Important Dates in Our 200 Year History

Timeline of the Gardens

  • 1817 Royal Botanical Institution of Glasgow established the Botanic Gardens at Sandyford
  • 1839 Present site purchased, collections & glasshouses moved to Kelvinside
  • 1841 Curators House built (Architect – CharlesWilson)
  • 1842 Gardens opened 1st April
  • 1873 Kibble Palace erected on currect site
  • 1878 New teak glasshouse erected (now called the Main Range)
  • 1884 Gate Houses built at Main Gates
  • 1880s Tree fern collection established in the Kibble Palace
  • 1891 Corporation of the City of Glasgow took control of the Gardens
  • 1896 Glasgow Central Railway opened line through the Gardens
  • 1939 Botanic Gardens and Kirklee underground stations closed
  • 1957 New Herb Garden built adjacent to the Kibble Palace
  • 1976 Arboretum opened
  • 1979 Hopkirk Building built
  • 1987 Trades House of Glasgow sponsored botanical expedition to Papua New Guinea
  • 1988 Main Range being restored on a rolling programme
  • 1995 Botanic Gardens Strategy approved by Council
  • 1997 Visitors Centre opened
  • 2002 Species Rose Garden and new Children’s Play Area Opened
  • 2003 £7+ million restoration of Kibble Palace began
  • 2004 West Wing of the Main Range of Glasshouses restored
  • 2006 Restoration of the Kibble Palace completed
  • 2008 Hopkirk Classroom set up for the use of schools
  • 2011 The Long Pit Glasshouse restored
  • 2017 The Glasgow Botanic Gardens celebrates 200 flourishing years