:Hibernian Park
{{Short description|Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland}}
{{about|the stadium in Edinburgh|the stadium in Glasgow also known as Hibernian Park|Braehead Park}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
Hibernian Park was the home ground of the Scottish football club Hibernian from 1880 until the club's dissolution in 1891. When the club was reformed in 1892, the club took out on a lease on a site which became known as Easter Road. Hibernian Park was also located in the Easter Road area; in fact, it was closer to Easter Road itself than the present stadium because it was on the site of what is now Bothwell Street.[http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bothwell%20street&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl Bothwell Street, Edinburgh.], Google Maps.
History
Hibernian FC (Hibs) had played at a variety of grounds from their formation in 1875 until moving to Hibernian Park. Initially they played on the Meadows, along with all the other nascent Edinburgh clubs. They subsequently moved to grounds in Newington and Powderhall, but neither of these were used for more than a year at a time. Having lost the lease on the Newington ground in 1879, the opportunity to acquire a site off Easter Road was too good to miss because it was equidistant between Hibs' two main sources of supporters - the Little Ireland community of the Cowgate, and the Roman Catholic population of the port of Leith{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=45}} (Hibernian Park was situated a short distance inside the Edinburgh city boundary when Leith was a separate burgh, whereas Easter Road Stadium is located just inside Leith).[https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.868263499746197&lat=55.96080&lon=-3.16795&layers=242&b=1 OS 25 Inch Selection, 1890s-1940s], Explore Georeferenced Maps (National Library of Scotland)
Hibernian Park was known by the Hibs supporters as The Holy Ground,{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=46}} in reference to the fact that the club was operated by St. Patrick's Church in the Cowgate.[http://www.archdiocese-edinburgh.com/parishes_stpatrick_cowgate.htm Parish Name: Saint Patrick's] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517054020/http://www.archdiocese-edinburgh.com/parishes_stpatrick_cowgate.htm |date=17 May 2008 }}, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.{{cite news|last=Swanson|first=Ian|url=http://news.scotsman.com/romancatholicchurch/Church39s-plans-to-resite-history.4048633.jp |title=Church's plans to re-site history has critics crying foul|newspaper=Edinburgh Evening News|date=3 May 2008|publisher=Johnston Press}}{{cite news|last=Valley|first=Joanna|url=http://sport.scotsman.com/hibernianfc/God-squad-signs-up-to.2798179.jp |title=God squad signs up to play host to Hibs past|newspaper=Edinburgh Evening News|publisher=Johnston Press|date=4 August 2006}} Hibs were essentially a sporting arm of the Catholic Church in Edinburgh from their formation until 1891. Hibs supporters still use this moniker for the present Easter Road stadium.[http://www.hibs.net/index.php?Itemid=28&id=93&option=com_content&task=view World Cup fever hits Holy Ground], hibs.net, 8 June 2006.
