St Nicholas Garden

Category: Park/public space

St Nicholas Garden, off Castle Street.

This attractive garden features stone carvings of gargoyles' heads, removed from the 18th century Tontine building, and carvings of the Glasgow coat of arms. It is a medicinal garden where healing herbs were grown. Before antibiotics and painkillers were developed, physicians used herbs to treat patients. In the plant beds around the edge are herbs to treat illnesses, with stone plaques showing which part of the body was treated. At the centre is a carved granite fountain. The garden also features fine wrought iron gates illustrating famous Scots such as the painter Joan Eardley and Mary, Queen Of Scots (1542-87). The garden was opened in 1995 and was built on the site of the 15th century St Nicholas Hospital. These amazing 18th century stone gargoyles line the arcade around the sides of the garden.