Burnbank Park was a sports ground in Glasgow, Scotland. It was situated in the city's Woodlands area, found at Barrington Drive (between Great Western Road and Woodlands Road).[1][2] No trace of the ground remains, having been built on by sandstone tenement housing in the late 19th century, which survives into the 21st century. The name endures locally with the Burnbank Bowling Club a few blocks to the south, founded in 1866, around the same time the sports grounds were coming into use for team sports.[3]
History
Burnbank Park was originally owned by the 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, who used the area for practising their drills.[4] The regiment leased out the ground for use by various sports clubs.[5]
The Caledonian Cricket Club was founded c.1850 and used this ground for their matches, together with another ground in Kelvinbridge (where Glasgow Academy is now situated – the school took over the Kelvinbridge site in 1878).
The ground was leased to Rangers for one season (1875–76).[2] Rangers' first match there was on 11 September 1875 against Vale of Leven; their last was on 18 March 1876 against Clydesdale.[1] At the end of that season, Clydesdale vacated their ground at Kinning Park on the south-west side of Glasgow (though technically outside the city boundary at the time) and Rangers took over that site, beginning their enduring association with that part of town.
Caledonian F.C.
An off-shoot of the Caledonian Cricket Club was the Caledonian Football Club, who also leased Burnbank.
