Botanic Gardens Station - Glasgow

Having given this place a couple of half-arsed attempts in recent months, we decided to put a bit more effort this time, following a day trip to Glasgow. This was the second spot of the day and I had been told that the portal at kirklees station was missing a chunk of barb wire and “do able”. This turned out to be a load of bollox as the portal is covered top to bottom in thick sheeting on swing gates that are securely locked. 

As railway tunnels go both tunnels leading to the gardens station were tightly sealed, presumably this is to do with the filming for ‘Batgirl’ back in 2022, when former New York subway cars were seen entering via an access door in the Kelvinbridge area. The last time we were here we had a look at the great western tunnel portal which was more of the same and then had a look at the cutting further along the tunnel only to be threatened by an angry local whose house overlooked the open section of tunnel who was displeased with me “being near his bins”.

After resorting to plan D i eventually found myself in the station by myself as Dan, being more sensible didn't fancy the sketchy way in. I first noticed the entrance to kirklees tunnel from the botanic station end was well sealed with palisade and a load of razor wire so good job we didn't get in that way as it would have resulted in disappointment.

The rest of the station was as expected with years worth of graffiti covering the walls and the original tiles still in place. The vegetation spilling its way through the station certainly gives it an atmospheric feeling too. The way underneath the great western road was open but I opted not to add miles to the journey and spent an hour or so lingering around the station before heading back out.

History

“Opened on August 10, 1896, by the Glasgow Central Railway, Botanic Gardens railway station in Glasgow's West End was a distinctive structure designed by James Miller, known for its ornate red brick facade with two towers, a clock, and domes, earning it the nickname "The Kremlin." Situated beneath the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, the station featured a ground-level building and underground platforms, with the line extending under Great Western Road to Kelvinbridge and through the Botanic Gardens Tunnel to Kirklees. The station's operational life saw a temporary closure between January 1, 1917, and March 2, 1919, due to World War I, before its permanent closure to passengers on February 6, 1939, largely due to competition from trams. The railway line itself ceased operations on October 5, 1964. Following its passenger closure, the station building found new life as shops, including 'The Silver Slipper' café, 'Sgt. Pepper's' nightclub, and a plumbers shop, before a devastating fire on March 22, 1970, led to its eventual demolition, though the underground platforms and tunnels remarkably endure to this day, serving as a site for a filming location for the Batgirl movie in 2022, prompting renewed discussions about its potential as a tourist attraction, despite a shelved nightclub redevelopment plan in the mid-2000s”.