. On a typical windy day in the west, Claire Casey - who runs the account, gives us a tour.
She tells viewers: “I’ve come back to Glasgow, to something that is a bit of a hidden gem here in Glasgow.
“There’s a lot of people who stay here in the city and don’t know it’s here, it’s very much hidden away behind buildings. This is somewhere that I've known of for a while, but this is the first chance I’ve had to pay it a visit.”
Claire, who launched her YouTube account in August 2018, regularly uploads videos detailing her travels around Scotland. Uncovering hidden gems and exploring well known attractions, A Scottish Odyssey travels from Stranraer to John o’ Groats.
Here in Glasgow, access to the gardens can be made through the Tramway Theatre building as well as their yard on the side.
Despite being the Hidden Gardens, the space has an array of events and is even available for hire. Men’s groups, gardening sessions, art displays, and even Tai Chi on the lawn events are held regularly.
The Hidden Gardens' history dates back to the early 19th century, when trees were grown on the land for large mansions such as Pollok House. In the 1890s, the Copelawhill Tram Works and Depot were opened on the grounds - originally housing almost 300 horses for the city’s trams.
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After the trams were electrified in 1901, the building was redeveloped for the keeping and repairing of electric tram cars. When Glasgow’s tram system eventually shut down on September 4 1962, the land became the first home of the Museum of Transport.
It wasn’t until 1988 that the Tramway Theatre was born, when theatre director Peter Brook was searching for a setting for his ambitious production - The Mahabharata. With his nine-hour long play, Brook was searching for a space that was just right.
In the old Copelawhill tram shed, he found it. Within two years the tram shed was reborn as Glasgow’s Tramway Theatre, and was a centrepiece of the 1990 City of Culture celebrations - even gaining B list status.
As for the Hidden Gardens, these didn’t come for over a decade. Marked by a three day festival of flowers, with sound and light installations filling the garden - the space finally opened to the public in 2003.
Today, with everything from Parent & Toddler Groups to ornamental kitchen gardens, we’re not entirely sure it’s hidden anymore - but it’s definitely worth a visit.
