People’s Palace & Winter Gardens 128^th Birthday

The People’s Palace & Winter Gardens was 128 years old in January this year. It opened on 22^nd January 1898 when it was declared “open to the people forever and ever”.

At present the People’s Palace is closed for restoration. It closed in April 2024, and we were told that it was scheduled to reopen in 2027. We now know that this opening date will not be met.

Friends of the People’s Palace Winter Gardens & Glasgow Green (FOPPWGGG) are members of Glasgow Life’s “People’s Palace Community Partners Panel”. The aim of the panel is to work with communities regarding the restoration plans. These look great for the People’s Palace, remodelling the building to make it more accessible for today’s standards. Ideas and plans for display content are also being developed, and these too look great. The importance of the People’s Palace as the city’s social history museum, telling the stories of its people remain a key focus. To be candid the future of the Winter Gardens is still a cause for concern with decisions still to be made regarding its glazing, heating, planting and use.

As we understand it, the total cost of the restoration project is still set as £35.9million. Glasgow City Council & Glasgow Life intend to apply for a further round of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund later this year and the Council has pledged 44% of the cost. This still leaves a substantial shortfall of approximately £12million. Glasgow Life are currently looking at different ways to attract this funding.

FOPPWGGG’s aim is to advocate for the care, preservation and enhancement of the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens. This year we will keep up the pressure and we will continue to work with Glasgow Life, their partners, and local communities to make sure that our beloved museum is restored to its former glory and the Winter Gardens restored as a place of botanical inspiration.

Members of the People’s Palace Community Partners Panel include:

• PEEK (Possibilities for Each & Every Kid) Glasgow
• North East health improvement team: Health & Social Care Partnership
• Colourful Heritage
• English as an additional language Service Glasgow
• Friends of People’s Palace Winter Gardens & Glasgow Green
• Glasgow City Heritage Trust
• Blackfriars Primary School
• Glasgow Disability Alliance
• Coalition for Racial Equality Rights
• Glasgow Life People’s Palace project Team
• Alzheimer’s Scotland
• Autism Resource Centre
• Calton Community Council
• Mental Health Foundation
• West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC)

Tribute to Dr. Elspeth King

We are all deeply saddened to hear about the sudden death of Elspeth King. Elspeth was a founding member of the Friends Group who served as our Chair for many years.

She was a tireless campaigner for the People’s Palace and fought relentlessly to keep it opened when it was threatened with closure and also to see the Winter Gardens restored. Elspeth was always there, fighting to protect the People’s Palace’s integrity as the political and social history museum for Glasgow. Out in all weathers – rain, hail or shine, Elspeth was always there ensuring the People’s Palace stayed true to its purpose as a home for the city’s social and political history.

Her passion for the People’s Palace was unquestionable and as curator  from 1974 to 1990, Elspeth transformed it into a museum  of the people, often challenging authority to make sure that the city’s working class stories were told – reflecting the political and social history of the people of Glasgow.  Under her curatorship the People’s Palace won Museum of the Year in 1981 and British Museum of the year in 1983. Her support never waned and in her retirement Elspeth applied to the World Monument Fund in2022 to have Glasgow’s People’s Palace recognised as a World heritage Monument.

After leaving the People’s Palace in 1990 she became Director of the Abbot House Museum in Dunfermline, and latterly the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum for 24 years – receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling for her contribution to Scottish museums and her promotion of the nation’s history and culture.

Elspeth’s contribution to the Friends group was immense and her knowledge of Glasgow’s cultural heritage second to none. A historian of renown, her talks were inspirational – we always got more supporters after these events. She will be greatly missed by the Friends group and by all the people and organisations she championed.

Our heartfelt thoughts are with Michael and her many friends at this sad time. We will continue her fight for the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens, honouring her memory when its doors open once again in new splendour.

Elspeth with Smudge The Cat, the People’s Palace mouser

Elspeth at one of many demos to keep the People’s Palace & Winter Gardens open.

The People’s Palace closed its doors on Sunday 14th April 2024. It closed for refurbishment and is due to re-open in 2027. The refurbishment will also include the Winter Gardens which has been closed since December 2018 and all plants in it completely destroyed.

The first stage of funding. £850,000 has been provided by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.  We understand that all the artifacts from the People’s Palace will be removed and put into storage.  Once this has been completed Glasgow Life will assess the full restoration costs estimated at £35.9million.

 Glasgow Life has stated that they will follow a “community centred approach” and that local people will shape all aspects of the refurbishment of the People’s Palace, including collecting, interpretation, and programming.  They state ” The revitalised People’s Palace and Winter gardens will be a place by people,  for people, with people. Therefore we hope to work closely with Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council and other stakeholders involved  over the coming months  in the restoration plans of this important civic resource which tells the story of the social history of our city. We will keep you updated with developments. So far we are still to meet with Glasgow Life.