Dear Green Place 10 - Glasgow Green

An interesting evening. A trip to the Tron to hear about the decline of frogs as part of Cafe Scientifique / the Glasgow Science Festival and then a wander round Glasgow's oldest park, gifted to the people of Glasgow in 1450.

This is the Doulton Fountain, the largest terracotta fountain in the world and the best surviving example of its kind. It was first displayed at the Empire Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park in 1888 before being relocated to Glasgow Green two years later. Queen Victoria is depicted at the top -- the fountain was built to commemorate her Golden Jubilee of 1887.

The building in the background is one of my favourites; the former Templeton's Carpet Factory. The design for the façade is based on the Doge's Palace in Venice. The façade collapsed during construction in 1889 killing 29 women and girls in the adjoining weaving sheds. Templeton's was one of the most successful carpet manufacturers in Britain, producing intricately patterned and richly coloured Axminster carpets for state occasions, grand buildings and domestic use -- from carpets for the Titanic, the Whitehouse and the Taj Mahal to fulfilling a written request for an 11" x 9" carpet in 'winsor red' from a small boy who wanted one for his cat's house, because 'Templetex carpets are best'.