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MHG52964 - Northern Meeting Park - Ardross Street, Inverness

Summary

The Northern Meeting Park in Inverness which contains a fine example of a 19th-century covered grandstand, built following the establishment of the park in 1864.

Type and Period (5)

Protected Status

Full Description

The land for this park was purchased by The Northern Meeting in 1864 as a permanent venue for their Highland Games which had previously been held at various locations within the town.

The grandstand/pavilion and boundary walls were listed at Category B by Historic Scotland in 2008. A two storey, 13 bay, rectangular 1000-seat grandstand situated within the Northern Meeting Park. The pavilion is a fine example of a little-altered mid 19th-century covered grandstand, and it may be the earliest and best surviving example in Scotland. It is particularly notable for the domestic appearance of the street elevation, the detailing of the park elevation and the retention of the historic wooden benches. The pavilion and high boundary wall were erected in 1864-5 following the purchase of land for the park by The Northern Meeting as the home for their annual highland games. The Northern Meeting was established in 1788 to encourage reconciliation in the aftermath of the battle of Culloden. The park was sold to Inverness Town Council in 1946. Full architectural details can be found in Historic Scotland's listed building report. <1>

G Reynolds, Event and Promotions Officer for the Highland Council and Secretary to the City of Inverness Highland Games, contacted the HER about this record in July 2011. He advises that the boundary wall was completed by September 1864 in time for the Games that year (source Angus Fairire's book "The Northern Meeting"). He also points out that the Northern Meeting Park is the world's first and therefore oldest Highland Games Stadium. There was formerly a grandstand at the western end of the park which was sold to Inverness Thistle FC in 1946/7 (see MHG55048). Several photographs were also submitted for the records. <2>

In 2022 it was proposed by Historic Environment Scotland to change the listing category from 'B' to 'A', however, due to proposals by Highland Council to renovate the building, it was decided not to proceed at this time. <3>

GIS spatial data amended in 2022 according to features as seen on OS Mastermap. <4>

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 66305 44851 (194m by 138m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH64SE
Civil Parish	INVERNESS AND BONA
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

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External Links (2)