Tynecastle Park Heritage in Pictures: Here are 32 amazing photos of the Hearts Edinburgh ground in the 1950s and 1960s - from famous faces to cup wins

When Heart of Midlothian Football Club was founded in 1874, the club played at several places across the capital – including the Meadows, Powburn and Powderhall – before moving to the Gorgie area in 1881.

The first pitch, known as ‘Old Tynecastle’, was where Wardlaw Street is today, with the club moving to their current location on the other side of Gorgie Road in 1886.

A friendly against Bolton Wanderers was the first ever game played there on April 10, 1886, while a 5-0 loss to Celtic was the ground’s inaugural Scottish Football League fixture on August 23, 1890.

In the early 20th century major changes were made to the ground, with a small stand and pavilion built in 1903 and banks of terracing added in 1906, increasing the capacity to 61,784.

Tynecastle continued to expand in the following decades – a pitch-length grandstand was created in 1914, and the terraces were extended again after the club bought the ground from the Edinburgh Corporation in 1926, with floodlights added in 1957.

Ground safety regulations came into effect in the 1970s, forcing the capacity to be slashed to 29,000, with the installation of benches on the terraces.

Read more:

Edinburgh Old Town Heritage in Pictures: Here are 28 fascinating photos of the city's historic centre in the 1950s and 1960s - from parades to pubs

Bruntsfield Heritage in Pictures: Here are 35 fascinating photos of the Edinburgh neighbourhood in the 1950s and 1960s

Then, when the Taylor Report required all sports grounds to become all-seated in 1994, the entire western and northern sides of the ground were demolished, with the construction of the Wheatfield Stand, followed by the addition of the Roseburn Stand in 1995.

The current stadium is split into four sections – the Gorgie Stand, Wheatfield Stand and Roseburn Stand, alongside the Main Stand that was rebuilt in 2017.

The stadium now has a seating capacity of 19,852, making it the sixth-largest football stadium in Scotland.

Here are 32 pictures to take you back to the Tynecastle of the 1950s and 1960s.

Make sure you don't miss a moment of breaking news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.