Great Western Road. Glasgow's Golden Highway.The Dark Allure of Hollywood

 

This post is a homage to several things. Firstly, Great Western Road. The longest, straightest and most beautiful entrance into Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. Appropriately, this starts at St Georges Cross, with the slaying of a dragon myth and an act of Parliament in the 1800s before travelling north west like an arrow past a corridor of ornate buildings, bridges, churches,stunning parks, towers of glass, sandstone and ambition to end at Anniesland. As there is already an existing post to this action packed early section, which is well worth a look before continuing, I've included the link here. Filled with a brief history of the road and several period photographs it's recommended reading for what comes next.
http://www.scotcities.com/westend/gwesternrd.htm

 

When any city grows at the rate Glasgow expanded during the industrial revolution nature is often a casualty but the next extension to occur to this great highway was nothing other than a utopian vision of heaven on earth. With the shadow of the First World War (1914-1918) still a recent memory, the garden suburb of Knightswood began to appear in the 1920s and 1930s on former farmlands peppered with denuded mining spoil heaps and small scale diggings although mostly it was still green and rural. Fashionable at the time these pleasant suburbs were in vogue across cities throughout Europe with Mosspark and Carnyne (both in Glasgow), prime examples. Knightswood however started at Anniesland and the great road snaking through this new estate of mainly low level, back and front garden, cottage type homes would be an extension of an already prestigious highway where Victorian  and Edwardian society had always flocked to be seen in their pomp and splendour travelling up and down this golden road either by foot or horse drawn carriage. The garden cities and suburb movement started in the UK before spreading to the rest of the world, with the USA a particular convert to the idea on a grand scale.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_city_movement

 

Great Western Road, seen here, free from the adjoining corridor of surrounding city buildings was an open plan affair with broad pavements lined with flowering trees of various types and a dual carriageway separated by a wide green strip planted with daffodils (a modern addition) and a range of woodland and orchard favourites picked to enhance their surroundings. Apple, plums and flowering cherry trees line this golden highway in such spectacular abundance from Anniesland Cross to Bowling,(a distance of seven miles) that if they were rearranged into a formal park they would rival any display of a similar size anywhere on the planet for variety and design. Hundreds of individual trees, consisting of  many different varieties, must line this famous thoroughfare and every one of them is a hand picked gem.
In spring, drivers, bikers, cyclists, walkers and joggers must love travelling down this green corridor of scent, birdsong, butterflies, other insects  and colour. An annual pink and white parade of blooms.

Even bus drivers must get a thrill when they reach this stretch of their journey across the city and are transported from the everyday into the surreal.

 

Knightswood itself is laid out over several modest hills boasting good views. Streets and roads in this sprawling district are usually  named after heraldic emblems or figures of the past like Kestrel, Pikeman, Athelstane, Mace, Turret, Rampart, Baldric, Talisman and Thane. I often visited relatives here as a small boy and it felt a world away from the tenement estate I grew up in, as separate as the world of lords and servants from each other. Gardens here used to boast old fashioned cottage flowers, shrubs, and trees like Pretty Nancy, Dog Rose, Lupins, Sweet William, Sweet Peas, Pansies, Forget me not, Lilac, Willow, Apple, White beam, Rowan and Red Current. Many gardens had rhubarb patches,vegetable plots and old Anderson shelters in them, and hung on to these relics proudly for many decades after the Second World War and rationing ceased to be an important issue in their lives as they knew from bitter experience how easily it could happen again.

 

Bluebells, snowdrops, and crocuses were also favourite bulbs in many gardens here and the whole of Knightswood seemed to revolve and breathe in and out with the seasons in those days. A honeyed land of tree lined boulevards, cooing pigeons, falling crab apples, conkers, ripe berries, and leafy corners to explore.... it certainly created a big impression on me that has lasted to this day.

