Palmerston Park
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Palmerston Park is a
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 ...
stadium on Terregles Street in
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
,
Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...
, Scotland. It is the home ground of
Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
club Queen of the South, who have played there since 1919. South of Scotland League club Heston Rovers have shared Palmerston since 2013. The stadium has a capacity of of which 3,377 are seats.


History

Palmerston Park was first opened in 1919, when Queen of the South were formed, although
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 ...
had been played at the site since the 1870s. The site of the ground was formerly a farm called Palmers Toun. This is on the
Maxwelltown Maxwelltown ( gd, Ceann Drochaid, IPA: ˆkʰʲaun̴̪ˈt̪ɾɔxÉ™tʲ was formerly a burgh of barony and police burgh and by the time of the burgh's abolition in 1929 it was the most populous burgh in the county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. I ...
side of the
River Nith The River Nith ( gd, Abhainn Nid; Common Brittonic: ''Nowios'') is a river in south-west Scotland. The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, east of Dalmellington. For the ...
in Dumfries. Jimmy McKinnell, Tom Wylie and Willie McCall were all sold to
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
around the same time by Queen of the South. This combined with the sale of Ian Dickson to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
helped to fund the purchase of Palmerston Park in 1921 for £1,500. The Portland Drive Terrace was covered with a roof in 1959, although the floodlights were installed beforehand, as these were first used in a match versus Preston North End in October 1958. These are the tallest free standing floodlights in Scottish football, standing at 85 feet. The current main stand was constructed in 1965, soon after the original had burned down. On the east side of the ground "Jimmy Jolly's Bullshed", later known as the "Coo Shed", was originally named after one of the founder members of the club in 1919, when it was built around 1933 as the club reached the first division for the first time. This was replaced by an all seater stand in 1995 and was named the East Stand. A challenge game was held in April 1995 to commemorate the opening of the new stand and Queens' 75th anniversary against Rangers. Guest players for Queens in the 2–2 draw included
Davie Irons David John Irons (born 18 July 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former football player and coach. Irons' playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder for a host of clubs, most notably for Ayr United, Clydebank, Dunfermli ...
, future managers
Rowan Alexander Rowan Samuel Alexander (born 28 January 1961) is a Scottish former football player and manager. Alexander was a prolific goal-scoring striker for Queen of the South and Greenock Morton. Alexander also played for St Mirren, Brentford and Gr ...
and Ian McCall,
Ted McMinn Kevin Clifton "Ted" McMinn (born 28 September 1962) is a Scottish former association footballer who played as a winger. His nickname is ''The Tin Man''. Playing career Early years Born in Castle Douglas and raised in nearby Dumfries, McMinn ...
, Andy Thomson. Scenes from the film ''
A Shot at Glory ''A Shot at Glory'' is a film by Michael Corrente produced in 1999 and released in 2002, starring Robert Duvall and the Scottish football player Ally McCoist. It had limited commercial and critical success. The film features the fictional Sco ...
'', starring
Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...
, were shot at Palmerston Park during 1999. The club was relegated to the
Scottish Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...
in 2012, but carried out some remedial work to the stadium, including new water systems and ticket offices. A redevelopment of the 1960s main stand is planned. During March 2013, Queen of the South were given approval to install a new 5G artificial pitch at Palmerston Park for the start of the 2013–14 season. After the club's final home game of the 2012–13 season, the club sold the turf for £10 per square yard as well as auctioning seven special lots. These were the four corner plots, the two penalty spots and
Ryan McCann Ryan Patrick McCann (born 21 September 1981) is a Scottish professional footballer. He last played with Edusport Academy in the Scottish Lowland Football League. Playing career Celtic, St Johnstone and Hartlepool McCann began his career w ...
's 84-yard spot.


