Botanic Garden Railway Station.

Botanic Gardens Railwat Station was opened on 10 August 1896 by the Glasgow Central Railway.

Although the station building was on ground level, the actual station platforms were underground, beneath the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, It was closed between 1 January 1917 and 2 March 1919 due to wartime economy, and closed permanently to passengers on 6 February 1939, with the line being closed completely on 5 October 1964.

The station building was converted into shops after the station's 1939 closure and by the late 1960s was occupied by a popular cafe called 'The Silver Slipper.

A nightclub called 'Sgt. Peppers' and a plumbers shop, 'Morton's' also inhabited the building until It was ravaged by fire on the night of 22 March 1970.

The decision was taken by the then Glasgow Corporation not undertake repairs and instead to completely demolish the building and leave the site derelict, At the time of the fire, plans were being considered to demolish the building as part of a controversial scheme to widen Great Western Road and this might lie behind the decision not to repair the building despite its prominent and recognisable presence in the West End for seventy-four years and its housing of three viable local businesses.

Almost forty years after the fire, the platforms still remain underground where they can be seen from above through still open airvents in the Botanic Gardens and the floor of the building is still visible within the fenced-off section of the gardens marking where it stood.

An abandoned tramway kiosk designed in the same style as the building and built in 1903 is still present at the site.

In 2007 planswhere submitted to build a night club which would involve completely rebuilding the station building to its original design on its footprint, almost 40 years after it was destroyed.

The plans were met with considerable opposition from local people who organised a campaign group largely objecting to the idea of a nightclub appearing in a tranquil place like the Gardens, the plans where rejected in 2008 and the site still lays derelict.

Although very few things remain of the station itself its still a very impressive site, the twin platforms now ravaged by decay and severely overgrown are still a site worth seeing, the light that creeps in through the open roof vents also adds to the ambience and atmosphere of the place making it very moody and photogenic.

Another impressive site which was worth the trip.