Toilet block at Glasgow's Victoria Park undergoes makeover

Toilet facilities at Victoria Park in the city’s West End underwent an external makeover this week after “degenerating quite badly” over the last few years with much of its paint flaking off.

Steve Nelson, convenor of the Victoria Park Community Trust, explained that the group wanted to tidy this space up and make it more visually appealing for visitors.

The toilet block before it was redecorated (Image: Victoria Park Community Trust)

(Image: Victoria Park Community Trust)

The 68-year-old said: “It’s basically just a container which Glasgow City Council own and run. It was originally painted about 15 years ago but slowly over time the paint all flaked off and it was degenerating quite badly.

“The toilets are one of the most important places in the park. It’s right at the café kiosk and by the edge of the pond so it’s a very busy place.

“So we [the trust] thought we must do something to tidy all this up and make it a bit more appealing to look at it rather than a scabby old container in the middle of the park.”

The toilet block now (Image: Gordon Terris)

(Image: GT)

The trust, which is a charitable organisation, contacted Glasgow City Council about their plans and managed to secure funding to come up with a design.

They then reached out to the Yardworks Studio at SWG3, which is a purpose-built space for street art, to find an artist who could take the job on.

That’s when Glasgow-born artist Freddie, also known as Frodrick, got involved and drafted up a concept themed around the park’s beloved wildlife.

(Image: GT)

Steve added: “We commissioned Frodrick through SWG3 to do this painting. At the same time, the council is in the process of refurbishing some of the external fixtures including the sinks, urinals, the toilets, and the disabled toilet.

“We hope this will be done in the next while so we’ll actually have a much-refurbished toilet block inside and outside.

“We had to think quite carefully about the theme because it is public art. If you ever go on to the Friends of Victoria Park Facebook page it’s full of people taking pictures of the swans, coots, ducks, cygnets, and herons.

“So this theme of wildlife just fits very well into the environment and people will probably find it interesting.

“Frodrick produced a draft and said ‘how about this?’ and it was absolutely spot on. We just want to contribute, not only to the upkeep of the park but also to keep it moving forward so that there’s new things happening.

“I think now that it’s done it’s fantastic and it will make a huge difference. It shows people are taking an interest in their park and actually care about it.

“Hopefully everybody loves it.”

Our reporter caught up with Frodrick on Friday as he put the finishing touches on his masterpiece.

Frodrick puts the finishing touches on the mural (Image: Gordon Terris)

He revealed that he “jumped” at the opportunity to do the project as Victoria Park has a special place in his heart.

Frodrick said: “I used to come to this park when I was really young so I jumped at the opportunity. I learned to ride my bike here and play football here so it’s close to my heart.

“We started about two weeks ago but it took two whole days to prep the container because it was just in such a state.

“It took four people including myself a whole day of just scraping and sanding to get it to a point where it was acceptable to put paint on it.

“It took a week and a half to complete. It was an eyesore in comparison to the rest of the park, it’s a great park and always has been.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “The Local Parks and Open Spaces Improvement Fund helps communities fund greenspace improvement projects like this one at Victoria Park.

“The fund allocated six thousand pounds towards works on the park’s toilet block to enhance the cherished green space with bright and colourful artwork making it more attractive for citizens and visitors to enjoy.”