Partick Curling Club

Partick Curling Club's new two-rink pond was opened at the beginning of the 1900-01 season. More than one hundred years later, the tarmac is no longer in pristine condition. The fact that it still exists at all is quite amazing!

This plaque records the generosity of two of the Kennedy brothers.

The club house stands next to the pond on the north east corner of Victoria Park.

There's a plaque on the wall in the house which states, "This Clubhouse House was presented to Partick Curling Club by Provost William Kennedy 1902." William was the third of the Kennedy brothers.

Here, Peter Shill describes the famous Partick Bell trophy, on Doors Open Day in 2009.

The scrapbook records club activities in the latter years of the twentieth century, with photos of members on the ice at Crossmyloof, Aviemore, the Summit Centre and Letham Grange, all rinks that are no more! And of course there are many photos of curling on their own Victoria Park pond.

This is a photographic record of the Grand Match on the Lake of Menteith in 1979.

These stones, of an unusual red-brown metal, still bear red stickers indicating they were used at the 1979 Grand Match.

Rare examples of carrying cases of leather and canvas construction. Note the colourful pom poms used to identify stones when playing outside.

The second room of the club house is lined with wooden lockers for members' stones.

Crampets, or foot irons, sit above the lockers.

'Long John' Anderson was the club's president in 1843. It is recorded that he once curled for 36 hours non stop. The Royal Caledonian Curling Club Annual for 1899 has a different photo but the same stones at his feet, and says, "Mr Anderson relates to the writer the most eventful occasion in his curling career. This was when he spent, on one occasion, thirty six sonsecutive hours on the ice. He started at six o'clock in the morning with a few friends just to give them a game before they went to business at ten o'clock. When these departed a fresh lot turned out, who occupied the day until well on in the afternoon; and when darkness set in, and the players were about to depart, a contingent turned up from Govan (their pond having been leaking), and with the aid of a plentiful supply of candles, etc., they curled all through the night and all the following day till six at night, but added Mr Anderson, 'I was a young man then, being a bit under sixty'."

The club house had all modern conveniences!

And the pond had lighting to allow play in the evenings.

Photos are by Bob. We wish the Partick Curling Club every success in their efforts to secure the future of the pond and club house.