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Details
Title: Played In Glasgow
Author: Ged O'Brien
Published: March 2010
Synopsis
It is well documented – if not always acknowledged south of the border – that the modern form of Association football owes its origins to the `passing game' of Queen's Park FC in the 1870s, and that by the early 20th century Glasgow's three leading football clubs had the largest stadiums in the world. Nor is it a coincidence that the world's first specialist stadium designer was a Glaswegian engineer. But beyond Hampden Park and the famed (and often infamous) rivalry of Celtic and Rangers, there exists across Glasgow a fascinating network of Junior clubs, community grounds and hidden heritage.
The red, dusty `blaes' pitch – scourge of many a schoolboy's knees – is as much a part of that heritage as are the swards of Glasgow Green. Over the last century Glasgow has had three racecourses and eight greyhound tracks. It has a surprising number of long established cricket clubs, and a range of fine Edwardian and Art Deco pavilions too.
It was in Glasgow in 1848 that the rules of modern bowling were set out – leading to a higher concentration of greens in the city than anywhere else in Britain. The most popular of these greens, laid out on the site of the 1901 Kelvingrove International Exhibition, will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games tournament. Also in Glasgow is the world's oldest manufacturer of bowls equipment, Thomas Taylor. As might be expected in Scotland, the map of Glasgow is dotted and ringed by a web of nearly 40 public and private golf courses, many with their own topographic quirks and interesting clubhouses.
Less evidence survives of nearly a hundred former curling ponds, although author Ged O'Brien has discovered the 1902 clubhouse of the Partick Club, hidden away in a Glasgow park. O'Brien also reveals where Britain's first black footballer lived in the 1880s when he captained Queen's Park and was capped by Scotland, and the site of the private swimming club where the sport of water polo was invented in 1877.
Two other Victorian private baths clubs survive and thrive – the Arlington and the Western – each with original features not to be found anywhere outside Scotland. Less well known is a network of home-made `doocots', built by rival pigeon-fanciers on wastegrounds across the city as part of a time-honoured local tradition.
O'Brien enters this secretive world to explain how it is done. With its accessible blend of social, cultural, historical and architectural detail, backed up by stunning archive and modern photography and maps, Played in Glasgow offers a new angle on the city's rich heritage as it prepares the next generation of 21st Century sporting facilities for 2014.
Review
As it's title suggests 'Played In Glasgow' is a work which is far from exclusively dedicated to Celtic or indeed football. However, make no mistake. For those with more than a passing interest in Celtic history this fascinating and painstakingly researched volume is a book shelf essential.
The author is respected sports historian (and Celtic fan) Ged O'Brien, while the editor is Simon Inglis – author of the sublime Football Grounds of England and Wales. O'Brien was the chief curator at the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden and he has spent some five years researching his adopted home city of Glasgow to produce a truly outstanding piece of work.
In essence 'Played In Glasgow' is a look back at the history of the city's many and varied sporting venues. As you'd expect there is plenty of coverage given to Celtic and all of the city's main football teams. The development of Celtic Park, Hampden and Ibrox – and there relatively short-lived predecessors – are all covered with an insightful attention to detail which highlights the importance of these iconic arenas beyond the realms of mere sport.
The junior game is also featured in depth while it seems as if every sporting arena/venue that ever existed in the city has been located and it's origins traced. The list of sports included is exhaustive – cricket, rugby, bowls, golf, ice sports, rowing, billiards, boxing, greyhound racing, speedway, horse racing/trotting and even swimming baths. O'Brien's research is such that he ensures that with the story of each venue we learn not just of sport or of architecture but most importantly of the people who shaped the history of these clubs and ultimately the city.
The exquisite detail of the text is almost equalled by page after page of eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing images. The book looks superb. It is packed with wonderful photographs, maps and illustrations. Coupled with O'Brien's vast knowledge of Glasgow's sporting and social history these images all assist in linking these historical venues – many which have long since disappeared – to the present day.
Each chapter of the book focuses not on a specific sport, but rather a geographical part of the city. It's an approach that works well, illustrating perfectly how and why specific sports flourished in particular parts of Glasgow. The section on the east end will naturally be of keen interest to most Celts andmany will be amazed to discover just how many sporting venues their was in close proximity to Celtic Park during the first decades of the 1900s.
Intelligent and informative 'Played In Glasgow' is possibly one of the most enthralling books on the city to be released in recent years.
Product Details
- Hardcover: 228 pages
- Publisher: Malavan Media
- ISBN-10: 0954744551
- ISBN-13: 978-0954744557
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 20.8 x 2.6 cm