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Prior to the mid-1920’s, King’s Park was an area of hilly countryside centred on the Hundred Acre Hill
beside the steading of Meikle Aikenhead which was situated on the site of the present day King’s Park Primary School.
The buildings at Meikle Aikenhead were demolished in 1928. The public park which we know today was previously a private estate consisting of Aikenhead House and its grounds.
The estate was gifted to Glasgow Corporation by the builder, J.A. Mactaggart, in May 1930.
The Corporation preserved the beautifully landscaped parkland for use by the new residents as the now familiar King's Park.
The woods and walled garden of the old estate have been well preserved to be enjoyed by the present day visitors to the park.
The new residential areas were developed by Mactaggart and Mickel Ltd. and the Western Heritable Investment Company.
1920's map showing King's Park as distinct from Aikenhead Estate which is now the public park with that name
View of King's Park Avenue from Aikenhead Road showing early sandstone terraces and later inter-war development
View of Hundred Acre Hill, King's Park, from the south
View of King's Park Primary School, former site of Meikle Aikenhead, from Hundred Acre Hill
View of Mount Florida and Hampden Stadium from the northern slopes of Hundred Acre Hill, King's Park
Map showing Meikle Aikenhead and the Hundred Acre Hill in the 1850's
Central part of Aikenhead House built in 1806 for tobacco merchant, John Gordon
Scrapbook photograph of Aikenhead House in 1878, showing side wings which were added in 1823
2009 photograph from same spot as 1878, showing very few external changes after the conversion into flats in 1986
Window openings, blocked up and painted to provide symmetry and avoid payment of window taxes
Aerial view of Aikenhead House and gardens to rear
View of Christ the King Church from a wooded area of the park
Ornamental sundial from 1885, originally sited at Douglas Castle Lanarkshire, brought to the park in 1930
Entrance to walled garden from park
Ornamental plants in walled garden at Kings Park
Cobbled crescent in walled garden with benches overlooking flower beds
Ivy clad walls at entrance to former stables in Croftpark Avenue
Huge arched entrance to park from cobbled stables courtyard
Deep shadows under the arch at stables
Former estate workers cottages in Croftpark Avenue, facing the park
1850's map of Aikenhead Estate
The suburbs were built around the new stations, King’s Park and Croftfoot, which were soon to be constructed
when the map below was surveyed in the early 1920’s. This map, which was prepared just before the inter-war housing development started, shows Mount Florida and Cathcart Stations as red circles.
On the Newton branch line at that time the first station after Mount Florida was at Burnside.
As the new houses were erected in stages, Kings Park Avenue and the adjacent Second and Third Avenues were extended to Aikenhead Road. Kingsbridge Drive stretched out from the railway bridge to run alongside King's Park Avenue heading eastwards to Rutherglen.
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All original artwork, photography and text © Gerald Blaikie 2002-2012 Contact: admin@scotcities.com
Unauthorised reproduction of any image on this website is not permitted.
