Original Hampden must be saved, says National Trust for Scotland

The original Hampden Park must be saved from destruction, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has warned.

The site on Kingsley Avenue in Glasgow’s Southside has been described as the “blueprint” for modern football stadiums and is currently the home of a bowling club which is set to close early next year.

That has prompted fears among campaigners that the site, which hosted the national team and Scottish Cup finals from 1873-1883, could be turned into flats or a car park if the grounds become free for commercial use.

NTS chief executive Philip Long said the site needed to be celebrated rather than redeveloped.

Mr Long said the celebrations from Scotland’s recent World Cup qualification should not be sullied by “the potential obliteration of the very first Hampden Park.”

He added: “The site is intrinsic to the development of the game of football as we know it, so making a vital contribution to Scotland’s culture and modern identity.

“A place of such significance needs to be protected and respected. It is vital that our country’s cultural history is preserved and we continue to tell the stories that have made Scotland the place it is today.”

He added that Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government should join all parties currently involved with the ground to find a way forward.

Ian McLelland, NTS regional director, said there were “valiant efforts” ongoing to ensure the site is not lost.

These include a feasibility study being designed by members of open air football museum Football’s Square Mile and the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust.

An extraordinary general meeting for Hampden Bowling Club in October saw the decision made to dissolve the club in February 2026, with its committee standing down at that point.

If no-one takes over running the club by then it will be wound down and the land returned to Land Property Glasgow – the arms-length body of Glasgow City Council that handles land for the local authority.

Campaigners previously told BBC Scotland News the stadium was where many of the modern aspects of going to see a football match – including grandstands, turnstiles and season tickets for entry – originated.

The second Hampden Park was created in 1884, before being supplanted by the third version of the stadium – in Mount Florida – in 1903.

Hampden Bowling Club took over the original stadium’s land in 1905.