Add to ORKGLooking southeast down main walkway from Main Range (1880s) to Kibble Palace; Glasgow Botanic Gardens is an arboretum and public park located in the West End. It features several glasshouses, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The gardens were first begun in Sauchiehall Street in 1817, and run by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow (founded by Thomas Hopkirk of Dalbeth). William Hooker was regius professor of botany at Glasgow University, and contributed to the development of the Botanic Gardens before his appointment to the directorship of Kew Gardens in London. The present site was acquired and developed in 1842. The gardens were originally used for concerts and other events, and in 1891 the gardens were incorporated in ...