Kelvingrove Bandstand

Welcome to my wee photoblog on Glasgow, where we feature the  joys and unjoys of walking and cycling through a fascinating, beautiful and often badly run city. For the blog's origin and a a list of all posts see the  'Introduction' post  -

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/02/introduction.html

Today is 16 October and we are going to take a walk around the sad ruin of  Kelvingrove Bandstand.

For the Buildings at Risk  entry see
http://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/BAR/detail.aspx?sctID=2678&region=Glasgow&div=&class=ALL&category=AT%20RISK&Page=15&NumImg=5

For The Friends of Kelvingrove Park see

http://www.kelvingrovepark.com/

For updates see their Facebook feed

http://www.facebook.com/kelvingrovepark

And for more details of the Bandstand's history  see

http://www.kelvingrovepark.com/bandstand.html

From their  website -

'Once a common feature, traditional bandstands are now increasingly scarce in the UK's parks. Kelvingrove's bandstand dates from 1924-5. Possibly designed by James Miller, or designed in-house by the City Parks Department the bandstand is unusual for its amphitheatre seating and its picturesque riverside setting. Although exceedingly popular for band concerts in the 1950s to outdoor gigs in the 1990's, the bandstand fell into disuse in recent years. Now recognised as a rare example of its type, the Kelvingrove Bandstand was listed as Category B in 2000 and is now the subject of an ambitious community-based scheme to restore and revitalise the facility as a venue for a wide range of open-air performances and events.'

We are walking along Kevin Way from University Avenue. Kelvingrove Park to our left. For the park itself see
Kelvingrove Park
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/05/kelvingrove-park.html
Kelvingrove Park: Sledging
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2011/01/kelvingrove-park-sledging-8-january.html
Kelvingrove Park: the Fountain Vandalised
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2011/01/stewart-memorial-fountain-vandalised.html

The Park public toilets - a rare thing these days

Bandstand in sight

Looking back at gate and Kelvin Way

October colours

An invitation to a party well over

We have to take a wee detour just now, will come back to the other side of the bandstand in a moment. . .

. . .to Sauchiehall St. . .

. . .the splendid Royal Crescent on the left there. For what this looked like in 1849 see

http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/aandf/plate11a.html

See also

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/03/anderston.html

Mother India in the shadows there

Dappled light in Sauchiehall St

Back in the park

At the pond

Bridge on our right

Bandstand down there in light

There are few sights more exhilirating in Glasgow than seeing one of the Kelvingrove kingfishers in flight. For more,  join the RSPB -
http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/glasgowwex/reports/281522/

Looking back

Feel free to drop me an email with suggestions, offers of £20 notes etc. The address is damnyouebay@gmail.com

Reviews of Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know


RADIO AND TELEVISON

'I love it - I'm giving this copy to a friend and buying another for myself' - Darren Adam, Presenter, Radio Forth, 17 November 2008

‘It’s a great wee book’ – Stephen Jardine, introducing Edwin Moore on Scottish Television’s Five-Thirty Show

'A fantastic book' - Scott Wilson , talk 107 Breakfast Show host (see In Memoriam talk 107)

'A great read' - Dougie Jackson, Drivetime host, Smooth Radio 105.2

THE PRESS

'Despite its apparently humorous format, this is a serious and extensive dictionary on all things Scottish; from Jean Redpath to Lorne sausage, from Flodden to the Corries. Is particularly good on history and minutiae. There's a useful chapter on famous Scottish legal cases and another on literature. Excellent' - Royal Scottish Legion, Feb 2009

'This is the ultimate Scottish reference book' - Waterstones Christmas catalogue, 2008

'This is a fascinating look at the history of Scotland: its languages, politics and great achievements, from its origins in the ancient landmass of Laurentia 400 million years ago, to devolution and Billy Connolly. Edwin Moore has collected a thousand important facts about this beautiful country, covering Scottish history and culture, correcting misconceptions, and examining the mysteries of haggis and bagpipes with insight, warmth and impressive attention to detail' - The Good Book Guide, November 2008


'This is a recipe for revealing how horribly ill informed you are about your country. Although, if you are skillful, you can nod sagely as you read some new fact and mutter 'Ah, yes!' as if recalling the information from your excellent schooling. Where else will you find a real recipe for making haggis from scratch side by side with a potted biography of David Hume; a section of the Declaration of Arbroath and the curiously touching fact that Lulu was only 15 when she had a hit with 'Shout'? The whole thing is of course, silly - but oh so addictive.' - Matthew Perren, i-on Glasgow, December 2008


'. . . well crafted and witty' - Bill Howatson, Aberdeen Press and Journal, 18 October 2008


‘While most of Edwin’s entries are entertaining and scholarly – he writes like a Scottish Bill Bryson – it is when he takes an interest in the backwaters of history, the details lost down the back of the sofa, that he is at his best’ – Jack McKeown, The Courier, 27 October 2008


'History, it is said, is written by the victors. Trivia, meanwhile, is written by the guys with the smeared spectacles and the breathable rainwear. The first discipline is linear and causal; to quote from Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys, history is “just one f****** thing after another”. Things look different, though, when viewed through the prism of trivia. The past is reduced to one big coleslaw of fascinating facts that in their randomness tell a more mixed-up tale entirely.
The first approach leads to big, frowning books by the likes of Tom Devine and Michael Fry. The latter results in small, cheerful books such as Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin Moore’s valiant attempt to navigate the more trivial contours of enlightenment and clearances, crown and parliament, dirt and deity.
Moore proceeds from a sincere and controversial first principle: Scotland is really a rather pleasant and interesting place. . .As a work of popular scholarship, though, it’s in a different league to the Scottish novelty titles that get stocked next to the bookstore tills as potential impulse purchases, those little handbooks of parliamo Caledonia and regional braggadocio, such as Weegies vs Edinbuggers.' - Allan Brown The Sunday Times, 21 September 2008

'In his book, Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin celebrates all that sets us Scots as a race apart - our language, law, flora, food, and of course, our people. From our poets, architects and inventors, to our artists, entertainers and fighters. But he doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of our history. . .' - Robert Wight, Sunday Post, 14 September 2008

‘We think we know all about William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and the Union of the Crowms. However, according to Edwin Moore, author of , Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, we’re still in the dark about many aspects of our history and culture. . . The Big Issue looks at 20 of the most astonishing examples of secret Scotland.’ – The Big Issue, 18-24 September 2008

'What's the connection between Homer Simpson and Larbert, and why are generations of lawyers grateful to a Paisley snail? Need to know more? Author Edwin Moore has gathered 1000 facts like these about Scotland in a quirky new book. Brian Swanson selects a few favourites. . .' - Scottish Daily Express, 13 September 2008

'The palm for Christmas-stocking books seems to have passed recently to popular science, with best selling titles every year such as Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? This year there has been a gallant attempt at a historical fight back. Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know(Atlantic Books, £12.99) asks (and answers) such post-turkey questions as ‘How many kings of Scotland died in their beds?’, ‘Who on earth decided that the Declaration of Arbroath was the cornerstone of modern democracy?’ or ‘Why is iron brew spelled Irn-Bru?’ Mark Mazower,History Today; The Best of History in 2008, December 2008


'A real treat for the serendipitous Scotophile' - Reginald Hill


FROM THE INTERWEB


www.Booksfromscotland.com (on the new paperback edition)
Book of the Month, May 2010
'Whether it's Scottish lochs or Enlightenment philosophers, the facts of the devolution referendums or the mysteries of Irn-Bru, myths will be debunked and truths revealed in this light-hearted but rigorous overview of Scottish history and culture.'