Original Hampden Park site given protected status by Historic Scotland

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has designated the grounds on Kingsley Avenue in Glasgow's southside as a scheduled monument.

The original Hampden hosted international matches and Scottish Cup finals from 1873 to 1883 and is considered the world's first international football stadium.

Remains of the original stadium, where Scotland famously routed England 5-1 in 1882, were discovered following an archaeological excavation at the site in 2021.

The site of the original Hampden Park has been given protected status in recognition of its place in football history. (Image: National Trust for Scotland)

Fears had been raised last year that the site could be turned into flats following the closure of Hampden Bowling Club, which had taken over the land in 1905 before closing earlier this year and leaving it potentially available for commercial redevelopment.

(Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Campaigners argued the site deserved to be celebrated rather than built over, with the ground long considered the first stadium where features now common to football, such as grandstands, turnstiles and season tickets, originated.

Dara Parsons, head of designations at HES, said: "It feels timely to recognise the central role that Scotland played in the development of the sport, and the place of First Hampden within that story.

"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 followed a public consultation which showed support for the designation.

Parsons added: "We'd like to thank everyone who took time to take part in our consultation and share their valuable contributions.

"We had a great response, and we are looking to continue that engagement over the summer, where we will be asking people to suggest important football heritage sites from across Scotland for us to investigate."

The original ground was replaced by the second Hampden Park in 1884, before the current third version of the stadium in Mount Florida opened in 1903.

The aim of a scheduled monument designation is to preserve significant sites in Scotland as much as possible in the form they have been passed down to people today.

More than 8000 scheduled monuments are currently spread across Scotland.