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Inside the Fossil Grove building, grey fossil tree stumps and their roots spread across the rock floor under electric lights.
Glasgow

Fossil Grove

Eleven fossil tree stumps about 330 million years old, standing where they grew, in a shelter of 1889 in Victoria Park.

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Welcome

In a sunken hollow at the western end of Victoria Park, under a Victorian roof, stand the stumps of eleven trees that grew here in the Carboniferous, about 330 million years ago.

They are Lepidodendron, a primitive plant that grew to the size of a tree, and they are fossilised exactly where they stood, their roots spreading across what was then the floor of a swampy forest.

They came to light in late 1887, when a path for the new park was cut through an old roadstone quarry. A building went up over them in 1889, and it is still the shelter they stand in: the oldest museum in the world built to protect geology where it lies. Look too for the ripple marks left in the rock by moving water, and for the band of dolerite that forced its way in above the forest some 290 million years ago. The grove is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and it opens on set afternoons.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Not farCottonrake Bakery2 milesSee itCottonrake Bakery
Before you go

The building is opened on set afternoons, with tours, rather than every day.

It is being renovated through 2025 and 2026, so check the Grove's own site for the next open afternoon before you go.

Open
Afternoons on the third Sunday of the month in 2026.
Where
The western end of Victoria Park, in the West End.
Look for
Ripple marks in the rock, and the dolerite above the forest.

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Where it is

Victoria Park, in the Whiteinch and Jordanhill end of Glasgow's West End.

Close byA short way from the park.
  1. A chickpea stew topped with fish on a plate held in two hands.Po'BoyzAn all-American diner and grill in Broomhill, with New Orleans soul food, flame-grilled burgers, ribs and deep-fried cheesecake.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. Shelves of books from floor to ceiling in the shop.Hyndland BookshopA West End bookshop opened by two librarians in 1997.1 mile 4 min by road
  3. A steep Partick street of red sandstone tenements running down towards the Clyde, cars parked along both sides.PartickA village in its own right until the 1700s, on record since 1136.1 mile 4 min by road
  4. CottiersCottiersA parish church that is now a bar, restaurant and theatre.2 miles 5 min by road
  5. Riverside MuseumRiverside MuseumGlasgow's transport museum, where the Kelvin meets the Clyde.2 miles 4 min by road
  6. A carved stone of the Govan collection.The Govan StonesCarved stones of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, across the river in Govan Old Church.2 miles 5 min by road
Directions
The coffee bar at Songbird Speciality Coffee in Partick, with grinders, kettles and bags of beans on round wall shelves.CafeSongbird Speciality Coffee0.9 miles
The Bakery Hinba's front on Lauderdale Gardens in Hyndland, its big window full of sourdough loaves on the shelves.CafeThe Bakery Hinba1.0 miles
Sourdough loaves on the bakery racks at Beefcake Cafe on Crow Road, Anniesland, dark-crusted and scored.CafeBeefcake Cafe1.0 miles
A latte and a plate of poached eggs on greens on a wooden table.CafeMeadow Road Coffee1.1 miles
The dining room at GaGa, green booths and hanging lamps along a bright wall.RestaurantsGaGa1.2 miles
A roti held up with a small pot of curry against a yellow wall.RestaurantsSuissi Vegan Kitchen1.2 miles
Space's front on Dumbarton Road, the number 540 on the glass.CafeSpace Speciality Coffee House1.2 miles
Poached eggs, asparagus and beans on a grey plate beside a Bloody Mary.RestaurantsEpicures1.2 miles
The counter at Maple Leaf Bakery in Govan: almond croissants, pain au chocolat and other pastries, each with a handwritten card.CafeMaple Leaf Bakery1.3 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the grove, and when each is next free.

A grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Glasgow
  • 3 miles from the Fossil Grove
Check datesA grey corner sofa with cushions and a sheepskin throw sits before a shelf of books and a round mirror, a wood burning stove and log store to the right.Talli House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dunlop
  • 11 miles from the Fossil Grove
Free 11–13 JanPlaces to stayEvery stay in GlasgowAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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