Critical Heritage Walk: Kelvingrove Park
and use it offline.Interactive multimedia guided tours on the go. Learn more
What lies ahead on this heritage trail through one of Glasgow's most loved parks?
3 minWhat is difficult heritage and challenging history exactly?
3 minIf public parks are set pieces, when and why did Kelvingrove come into being?
3 minWhat is the history of the word ‘Kelvingrove’? Where does the name originate from?
3 minWhat role did museums play in colonialism and imperialism?
4 minWhat do fountains tell us about notions of civic, national and imperial pride?
3 minWhat are the ethics of commemorating challenging history?
3 minStatues. What's to be done with them?
3 minWas Glasgow more than the ‘second city’ of the British empire?
3 minDotted throughout Kelvingrove Park are plaques, statues and monuments commemorating various people and historical events, but since its creation in the mid-nineteenth century the park has witnessed numerous other happenings, the signs of which are largely invisible today. This critical heritage walk takes its cue from the fact that much of Glasgow’s urban fabric reflects the city’s deep involvement in colonial and imperial networks that were economic, social and cultural in nature. By slow walking and close looking we can engage with the civic spaces that surround us, examining the stories that are preserved and presented to us, as well as seeing and acknowledging those that aren’t.