It was gifted to the people of Glasgow in 1898 and tomorrow marks the 125th anniversary of the opening of the People’s Palace and Winter Garden.


Described as a museum for the people of the city about their history, the site has had a turbulent few years marred by closures and a funding crisis.
However, hopes were high last year that the People’s Palace would Glasgow’s next big refurbishment project to rival the £69million Burrell Collection revamp.

Read more: Harry Styles number plate could solve Scottish council budget deficit
The museum opened on January 22, 1898 by the 5th Earl of Rosebery who described it as: "A palace of pleasure and imagination around which the people may place their affections and which may give them a home on which their memory may rest". He declared the building "Open to the people for ever and ever.” It’s aim is to tell the story of Glasgow through its collections from 1750.

The Herald: Glasgow museum, the People's PalaceGlasgow museum, the People's Palace
A celebration event organised by the Friends of People’s Palace, Winter Gardens and Glasgow Green will still go ahead on Sunday, however campaigners are not any closure to securing a decision on the future of the museum.
Just days ago the project was one of several in Glasgow to miss out on Levelling Up Fund cash.
It is understood upwards of £20 million will be needed to bring the buildings, which date from 1898, up to modern-day standards after they were closed in 2018.

Read more: Glasgow's history branded a 'music hall joke' in fight for of People's Palace
It was hoped the UK Government would support the project via the next phase of its £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund last summer.
The People’s Palace was reopened for several months in 2021 but had to be closed down again for emergency repairs after staff discovered that plaster was falling off its ceiling. It opened again in February 2022, but the Winter Gardens remain closed.
Susan Deighan, chief executive of Glasgow Life, the charitable trust which runs culture and leisure services in the city, last year told The Herald that “as a child of Glasgow”, the museum was important to her.
"Anybody who has lived or grown up in the city will have enormous emotional ties to the People’s Palace,” she added. Heritage isn’t just about built heritage."
While Glasgow City Council did commit £2.9million to the People’s Palace, without the Levelling Up cash, how long will the museum be able to continue to tell the story of Glasgow and its people?
Championing the museum and fighting for its future is the Friends of Peoples’ Palace who have been left angered by this week’s decision.
A spokesman for the Friends group said: “It looks as though The UK Levelling Up Fund don’t think we Glaswegians are entitled to keep for future generations. It’s the one place that's been consistent in giving us a place where our social history is displayed and children can access their heritage.”
In recent days school children have visited the museum to learn about their own social history, but campaigners hoped the museum itself won’t be consigned to the history books.
Campaigners want to know what made the UK Government say no and are extremely angry by the decision.

A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: “The People’s Palace reminds us how Glasgow developed over several centuries. It shows visitors what life was like here as the city grew and became known around the world. While it’s disappointing not to have received levelling-up funds, we will continue to work on other funding applications that support the development of plans for the future of the People’s Palace that take in to account the public consultation results.”
The UK Government’s Levelling Up fund snubbed the city’s bids which also included improving transport to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and regeneration plans for Drumchapel, Easterhouse and other areas. 
Elsewhere in Scotland a new ferry for Fair Isle in Shetland and refurbishment of a Kilmarnock theatre are among a number of projects to land money in Scotland.
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken has hit out at the process and branded it “skewed.”
Councillor Aitken slammed Westminster for targeting “resources away from our most socially and economically challenged communities.”
The SNP leader said: “Any claim that this process will address inequalities has been proven to be an utter sham.
“We know because UK officials fed back to us that Glasgow submitted superb bids including restoring the People’s Palace, providing better transport connectivity to the country’s biggest hospital, and improving local town centres across the city.
“Any of these would have supported the levelling up of communities immeasurably more than the £19 million the Prime Minister awarded to his own constituency.”
The Langside politician said “the whole process has come at a significant financial cost to Glasgow.
“Based on the evidence of these outcomes we’ve major concerns that this process has been seriously skewed and I will be raising this with the UK Government immediately.”