Timeline

The Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow have a rich history of use and activism. Please see here for the Timeline of events over the last almost 200 years.

1822

Records show there were never any buildings on this land (see the map to the left from 1822).

Jan

1883

This map from 1883 shows that the Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow as being open green space. Kelbourne Park school and North Kelvin College were a cricket ground. Clouston Street was called Montgomerie Street and Sanda Street was called Gower Street. Oban Drive was Oxford Street and Fergus Drive was Cambridge Street.

Jan

1894

By 1894 the Cricket Ground had become Kelbourne Park. The Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow open space.

Jan

1939

1939 (1 March)

Glasgow City Council buys both pieces of land using the powers of the Education Act for £4,800. We don’t believe they are under Common Good.

Mar

1940

During WW2 there were barrage balloons on the Land. It was of course near to the BBC on Queen Margaret Drive and hence it was used to protect that building. Also during the War foreign soldiers (mostly Polish) make shift huts on the tennis court which they stayed in

Jan

1946

1946 (onwards)

Photographs of the meadow area and the woodland area from the 1970's.

The land was used as a sports ground for the local school on Kelbourne Street (Garrioch Public School established 1905 which was also Shakespear Street Junior school for a short time. This building was then Stow College and is now North Kelvin College). The Land had a running track, sports area and a tennis court. The old small brick building still on the land beside Clouston Street was used as the pupils changing room (there were originally two, one for male and one for female) We believe there was also a pavilion on the land.

Jan

1972

1972’s onwards

grass starting to grow on the disused playing fields. Children's Wood and North Kelvin Meadow

In 1972 the School closed and merged with North Kelvinside Secondary on Oban Drive. The building was later turned into a college (first Stow College and now North Kelvin College) after which the sports area and tennis courts gradually fell into disrepair. Local people still used the land as it was a red blaze surface and had a football pitch with goals. However, without upkeep from the Council, it fell into an ever greater state of disrepair. Local people witness council employees drive their vans into the goalposts and destroy the chance to play football. It's not known when tennis was last played on the tennis courts, most people only remember football being played in that area. Over the years local people continued to use the ground, though now with no upkeep from the council, for dog walking and occasional games of football, for example. There is also a Right of Way through the land from Kelbourne to Clouston Street.

Jan

1996

1996 onwards

Disused shed at the Clouston Street side of the land. The building was once a changing room.

Local people sowed grass seed onto the red blaze and planted some trees. They also did the occasional litter pick-up. Mother Nature then did her thing. At some point the doors and windows of the old brick building were stolen and the place became a drinking and drug den. Local people didn’t like walking past it and inside it looked like something out of Trainspotting!

Jan

1996 (9th September)

Miller Homes's application to build around 100 residences on North Kelvin Meadow is rejected. Scottish Reporter’s Report Rejecting the Miller Homes Application. The planning officer in charge of the application at Glasgow City council recommended the building, however, the planning committee rejected the application. The application went to the then-Scottish Reporter and was thrown out. Plans to build on the land were rejected. The reporter states” In an area of high residential density, this open area is an amenity feature providing recreation of a quite different type from that which can be enjoyed in the nearby Botanic Gardens”

Sep

1998

1998-2008 (approx)

Compendium Trust was formed with a plan for the land. The plan was to build flats on the old former tennis court area (now a wood) and to use the money that would generate to build five-a-side football pitches on the rest of the land. They secured 1.2 million in potential funding. This plan was backed by Glasgow City Council but ultimately failed due to noise legislation – a test which was conducted at the very end of the process. The argument was that the football pitches were too close to peoples’ homes. The Compendium Trust then ceased.

1998 – North Kelvin Community Council (NKCC) holds a workshop sponsored by the 1999 Year of Architecture. Attended by Maria Fyffe MP, councillors, planners and architects. Decided that 20% is set aside for housing and 80% for community use.
1999 – A decision is taken by NKCC to pursue sports and housing development for the Clouston Street site.
2000/1 – NKCC produces 12,000 copies of 3 issues of INK newspaper. Leases shop in Queen Margaret Drive. Published local survey.
2002 – Compendium Trust is formed as a registered charity to facilitate sports development.
2003 – Partnership agreed between The Compendium Trust, Glasgow City Council and Queens Cross Housing. SportsScotland decides any loss of the site to sport would require a compensation payment of, allegedly, £650,000.
2005 – Agreement reached with SportsScotland which grants the Trust £195,000 towards sports development on site.
2006 – Public meeting in Scout Hall. Planning Application for 81 flats and the mixed sports field proposals. Trust is promised £1.2 million towards the development.
2007 – Development proposals fail planning criteria and the application is withdrawn.
2008 – Compendium Trust is abandoned.

Jan