Glasgow's oldest park is close to the city's historic centre and stretches from the Saltmarket at the High Court, across to the Calton and Bridgeton districts and is bordered by the River Clyde to the south.
Its history can be traced back to 1450 when James II granted the Green to Bishop William Turnbull for use as common grazing ground and this was the Green's main use until the nineteenth century.
Due to its proximity to the River Clyde, women of the East End of the city used the area, including the local wash-house and drying green, for washing and bleaching linen.
The present layout was created between 1817 and 1826 when much of the land which was subject to frequent flooding was levelled and drained and the Camlachie and Molendinar burns channelled underground.
Most of the work was carried out by unemployed weavers, made redundant by the introduction of power looms. The Molendinar Burn is traditionally believed to be where St. Mungo baptised Christian converts in the sixth century.
Despite a bye-law introduced in 1819 prohibiting sporting and leisure pursuits, golf, tennis, swimming and of course, football were all popular pastimes.
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