Elder Park

History

Elder Park lies in the district of Govan, which is on the south bank of the River Clyde. The park was designed by John Honeyman in 1883-4 and opened in 1885. It was originally Fairfield Farm, the park was donated by Isabella Elder in memory of her husband John Elder and his father David Elder.The park has been an important asset to the local community for a long time and in order to maintain decent standards of behaviour, the original by-laws regulating its use forbade anyone to `read or recite any profane ballad or to expose wounds or deformities inducing giving of alms`.

Facilities

The park provides a green space in the built-up area in Govan and contains the statues of Isabella Elder who donated the park to Govan and to John elder whowas an important figure in the history of shipbuilding in Glasgow; his greatesachievement beingthe development in 1854 of the marine compound steam engine which cut ships` fuel costs by around one third by extracting more energy from the steam by passing it though additional low-pressure cylinders. The K-13 Memorial hasengraved the words Sacred to the memory of those named who lost their lives in H.M. Submarine K-13 in the Gareloch 29th January 1917 and Erected by the officials foremen and employees of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Co. Ltd". The graves of the seamen are atthe Faslane Cemerary on the Gareloch. Fairfield'sbuilt this steam-powered submarine which sank while on sea trials in the nearby Gare Loch, drowning thirty-two men. The ship was eventually recovered and re-designated K-22. A later plaque is dedicated to Allied submariners lost in the Second World War. The original farm building still remain on the site and were used by the park for maintenance but they are now in a poor state of repair.

scallopboy	Latest page update: made by scallopboy , Oct 8 2007, 7:01 AM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by scallopboy 147 words added 2 words deleted view changes - complete history)
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