 

The nearby Forth and Clyde canal, built in 1790, which snakes through the district parallel to the Great Western Road, a stones throw away, is a wildlife corridor, a walking and cycling jewel, but has also proved a magnet and hazard for generations of inquisitive children, many of whom have come to grief here in an annual ritual that is as ancient as its construction. Sleep well 'Ophelia'. A fallen petal that sank in the 60s, still remembered.

 

 Another view of the road near the Drumchapel flyover.

 

The unusual curved hi rise flats near Blairdardie.

A distant view of the Kilpatrick Hills from the cherry tree bedecked highway near the Lincoln Inn Pub.

 

The Golden Highway at its finest. Glasgow's very own 'yellow brick road.

The high rise flats seen from Knightswood Cross.

 

Twin Churches at Knightswood Cross.

 Daffodils just starting to die as the cherry blossom takes over. The cycle of the seasons played out along Great Western Road.

And finally.... a view over Knightswood to the Kilpatrick Hills.

This is also a homage to Louise Brooks as there is a new biography out about her, she came to prominence during the roaring twenties when Knightswood was being constructed, and she fits in nicely with the era, to my mind at least, as I discovered the silent attraction of her films here as bees buzzed outside in the foxglove grove and my young heart thumped faster with the thrill of a new experience. Who knew silent film could be so rewarding.
Dancer, showgirl, model, hard drinking actress, writer and a practical and practiced courtesan she still seems to sum up the dark allure of early Hollywood in one 5'  2" package of attitude, razor sharp quotes and world weary cynicism. Unlike many of the silent film stars she is still a relevant style icon to this day as her contemporary look and appeal have never dated. Films, music and the fashion industry have used her as an inspiration for decades. Think this is not the case?
Liza Minnelli in Cabaret is pure Louise Brooks.... as is Catherine Zeta Jones in Chicago. Natalie Portman in Leon and even Hit Girl in Kick Ass is a mini purple haired sly version of her outlook and attitude to life.
"I have a gift for enraging people but if I ever bore you it will be with a knife." is one of her many memorable tongue in cheek edgy quotes. A 'flapper girl' that could out flap the surrounding pack.
Pandora's box for me opened its curtains in leafy Knightswood for the first time.
Sexually abused as a young child by the kind of  neighbourhood opportunist that exists in all communities she was the archetypical "bad girl" in real life and in film, leaving home at sixteen already wise to the ways of men which would be an advantage for the type of roles she would play later. The hypocritical and contrary nature of society and humans in general often creates its worst monsters but Louise was as much a victim of her upbringing as a sinner in later life.
Sydney Bechet was a talented jazz saxophonist, multi instrumentalist and composer with a forceful and at times highly improvised style that had many admirers but he also had a suspect temperament and had done jail time for pulling a gun on someone who suggested he was playing the wrong chord.
Maurice Chevalier was a popular French actor, singer and star of Hollywood films who could actually speak perfect English with an American accent in normal life but was destined to play his token foreigner persona throughout his career. A fact that must have annoyed him at times despite paying the bills.
Hollywood has always attracted those looking for a substitute family, easy wealth, a hedonist lifestyle, the lost, damaged, feisty, fame and bright lights addicted or just plain crazy individuals. It's a temple of often trampled but ambitious people who have been moulded by harsh events in many instances and these Queens of the Jazz Age were no different in their mirrored kingdom of deep seated issues, insecurities, back stabbing, broken dreams and promises dating right back to Sodom and Gomorrah. A dance as old as humanity itself....but one with sparkle. The Dark Allure of Hollywood that has burned many a pretty moth in its flame.

Fraochaidh. Alex's 200th Corbett. Build it and they will Come!

I received a phone call from Alex shortly before the Easter weekend. "How do you fancy going up on Friday and bagging Fraochaidh with me?"
I said "OK" with a heavy heart, knowing it was a long walk in from Ballachulish up Gleann an Fhiodh over terrain that is as awkward to negotiate as Gaelic names are to pronounce.
He must have heard my lack of enthusiasm mixed in with dutiful obligation plod mode on the phone because he then said....
"Ah, but I've found a better way up that's half the distance of the normal route up. And it cuts out all the pine forest trudge you hate."
As it was a fine forecast I agreed.
First thing I noticed driving up to Tyndrum in the car was the new set of flying swans on the Balloch roundabout. It's OK but I still think they could do better with splashes of bold primary colours here and a flower or heather display around the base. Tourists love flowers and heather. Ironically, there is a perfect example in Balloch itself, not far away.(I know that one has turned into an unintended  wildlife haven but you could keep any vegetation low level and bunny free up here.)  Most garden displays are more inviting than this roundabout :o) Enough said.

