Bell's Sports Centre, formerly known as the Gannochy Trust Sports Complex,
– ''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland'',

Francis Hindes Groome Francis Hindes Groome (30 August 1851 – 24 January 1902), son of Robert Hindes Groome, Archdeacon of Suffolk, was a writer and foremost commentator of his time on the Romani people, their language, life, history, customs, beliefs, and lore. Li ...

(1901) is located in Perth, Scotland. Built in 1968, it stands at the western edge of the city's North Inch park, adjacent to

Balhousie Castle Balhousie Castle, located in Perth, Scotland (on Hay Street, originally a few hundred metres north of the medieval town), was built in the 17th century. History The castle was built in 1631, although its origins are believed to go back a further ...

. At the time of its opening, its domed roof, over in diameter, was the largest laminated timber dome in the United Kingdom. It was surpassed by London's

Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millenn ...

in 1999. Owned by the

Gannochy Trust The Gannochy Trust was founded in 1937 by Scottish businessman and philanthropist Arthur Kinmond Bell, known as A. K. Bell. The Trust was formed to improve the quality of community life in Perth and Kinross, and for people across Scotland. His ...

, it is operated by Live Active Leisure on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council.

History

In the early 1960s, Perth's then- lord provost W. G. Farquharson discussed plans for a sports facility in the city. In 1964, it was announced that the

, founded in 1937 by

Arthur Kinmond Bell Arthur Kinmond Bell, also known as AK Bell, (4 October 1868 – 16 April 1942) was a Scottish distiller, working as a partner of Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd, and as a philanthropist, founding the Gannochy Trust to help support the people of his hom ...

and of which Farquharson was chairman, would fund the estimated £150,000 cost of the building's construction. The venue was to be named after Bell, due to his love of sport and of his concern for the health of Perth's citizens."The History of Bells Sports Centre"
– Small City, Big Personality Construction of the facility began on 16 September 1966, and its foundation stone was laid by Farquharson on 20 March 1967. David K. Thomson, who had succeeded Farquharson as lord provost, presided over the ceremony. The planned opening was originally in March 1968, but a fire broke out in the building, severely damaging the dome. Most of the 36 arches had to be replaced. After the extensive repairs, Bell's Sports Centre opened on 15 October 1968, six months behind schedule. The Gannochy Sports Pavilion was built on the dome's southeastern side between 1975 and 1979, designed by

Esmé Gordon Alexander Esmé Gordon (12 September 1910 – 31 May 1993) was a Scottish Modernist architect, writer, and painter who served as Secretary of the Royal Scottish Academy between 1973 and 1978. Born in Edinburgh and educated at Edinburgh Academy ...

. The two buildings were linked and modernised between 1989 and 1991, with squash courts added. Bell's Sports Centre was one of the venues used during the

2011–12 UEFA Futsal Cup The 2011–12 UEFA Futsal Cup was the twenty-sixth edition of Europe's premier club futsal tournament and the eleventh edition under the current UEFA Futsal Cup format. Teams th Title Holder Preliminary round The draw for the preliminary round ...

Design

36 arches, each long,''The Municipal and Public Services Journal'', Volume 77 (1969) support the domed roof, which is tall. The facility has of floor space.

Facilities

Its floor space accommodates courts for tennis, badminton, volleyball, netball and basketball. It also has running track that equates to one mile per eleven laps, a 60-metre sprint track, long-, high- and triple-jumps, pole vault, hammer, discus and javelin. It also has facilities for indoor football, hockey, practice cricket wickets and golf. Former British number-one tennis player Elena Baltacha formerly practiced at Bell's Sports Centre with her father Sergei Baltacha in the early 1990s, when her father played for

St Johnstone St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...

, the city's professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club. In 2021, Live Active Leisure announced plans to invest £750,000 to build a new fitness gym and exercise studio at the centre. The plans were of concern to the city's various sport clubs who would be losing the use of the centre's coaching hall."Fears Bell's Sports Centre £750,000 refurbishment will be 'extremely detrimental' to Perth clubs"
– '' The Courier'', 23 December 2021 Swimming is not available at the centre; there is instead Perth Leisure Pool, located around to the southeast. Adjacent to the pool is the Dewar's Centre, which offers ice skating and curling.

Perthshire RFC Perthshire Rugby Football Club, formerly known as Perthshire Academicals, is a rugby union club located in the city of Perth, Scotland. History Founded in 1868, it is one of the oldest rugby clubs in Scotland. Perthshire was a consistently succ ...

use the pavilion's changing rooms, although their home field is officially the North Inch. There is also a restaurant on site.

References

Works cited

*Duncan 2012

External links

* {{official, https://www.liveactive.co.uk/Venues/bells-sports-centre Sports venues in Perth, Scotland Sport in Scotland 1968 establishments in Scotland