Perhaps the most famous game played at Hibernian Park was when Hibs beat The Invincibles of Preston North End 2–1 in a 1887 match described as being the Association Football Championship of the World.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football-news/2008/01/23/on-the-record-86908-20294852/ |title=On The Record|newspaper=Daily Record|date=23 January 2008}}{{harvnb|Mackay|1986|p=40}}{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|pages=121–123}} The ground also hosted one Scotland international, a 5–1 win against Wales in the 1888 British Home Championship, which was the first ever football international played in Edinburgh.{{cite web |url=http://londonhearts.com/scotland/misc/venues.html |title=Scotland Home Record by Venue |website=londonhearts.com |publisher=London Hearts Supporters' Club |quote=This shows that the only grounds to hold an international earlier than Hibernian Park were the first Hampden Park, Cathkin Park and the West of Scotland Cricket Ground, which are all in Glasgow. Tynecastle hosted its first international in 1892. The present Easter Road stadium did not hold an international until as recently as 1998.}}{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=131}} Hibs players Willie Groves{{cite web |url=http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/williamgroves.html |title=William Groves|website=londonhearts.com |publisher=London Hearts Supporters' Club }}{{SFA Profile|id=113077|name=William Groves}} and James McLaren{{cite web |url=http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/jamesmclaren.html |title=James McLaren|website=londonhearts.com |publisher=London Hearts Supporters' Club }}{{SFA Profile|id=113518|name=James McLaren}} both played in the match, with Groves scoring Scotland's fourth goal.{{cite web |url=http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/games/18880310.html |title=Sat 10 Mar 1888 Scotland 5 Wales 1 |website=londonhearts.com |publisher=London Hearts Supporters' Club }}{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/match_details.cfm?matchid=57996 |title=Scotland v Wales |website=scottishfa.co.uk |publisher=Scottish Football Association }} The ground also hosted the first ever recorded instance of a women's football match,[http://womenofscotland.org.uk/memorials/plaque-first-women-football-internationalists-1881 Plaque to the First Women Football Internationalists 1881], Mapping Memorials to Women in Scotland, 17 December 2019{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/no-longer-the-game-of-two-halves.19185657 |title=No longer the game of two-halves |newspaper=The Herald |publisher=Herald & Times Group |date=19 October 2012 |first=Alan |last=Campbell}} 'Scotland' beating 'England' 3–0 on 7 May 1881.{{cite web |last1=Brennan |first1=Patrick |title="England" v "Scotland" - 1881 |url=http://www.donmouth.co.uk/womens_football/1881.html |website=Donmouth}}{{cite news |last1=Gibbs |first1=Stuart |title=The strange birth of women's football |url=https://footballpink.net/2018-10-24-the-strange-birth-of-womens-football/ |work=Football Pink |date=13 January 2021}}{{cite book |last= Sanders |first= Richard | title= Beastly Fury: The Strange Birth of British Football |year= 2009 |pages=204–205 |isbn=978-0-593-05970-8 }}
After the high points of winning the Scottish Cup, beating Preston and hosting an international, however, Hibs were to suffer a dramatic decline and fall. This was largely precipitated by the formation of Celtic, who attracted many of Hibs' star players by offering financial inducements in a time when Scottish football was still amateur.{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|pages=140–141}} As Hibs were operated on a charitable basis, they were essentially broke despite being one of the most popular clubs in Scotland. At the same time, Hibs were riven by internal politics relating to the Irish Home Rule bills;{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=144}} a former secretary absconded with a significant amount of funds;{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=156}} and the club inexplicably failed to enter the Scottish Football League when it was formed in 1890.{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|pages=170–176}}
The last first team match played at Hibernian Park was a 9–1 defeat against Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup on 27 September 1890.{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=177}} Hibs had failed to secure the ground lease and building work had already started, which restricted the attendance the ground could hold. Later that season, the building work covered the rest of the park.{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=180}} This was during a period of intense construction work in the area.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-CYhImMjBk0C&q=%22easter+road%22&pg=PA107 |quote=In east Edinburgh, therefore, the years 1885–93 were ones of intense building activity |title=The Transformation of Edinburgh |author=Richard Rodger |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2001|isbn=0-521-78024-1}} After the club failed to pay their subscriptions to the Scottish Football Association in 1891, Hibs were deleted from the membership rolls.{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=190}} Philip Farmer, an ancestor of Sir Tom Farmer, played a major role in resurrecting the club and securing the site that is now known as Easter Road.{{harvnb|Lugton|1999|p=199}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
;Sources
- {{cite book| last=Lugton | first=Alan | title=The Making of Hibernian 1 | publisher=John Donald Publishers Ltd | year=1999 | isbn=0-85976-509-1}}
- {{cite book| last=Mackay | first=John | title=The Hibees | publisher=John Donald Publishers Ltd | year=1986 | isbn=0-85976-144-4}}
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{{Hibernian F.C.}}
{{Football venues in Scotland}}
{{Culture and leisure facilities in Edinburgh}}
Category:Defunct football venues in Scotland
Category:Sports venues in Edinburgh