Both of us remarked on the drive up past Tyndrum on how rarely we travel beyond this point anymore. Although close to Oban this hill would cost us £15 each in petrol. To fill an average petrol tank full is £60 now and one return trip past Fort William will account for that easily. It's an expensive business now collecting hills and no longer an "open to everyone" pastime unless you hitch hike everywhere. The back edge of Glen Lochy just past Tyndrum itself.

Minutes earlier we had enjoyed a fine view of Ben Lui still retaining its white mantle of snow.( I do hope it looks as sunny as this next time I see it :o)

Ben Cruachan came next. I fancy climbing that impressive Munro one last time before I'm too old to enjoy it.

Lovely carved wooden board catching the morning sunshine outside the Church at Connel. We stopped here in the village for breakfast around 8:30 am. A beautiful windless day.

 

St Oran's church, celebrating 100 years judging by the sign.

 Loch Etive. Although it looks tranquil here this spot is a favourite place for kayakers and divers as the tidal race through the narrows of the Falls of Lora under the nearby bridge at Connel in prime conditions gives a white water adrenalin rush for those bold and skilled enough to attempt it. Intense and short lived but good fun.

A typical steep sided garden in the village. Very pretty place on a nice day.

Farm sign near Glen Creran. We parked in the big layby space near Elleric (where you can also park to do Beinn Sgulaird and Beinn Fhionnlaidh) and set off up the nearby Pine Marten trail. This led us uphill at a gentle pace to reach the open hillside which had scattered deciduous woodland on it.

Never spotted a pine marten as they are mainly nocturnal but the difference between the green desert that is regimented pine plantation so evident nearby and this natural mixed forest and mountain meadow environment is always noticeable. Abundant birdsong, the screech of jays overhead, woodpeckers hammering everywhere, the first early cuckoo. Nature by the truckload. In the middle of a pine plantation- complete silence and very little wildlife except near the margins.

The initial slopes were very steep but easy to climb then it eased back into normal hillsides again. We hardly sat down here except on bare rocks yet the ticks were out in force but luckily they were still small and easy to brush off this early in the season. These pests are fast becoming a real menace on the mountains. Years ago, even though we camped everywhere, I rarely had any ticks in summer- one or two occasionally at the most. A minor inconvenience. A couple of years ago on Islay I had 70 from one 3 day trip and had to lie in a bath submerged for 20 minutes to get them all off. It certainly puts you off wearing shorts even on a stifling hot day as they can carry a debilitating disease. Another effect of climate change as severe winters, hard ice, and long lying snowfields used to keep them in check.

Alex getting higher with Bidean nam Bian and its outliers. Doesn't look as impressive from this end.

Higher up we found a red deer wallow which they use as a mud bath to try and rid themselves of ticks, lice and other pests that affect them. Nature packs them in. If something is wild and alive it usually has smaller things equally wild and alive, either living off its blood or hiding inside it.

Around this area Alex found an unusual mystery. Frog spawn dumped inside a dry wooden stump of an old fence post about three feet above the ground. No water or pools close by. We figured out a gull or a heron had grabbed an unlucky frog from the grass or shallow pool then sat up here to eat it with the spawn ejecting out in its panic onto the stump. As the dots were still black and alive I carried it over to a nearby pond and put it in to hatch out. I picked a suitable pond that already had tadpoles newly emerged, figuring that conditions were fine here for growth.

