Designating Cathkin Park, Glasgow

Overview

We are seeking your views on a proposal to designate Cathkin Park, Glasgow, as a scheduled monument. We have not yet reached a final decision.

We have assessed the site using our published selection guidance following an external request to designate the site. We found that it comprises elements of a football ground, initially the home of Queens Park FC from 1883 and then the home of Third Lanark Athletic Club from 1903 until its abandonment in 1967. It survives as a set of earthwork embankments with concrete terracing, barrier walls and the buried remains of related structures. The overall plan of the monument is clear and the buried remains of a grandstand and pavilion, located along the north side of the playing pitch are of high archaeological potential.

The remains visible today relate to remodelling of the ground by Third Lanark, into a "modern" football stadium that was abandoned in the 1960s. Many similar sites dating to the same period have subsequently been developed to make way for modern facilities or for other land uses.

Cathkin Park is therefore a rare survivor of a late 19th / 20th  century football ground, much of it dating from the ‘golden era’ of Scottish football.  No other major football ground from the period survives in as complete a form.  The stadium at Cathkin Park was abandoned in 1967 and has not undergone the modernisations and improvements seen in other grounds and stadia. It is a physical reminder of a period when 10,000s of supporters could be seen standing in terraces at a bowl-shaped ground.

We are considering designating this site as a scheduled monument, an archaeological site that makes a significant contribution to our understanding and appreciation of Scotland's past, particularly the development of the modern game of football.

The proposal to schedule the site includes the embankments with terracing and the ground where archaeological evidence has been recorded for the location of the grandstand and pavilion. We are not proposing to designate the grassed playing surface - the football pitch has been maintained with levelling, seeding, returfing and drainage for over 100 years. The archaeological potential of the pitch is limited and is still home to regular football games with an anticipation for ongoing maintenance. We believe the national importance of the site is focussed on the remains of the historic stadium - a rare survivor of an historic football ground.

We have launched this public consultation to gather views on our proposal to schedule this important site.  Find out more about scheduled monuments.

Find out more about why we think Cathkin Park meets the criteria for scheduling by downloading our Report of Handling from the Documents section on the HES Portal or from the document list at the bottom of this page. 

Why your views matter

We’d love to hear your thoughts and whether you agree with our proposal. You can do this by completing the short questionnaire below. We also encourage you to share any more information that you might have about the site, which will enhance our understanding of its significance and our record. 

This questionnaire usually takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Find out what comments we consider and what happens next in our consultations guide or by watching our guide to designations on Youtube.