University of Strathclyde Rottenrow Garden

This garden holds a place in the heart of any Glaswegian who was born in the old maternity hospital that used to occupy the site. Some of the foundations of the old buildings are still visible in the gardens, as are the front and side porticoes.
The hospital was a jumble of interconnected old buildings that had been bodged together over the years, but by 2001 they had fallen into disrepair and the maternity unit moved into a custom extension to the Royal Infirmary. The site was sold to Strathclyde University who demolished the old buildings, but lacking enough funds to build on it instead created the gardens, which opened in 2004. George Wylie’s sculpture of the stainless steel nappy pin ‘Monument to Maternity’ forms the centrepiece of the gardens.
Rottenrow is generally held to be the city’s oldest street, and the name derives from ‘Rath-​an-​Righ’ — ‘Street of the Kings’ or ‘King’s Road’. It was originally a ceremonial thoroughfare leading from Cowcaddens to the sacred hill of Dun Chattan that is now the Necropolis, and later became a route used by the Romans coming into the town from the east via the Drygait (so called as it was the only route to have a bridge over the Molendinar burn instead of a ford), which connected to Rottenrow.
In early medieval times, Rottenrow contained several manses and lodging houses for the well-​to-​do attending at Glasgow Cathedral or the University in the High Street. Thomas de Quincy, David Livingston and Thomas Chalmers are among the famous people believed to have stayed there. But by the mid-​19^th century many of these houses had fallen into disrepair, although some survived into the mid-​20^th century. The maternity hospital opened in 1860.
Now the gardens provide a great addition to Glasgow’s many green spaces and are a welcome oasis in the heart of the city. Whether you’re looking for a grassy area for a picnic on a sunny day, or a more secluded bench for some peace and quiet, it’s worth taking a breather in here. But be warned — the site is very steep and you’ll need a breather if you climb the stairs all the way to the top!

On the site of the former Maternity Hospital, the award winning terraced garden features the late George Wyllie’s 7m high stainless steel sculpture entitled ‘Monument to Maternity’ or the giant nappy pin.