 This pond was close by but everything in it was dead. About 10 dead frogs and several areas of dead spawn. When they turn white they don't hatch out. Either this pond was toxic in some way or it iced over after the frogs arrived and they failed to escape as we had a short return to arctic weather and sub zero conditions after an early warm period in April.

Which brings me to this. Frogs and toads badly need our help in these changeable times. I've had a small garden pond for about ten years now. I used to have a few fish it but for the last five years its been a wildlife pond. It's two feet across by five long- 18 inches at the deep end -not big at all. Yet for the past five years it has supported over 20 frogs, spawn, water snails, water spiders, diving beetles, hoverflies, dragonflies, butterflies, and a host of other beasties. You can also have flowering water plants too round the edges that really enhance the garden like Marsh Marigold, Water Avens and aquatic weeds. If you leave a sloping shallow end for things to get out again like hedgehogs, birds, or baby frogs it's a delightful Eden that your children will love (over 3 years old only- younger ones may fall in and drown if left unattended) My garden has a hedge round it with a locked gate so  small toddlers cant get in without permission.

    In this picture there are around twenty frogs which shows you how desperate they are to breed and how few ponds are available for them. If you have fish in a pond forget wildlife in it as they eat everything else. I cant say I've missed my fish at all as every spring its now far more varied to watch and learn from. Build it and they will come!
It's very easy to do. All you need is a shovel, a waterproof liner that you can buy from any garden centre and an 18 inches deep by three or four foot long hole. Clear your hole of any sharp rocks or obstructions, spread in a bag of  B&Q £3 builders sand to make a smooth bed for your liner to sit on then put in water. If you cant manage a sunken pond then you can get a plastic container moulded pond or cheap tub and simply build a rock or earth ramp up to that. As long as its easy enough for frogs to crawl in and out of then they will find it. You can hide the edges of an elevated tub or raised pond with flowerpots. I've got a ring of empty plastic bird ball tubs and B&Q orange buckets filled with flowers around mine. Ultra cheap yet effective and you can always paint them green (outside parts only of course as any paint in the pond will kill the pond life) if you want.

Then you can have the delights of little tadpoles like these close at hand. Great fun for children and adults alike. The advantage of a hidden pond of course it that outsiders will not even know its  there. But wildlife will. Build it and they will come!
Being a wildlife pond it's low maintenance and you do not require a fountain, bubbles or pump of any kind. Keep a filled bucket of tap water handy outside*( needs 3 days standing open to get rid of any chlorine before you pour it into the pond.) The water plants and aquatic weeds do the rest by providing oxygen and filtering out toxins and all you need is a bucket top up now and again if it doesn't rain much. It's that easy.

Back to the hill. Aonach Eagach appearing over the shoulder of a ridge as we climb higher.

Loch Linnhe and Ardgour seen from the summit. Alex's 200th Corbett. Yippee. Wonder if he will finish them before he snuffs it or the ever increasing price of petrol and living costs scuppers his ambitions :o(

The way down had a wee sting in its tail as we followed what looked like an easy path off the hill. It would have been fine but for wind and winter storms which had toppled loads of pine trees across the route. Alex normally doesn't like events like this but you'd pay big bucks in a gym to get a fine workout like this one. Stretch that torso boy! Limbo under that fallen log!

Funniest part of the day for me watching him struggle through it though. I like a good thrash in the forest myself :o)

Video this week is an outdoor garden pond. Most of the other videos I looked at were far too ambitious, involving major money outlay, mechanical diggers, and pumps whereas this guy is basic, cheap and cheerful. It shouldn't cost money other than a waterproof liner and a bit of canny invention. He's just a beginner of course, and prefers fish, but he's got enthusiasm and the right attitude which is all you need to start. Everyone thinks ponds are expensive but you can get an idea from this as to how basic and cheap it can actually be. All you need is a little wooden  ramp on one side of this tub and a brick shelf under the water at one end to let the frogs in and out easily enough  and give the tadpoles a shallow space to rest and climb out once they are baby frogs - no fish of course - and you have a wildlife pond. For 8 dollars. Simple! Hours of summer fun.


for the slightly more ambitious however this video below gives you an idea of what a moulded or sunken waterproof liner pond would look like. Modest size but perfect for frogs once you toss out any fish. Don't need a pump or running water either for frogs and the tadpoles eat any mosquito larvae. A nice video below.

