5. Palace of Art

The Palace of Art was designed by Launcelot Ross (1885-1956) for the Empire Exhibition of 1938. It was the only one of the exhibition buildings intended to be permanent and was originally intended to house Glasgow Corporation’s art collection. There were galleries around a central sculptured courtyard which were used to display works of art, with Scottish painting given special pride of place. It is a stunning large square structure with a stripped classical appearance built around an inner courtyard. In April 2004 the centre reopened after major refurbishment costing around £2m and now serves as a Sports Excellence Centre.

6. Glasgow Roots (2007)

This piece of speculative architecture designed by Gareth Hoskins Architects, will trace a line south to north across the hill with the relic of the former mansion ‘Bellahouston House’ as the centre point. A thin ribbon of indigenous meadow plants sweeps upwards to a grid-like arrangement of stone blocks set within the former basement of the house. Further individual stone blocks, etched with references to Glasgow’s development seem to spill in a line, at seemingly random angles down the grass slopes towards the city centre.

The Gardens feature curved ‘exhedra’-type red sandstone walls with moulded cope framing each

7. Maze (2007/08)

The design proposal by JM Architects, which draws on the writings of Lewis Carrol (‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’), is to create a modern mirrored maze, that should provide visitors with ways of exploring the interior. Built on a triangular site between the House for an Art Lover and the Palace of Art it will be lit at night to create a distinctive landmark.

8. Portico Entrance

This sandstone gateway structure was the original entrance portico to Ibrox Hill House which dates back to 1801. When the house was demolished in 1914, the front porch (Portico) was retained in its original position on the north wall of the house. A rockery was constructed on the site. In 1989 it was relocated to its present position and now forms the dramatic entrance to the sculpture gardens of the House for an Art Lover.