The History: Glasgow Central Railway opened this station beneath the Glasgow Botanic Gardens on 10th August 1896, and the line was eventually closed on 5th October 1964 but the stations had been closed for some years by that point. Following its closure, the station building had a variety of uses such as shops, a café and a nightclub until a fire in 1970 after a Battle of the Bands contest. The building was then demolished. The platforms still remain underground and can be seen through open air vents in the Botanic Gardens. In 2007 there were plans to redevelop the site as a bar/ nightclub/ exhibition space but these plans were met with opposition from locals.
There are tunnels either side of the station. The Great Western Road Tunnel runs under Great Western Road and is 700 yards long. At the western end of the station is the Kirklee Tunnel which is just over 200 yards. It exits into a cutting where Kirklee Station used to stand- with the overgrown platforms still visible.
The Explore: This was very straightforward on both sides- we could walk straight through and didn’t have to double back on ourselves to get out. We started out at the east end of the Great Western Road tunnel and spent about an hour looking around the tunnels and the station platforms before coming out into the Botanic Gardens through the remains of Kirklee Station.
There are tunnels either side of the station. The Great Western Road Tunnel runs under Great Western Road and is 700 yards long. At the western end of the station is the Kirklee Tunnel which is just over 200 yards. It exits into a cutting where Kirklee Station used to stand- with the overgrown platforms still visible.
The Explore: This was very straightforward on both sides- we could walk straight through and didn’t have to double back on ourselves to get out. We started out at the east end of the Great Western Road tunnel and spent about an hour looking around the tunnels and the station platforms before coming out into the Botanic Gardens through the remains of Kirklee Station.