The Crimson Petal and the White. A Tale of Two Glasgow Parks.

All photos best viewed full size for full Technicolor effect

 

The title I've borrowed from Dickens of course but also from an astonishing 2002 novel by Michel Faber called The Crimson Petal and the White which I was lucky enough see during its 4 part TV series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crimson_Petal_and_the_White
One women pure, chaste, and radiantly unblemished- the other a notorious prostitute (suitably stained in character.. or is she?)
An excellent series and book that in turn derived its title from a Tennyson poem. Maybe it was watching films from front row seats in the cinema in my youth when lurid Technicolor was at its height and the screen in some picture halls was 50 foot across but I've always viewed the world in vivid detail. Even bland dull days, although free from rain, turn me off as I prefer bold primary colours in my outdoor landscapes. Always. I never tire of them as they are ever-changing anyway.

Except in Spring. In spring, for one short season, the world becomes drenched in colour and I've learned by years of trial and error that dull, overcast days are actually better than sunny ones for capturing the vivid intensity of this period- the most magical time of year for me. On a sunny day colours just appear washed out by overexposure.

This is a tale therefore of two Glasgow parks. As I live in the west of the city they are the ones closest to me but they are also the ones with the most vibrant of colours in "Spring" . As a connoisseur of all the city's wonderful parks I know this now. (The Botanic gardens and Victoria park run them close though.)

At first glance, on a map, Knightswood Park looks too small to be of any interest but a fine walk can be had by linking it up with the nearby Forth and Clyde Canal. It's also one of the best parks for cherry blossom avenues anywhere in Glasgow. The Knights Templar were reputed to have a stronghold here (Temple at Anniesland is named in their honour and a large castle once stood where Knightswood Cross with its twin churches stands now) although hard factual evidence of their presence here remains illusive. The "Wood of Knights" may have been a hunting estate and anyone that's seen "Excalibur " will remember that scene with the armoured knights of Camelot on horses thundering through the cherry orchards. Pity its not in HD here as it was a great scene and looked very impressive on the big screen.

If you also link in the green expanse of the nearby Great Western Road with its million bulb ribbon of Daffodils, flowering plum, cherry, and apple trees you get a walk with an infinite cascade of riches. Hence the title of this post. Inspiration should be a continuous flowing link also. Think about it -most people like music, films, architecture, paintings, etc. that have themes in common. It's why we get " if you like this- you may like these" ads. ( doesn't always work in my case)

Here's a suggested tour of Knightswood park for the potential visitor.

Pond

Find the pond in the middle of the Park. This is it. Being the most obvious landmark it seems sensible to start with this. At the side of the pond with the small hut a white path starts and heads north (seen two photos above). If you look across the road which splits the park from this hut you will see another small building next to a bus stop a stones throw away. This is also part of the park, a green ribbon which snakes along beside the golf course. You also have the playing fields and meadows to explore on the other side of the road, near the high flats, and the walk round the edge of the golf course itself. It also makes sense to explore the actual park first then come back to this point for the continuation described below.
Suddenly, you realise that  Knightswood Park is much bigger than you gave it credit for and by linking up all the elements-