Structure and facilities

Of the capacity, there are 3,377 seats. Up until the late 1990s the stadium had a capacity of 8,352, but this was reduced when the Terregles Street end terracing was closed. It was given a safety certificate in September 2014, adding standing capacity of 1,968. There are 2,192 seats in the all seated East Stand. For the 2012–13 season this stand was known as the Galloway News Stand, then from 2013–14 until the 2017–18 season this stand was known as the Rosefield Salvage Stand. For the 2018–19 season, Queens centenary, the stand will be known as the BDS Digital Stand. On 9 March 2021, BDS Digital agreed to continue their sponsorship of the East Stand until May 2024. Opposite this is the main stand, built in 1965, which now has 1,185 seats. The main stand is a small, classic looking covered stand, where the seating area is raised. There are standing terraces for fans to the left and in front of this stand. Since the 2013–14 season the main stand has been known as the Gates Power Transmission Stand. On 9 March 2021, Alpha Solway committed to sponsoring the main stand until May 2024. The Portland Drive Terrace, with a capacity of 3,345 is a traditional standing area and is now the largest area of covered terracing in Scotland and is reminiscent of all British football grounds prior to the
Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...
. The terrace is notable for the clock face mounted in the centre of the roof that used to be an advert for a local hostelry, where Time to Visit The Hole I' The Wa' was written underneath the clock. Since the 2015–16 season the terrace has been known as the Oakbank Terrace. On 9 March 2021, Oakbank agreed to continue their sponsorship the Portland Drive Terrace until May 2024. The grass playing surface was widely recognised for its good condition.
Iain McChesney Iain McChesney is a former professional association footballer with Scottish Football League club Queen of the South from Dumfries. McChesney is the longest serving player in the club's history, playing with them from 1960 to 1981. McChesney ...
described the surface as simply a 'Good park'.
Jocky Dempster John 'Jocky' Dempster (born 8 October 1948) is a former Scottish professional footballer who played as a right winger, mainly for Queen of the South and also St Mirren and Clyde. Career Dempster played with junior outfit Muirkirk before sig ...
later said in an interview that among his reasons for signing for Queens was, "I liked the park at Queens. As you know it’s a good park, a good surface."
Crawford Boyd Crawford Boyd from Kilwinning is a Scottish former professional footballer. Crawford Boyd is best known for his time at Dumfries club, Queen of the South The defensive cornerstone of the 1970s returned to Queens during the promotion campaign ...
said, "It was a lovely park, it was a treat to play on that park, a lovely playing surface." Ted McMinn commented, "Palmerston was like a bowling green, you knew when you went to kick the ball you wouldn’t get a bobble."


Attendances

Crowds for Queen of the South fixtures are normally around 2,000 people, unless there is a major cup game against higher league opposition. The first league game against local rivals Gretna at the end of August 2006 attracted almost 5,500 spectators, which was the highest league attendance since 2002. There was a full house at Queens' match against Hibs in the 2006–07 Scottish Cup. Similarly, over 6,000 watched the victory over
Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
in the 2007–08 Scottish Cup. Modern attendances are small in comparison with Queens' heyday in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. For example, 10,948 watched the team featuring
Willie Savage William Savage (1888–1961) was a Scottish footballer who played as a full back for Queen of the South from 1932 to 1946. Early days Savage was a native of Burnbank, Lanarkshire, who began his football as an inside forward at the local St Cu ...
, Willie Culbert and
Willie Ferguson William Copeland Ferguson (13 February 1901 – 31 August 1960) was a Scottish footballer and manager best known for his time at Chelsea and Dumfries side Queen of the South. His position was usually as a left winger. Early years Ferguson ...
in Queens first ever game in the top flight of Scottish football in 1933, the 3–2 win against Celtic. 13,000 watched a Queens side managed by George McLachlan and captained by Savage knock Rangers out of the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hearts. Jackie Oakes scored the only Queens goal in a 3–1 defeat.


Other uses

The stadium held its first live concert in June 2015, with performances by
Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
,
Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scott ...
and
Reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...
.


Transport

Dumfries railway station Dumfries railway station serves the town of Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow South Western Line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail who provide all passenger train services. It ...
, which is served by trains on the
Glasgow South Western Line The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride. History The line was built by several railway compan ...
, is the closest railway station to Palmerston Park. The walk between the two sites takes between 15 and 20 minutes. The
A75 road The A75 is a primary trunk road in Scotland, linking Stranraer and its ferry ports at Cairnryan with the A74(M) at Gretna, close to the border with England and the M6 motorway. Route Heading west along the south coast of Scotland from its ju ...
bypasses Dumfries; people travelling to Palmerston from the north or east should follow the
A76 road The A76 is a major trunk road in south west Scotland. Starting at Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, the A76 goes through or immediately by-passes Hurlford, Mauchline, Auchinleck, Cumnock, Pathhead and New Cumnock before entering Dumfries and Gall ...
(Glasgow Road) into Dumfries, then the A780 road and Terregles Street lead to Palmerston. Car parking is available in surrounding streets and in the Ice Bowl behind the Rosefield Salvage Stand.


References

{{Football venues in Scotland Queen of the South F.C. Football venues in Scotland Sports venues in Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Football League venues Buildings and structures in Dumfries Scottish Professional Football League venues Sports venues completed in 1919 Sport in Dumfries