Spiders' Second Home lands historic title
CATHKIN PARK, second home of Queen’s Park FC, has been designated a place of historic significance by Historic Environment Scotland.
The ground, a short distance north of the Spiders’ current home at The city Stadium, and our previous base at the National Stadium, Hampden Park, was used by the club between 1883 and 1903. It was later the home of Third Lanark.
A 0-0 draw with Dumbarton began writing the ground’s chapter in the backstory of Queen’s Park and our history as Scotland’s oldest club.
But now Cathkin itself has been given special status in Scottish football history and recognised with scheduled monument status by HES.
Dara Parsons, Head of Designations at HES, said: “Scotland is recognised as a pioneering nation in the development of football, and Cathkin Park played a key part in that story. We’re pleased to be able to acknowledge that history by designating the site as a scheduled monument to ensure its significance can be protected and celebrated.
“We’d love to hear more about what sites like Cathkin Park mean to people and their communities, and would encourage people to get involved by taking our Talking About Heritage survey.”
The ground still stands as an accessible relic of games gone by and is a rare example of a late 19th-early 20th century football stadium, with its surviving terracing and embankments untouched by modernisation.
The site was first used as a football ground by Queen’s Park in 1883-4 and again known as Hampden Park following the club’s short move from ‘first’ Hampden – now home to Hampden Bowling Club.
Cathkin, or Hampden as it was known then, was also the site of Scottish Cup finals between 1885 and 1899.
When Queen’s Park’s growing success saw them move again in 1903, taking the name Hampden with them to the present-day site in Mount Florida, Third Lanark moved in and built a new stadium as ‘New Cathkin Park’.
The ground was used for senior football until the Hi-Hi’s closure in 1967.
Ged O’Brien, Founder of the Scottish Football Museum, has expressed his pleasure at the designation of Cathkin: “It is hard to understate the importance of this stadium. Two founders of modern world football played on this site. It exists as a crucial example of the way in which Scotland developed the concept of the early modern football stadium.
“Cathkin Park is a living monument to Scotland’s influence on many stadiums around the world.”
The designation of the football ground at Cathkin Park comes as HES is inviting people all across Scotland to take part in a national conversation about heritage, encouraging them to share their perspective to help shape how it is recognised and looked after in the future.