                                                                        Golf course path.
golf course path green ribbon out towards Dkye Road, then Archerhill Road to join the towpath along the Forth and Clyde canal,then up Banner Drive at Tower Hill onto Trinley Brae with its Glasgow and Paisley wide panoramas you get a walk of stunning variety which can be done on either bike or foot and can be extended still further, if fairly fit, by taking the Canal towpath or Great Western Road( from Trinley Brae) all the way back to Anniesland Cross. If you do not wish to go to Anniesland a circular route can be achieved by crossing Knightswood Cross after Trinley Brae and  either cut straight down to the pond or follow Pikeman Road straight across from the two churches there which soon leads to another green slope with a high level balcony trail offering different panoramas over the entire west end. Both these green grass slopes are obvious from either hillside as they face each other across a valley. It must have been a stunning area two centuries ago as it's still nice now. Follow this down to the right hand edge of the Hi Rise flats and you are back at the park again. It's a fantastic walk or cycle and one of the best kept secrets in the city.( Note: some parts of the park network foot paths are reserved for walkers only but you can still explore these on foot easily enough or by taking quiet minor roads right beside them.) I always slow down or get off and walk near busy hotspots, children, elderly, pets etc. anyway but most times of year that's not a problem here. You will notice much more walking through the park beside the bike anyway. If arriving by car there is ample free parking on the street that cuts through the park. Archerhill Road beside the pond. It is on a bus route as well.    (all the street names here are heraldic or knight related.)

                                                    Kilpatrick Hills from Trinley Brae.

Marsh marigolds all along the Forth and Clyde Canal. This is beside Banner Road which leads onto Trinley Brae itself via a short lane next to Tower hill flats ( Four storey high mini multi complex)

                                                       Magpie in Knightswood Park.

                                                            Another one sleeping.

Kelvingrove Park now, much closer to the beating heart of Glasgow City Centre. Glasgow University and Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum are situated here.
 It's a much older park( 1852) than Knightswood  park and world famous in its own right for its history,statues, and surrounding buildings many of which have a Glasgow university or Indian subcontinent theme.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvingrove_Park

The Pond, where I spotted a red eared terrapin last summer.

I like any park which gives great views and climbs a hill within it. Kelvingrove ticks all the boxes.

The grounds of Glasgow university sit on the crest of a hill as well and even well behaved old scruffs like me are welcome to explore its passageways, cloisters and flowerbeds. Guided tours of the University interior are also given if requested. Thousands of graduates get their passing out photos taken here.

I don't normally take photos of strangers but this avenue of white blossoms was crying out for a loving couple walking along it.( I hope their partners don't see this though :o) Cynical me!

One of the quiet colourful lanes behind the main building.

Same lane different angle. This leads down to Byres road and Ashton lane with its trendy bars and bohemian student haunts. ( My wallet never sees daylight down there :o)

Another one of the cherry tree avenue. With dark threatening clouds overhead it looked like a rainstorm was due and the park emptied of people as they scurried home. Personally, I've always enjoyed that feeling of civilization galloping over the horizon and being the only one left to face the deluge alone- I must have "Apocalypse Envy" or something!

Just me and nature together. You see more things around you with all the people gone. A goldfinch.

Wellington Church Glasgow. Built in 1884. Defiantly old school in its design- even for that date.

                                                                            Jackdaw

                                                                           Magpie

                                     Pigeons. You'll never walk alone in the arms of nature
The only way I can end this post is with a further rainbow of colour. To the disgust of my friends I've liked Katy Perry's videos since California Gurls- and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Why? Simple. The best ones are on an epic scale, they are filled with colour, magpie like snippets from history and iconic films updated to a modern age, and she also scrubs up well. Compared to some of the other acts around she's old style glamour and often mirrors the golden age of Hollywood while still being contemporary and that's not easy to pull off. She also seems to have a sense of humour and is not afraid to poke fun at herself while most modern acts take themselves far too seriously.You can imagine Elizabeth Taylor wanting to star in this if she'd been around in the MTV age. Cecil B De Mille, MGM and Busby Berkeley would probably approve as well. For a mere "pop video" the attention to detail, set designs and layouts are amazing.


Finally, if you liked all that then you might like this. My book- plug plug....soon to be racing up the bestsellers charts. You can look at the first few chapters for free here and the actual book of fun filled adventures around Scotland is only £1.85 or $3.00 dollars on kindle. I might as well blow my own trumpet as no one else will- even though at my age I get a sore neck.

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Autohighography-A-Tale-Summits-Sinners-ebook/dp/B00JNAIGAO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398515443&sr=1-1&keywords=autohighography.+bob+law