Mecca of Scottish football protected for future generations
Historic site hailed as ‘monument’ to national game
It hosted some of the earliest games in the storied history of Scotland’s men’s national football team, and occupies an important place in the sport’s global history as one of the first purpose-built football grounds anywhere in the world.
Now, nearly 150 years since it last hosted a game, the site of the original Hampden Park has been protected for future generations.
The historic venue in the southside of Glasgow has been designated as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in recognition of its significant role in footballing history.
The long forgotten mecca of the Scottish game has a unique standing in the record books, having facilitated the first ever hat trick in international football when Scotland’s John McDougall ran amok in a 7-2 victory over England in 1878.
The site, in the Crosshill area of Glasgow, hosted at least 11 Scotland games over the years. It was also the venue for the inaugural Scottish Cup Final in 1874.
In recent years, however, the future of the site, home to the first enclosed stadium with turnstiles in the UK, has come into question, with fears that it would be taken over by developers and turned into housing.
But Dara Parsons, head of designations at HES, said it was “timely” to recognise the “central role” that Scotland played in the development of the sport, and place of the original Hampden within that story.
“The men’s national team will take part in their first World Cup finals for nearly 30 years in just over a month, and the excitement and anticipation building for those games is a keen reminder of the importance of the sport for so many people,” he explained.
“The remains of the pavilion at the First Hampden are a link to the earliest days of football in Scotland, and its importance to and impact on communities. It is a monument to our national game and to the origins of the modern football stadium.”
The decision follows a public consultation which HES said showed “clear public support” for the proposal.
The earliest developments at the original Hampden saw many features recognisable to football fans today, including the enclosure of the ground using fencing, pay gates to control spectator access, and separation of the pitch and crowd, at this time with a rope surrounding the pitch
The remains of the original stadium were discovered following an archaeological excavation at the site in 2021, with the discovery of a Victorian map from the former Cathcart District Railway Logs in the National Records of Scotland confirming its Kingsley Avenue location.
The wider site served as the ground of Queen’s Park FC, Scotland’s oldest football club and one which played a pivotal role in the development of the game.
Queen’s Park set up a committee to find land to construct a ground capable of hosting large crowds, as well as tournaments and international matches. The first match played at the ground was on 25 October 1873, a Scottish Cup tie which saw Queen’s romp to a 7-0 victory against Dumbreck.
Welcoming the designation, Ged O’Brien, a football historian and founder of the Scottish Football Museum, said: “The Hampden site is the omphalos - the belly button - of world football. From that pavilion came the Scotch professors who changed the world and gave us the modern game of football.”
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