IT was 35 years ago today…
Yep, April 26, 1988, was the day the gates opened at Glasgow’s Garden Festival. It would be a further three days before the event was officially declared open by Prince Charles and Lady Di.
It was the first event of its type to be held in the city in 50 years, since the Empire Exhibition of 1938, and also marked the centenary of Glasgow’s first International Exhibition, the International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry of 1888.
It attracted 4.3 million visitors over 152 days, by far the most successful of the five National Garden Festivals. Its significance in the rebirth of the city was underlined by the 1990 European City of Culture title bestowed on Glasgow. The two events together did much to restore our city to national and international prominence.
This souvenir postcard, by the great Malky McCormick, captures ‘awrafunnarfaferr’; a place where, for five months, all ages and classes rubbed shoulders (and more!) as they soaked up the sunshine, ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over the exhibits, and scared themselves silly on the Coca-Cola roller-coaster.
LOST GLASGOW
ARTWORK: Malky McCormick