King's Park is a residential area first developed for housing around 1930 a short time after the territory, historically within the civil parish of Cathcart in Renfrewshire, was brought into the city of Glasgow, and retains much of the same appearance in the 21st century. It includes a mixture of semi-detached houses and bungalows, flats and luxury detached villas and is considered is an affluent suburb of Glasgow, with median house prices and income well above average. In 2014, it was rated one of the most attractive postcode areas to live in Scotland. behind As of 2005, it had a population of 14,552 residents. The ethnic makeup was approximately 98% White, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Oriental and 0.6% mixed race. In 2007, residents of the cottage flats in the area were told they would not be entitled to the substantial council tax refunds which had been awarded to householders in almost identical properties in neighbouring Croftfoot, as theirs was considered a more affluent part of the city and consequently the higher payment 'band' applied was correct. The district was named after the medium-sized park of the same name which lies within its boundaries and is also spotted with further green areas rather than entirely built upon. A scrapbook at the Mitchell Library entitled Old Glasgow Street Songs etc and dated to 1850 contains the song: The Dairy Maids Of Hundred-Acre Hill; this hill can be found as a green space in modern-day King's Park, located at Kingsacre Road offering views towards the tower blocks and tenements of Castlemilk from its south-facing slope. There is another green space on the north-facing side of the same incline at Ardmay Crescent which overlooks Scotland's national football stadiumHampden Park, the Toryglen district and the wider Glasgow urban area. Its name is recalled in a local public house, the 100 Acres, which technically is just outside the local authority boundary in Bankhead.
Public park
The "King's Park" after which the area is named features the landmark Aikenhead House, nowadays converted to private apartments. Designed by the architect David Hamilton it was built in 1806 for the West Indies merchant and prominent Glasgow Tory politician, John Gordon. The estate, featuring a walled flower garden, stone sundial and centuries-old trees came into the ownership of the MacTaggart & Mickel housebuilders at the time of the district's construction as a residential suburb, and was donated by them for use as a public park in 1930. The local 9-hole golf course was notable for being dug into a hillside 20-35° steep in some places. Donated to the city by the Western Heritable Investment Company which managed the housing and established in 1934, it is now closed and used as an area of common ground, with plans to enhance its woodland aspects by planting more trees in conjunction with the completion of flood prevention work in the area.
Amenities
The local eponymous Church of Scotland parish Church and St Oswald's Episcopal church are both found in the east of the district on Castlemilk Road. Opposite the churches is a row of convenience stores, cafes and a post office, a former small public library which closed in 2010, and the site of the State Cinema, later a bingo venue, which was a prominent landmark in the area from the 1930s until its demolition in the early 21st century. Another imposing structure in the area which has survived is the Cathcart Old Parish Church dating from the late 1920s which stands out in its surroundings, a flat area mostly consisting of bungalows. Owing to the occasional but significant influxes of patrons whose primary destination is Hampden Park, there are two large public houses in its proximity within King's Park's boundaries, The Montford and The Beechwood, both of which adjoin another cluster of shops, with a children's play park and the Kingswood Bowling Club also next to the Beechwood. Another local club, Mount Florida, is a short distance further west, although falling membership and great interest from developers in the site made its future extremely doubtful by 2019.
Education
in nearby Simshill, established in 1962, is the local non-denominational comprehensive. The area is also served by Holyrood Secondary School in Crosshill a short distance to the north - a Roman Catholic school serving the whole of south-east Glasgow, it is one of the largest secondary education institutes in Europe. Primary schools in the area include King's Park, St Fillans and St Mirins. Also located in King's Park, 32F Squadron are the first Scottish Squadron of the Air Training Corps who share some facilities with the Territorial Army base on the same site.
Transport
The area is served by King's Park railway station on the Cathcart Circle Lines, although parts are closer to on the same line which is also on a second branch towards and the south side circle itself so has five trains an hour. Several local buses pass along Aikenhead Road towards Glasgow city centre, with eastern parts served less frequently via Curtis Avenue. It is a ten- to twenty-minute bus or rail journey from Glasgow city centre.
