It was real team spirit that opened the Scottish Central Ice Rink in Perth in 1936.
Sportsmen and women from all over the central belt donated to its construction.
The rink would provide Scotland with the most up to date skating and curling facilities.
Its state of the art facilities secured its success as the home of the Scottish Curling Championships until the ice rink was demolished in 1990.
These images from our archives highlight why the much-loved rink still holds a place in people’s memories today.
Perth ice rink
Discussions surrounding the building of a new ice rink in Perth began in 1935.
The General Committee found themselves in intense deliberations over the plans; in particular, how big the new ice rink would be and how much it would cost, but its name was unanimously decided upon in June 1935.
The eventual opening of the Scottish Central Ice Rink nine months later was a regional effort.
It truly earned its name when districts from across the central belt came together to donate funds for the rink.
Dundee and Perth were the two biggest contributors.
The Scottish Central Ice Rink cost £30,000 in total.
It was opened on St John’s Street by the Duke of Atholl on October 1 1936.
For curlers, skaters, and sportsmen in the area, the opening of the ice rink was the realisation of a dream.
It would be a place where all could continue to enjoy their sport throughout the winter.
The management had set up their own figure skating club, and rumours were swirling of an ice hockey team.
Hopes were high.
This new Scottish Rink would rival, if not better, the one in London.
Its 17,000 square feet of ice sat atop thick layers of concrete, built to keep the ground heat from seeping through and melting the ice.
Finally, nine miles of piping caused the freeze-up and ensured it stayed solid all year round.
So much of the landscape of Perth has changed since this aerial photo was taken. Looking over the housing of Muirton, the ice rink ⛸️ Muirton Park, former home of @StJohnstone and towards all the railways and industries that grew up around the centre of Perth. pic.twitter.com/3ZEH7XJaob
— Perth & Kinross Archives (@CPKArchives) April 12, 2020
The ice rink was a roaring success for the first two years of its life.
Soon the original building was too small to house the crowds that were determined to have a turn on the ice.
An extension was approved in 1937 by the Dean of Guild Court in Perth.
A new gallery and lounge bar would be provided for the ice rink’s enthusiastic patrons to refresh themselves after a long day of skating.
Rink relocation
The rink enjoyed another 20 years of life at St John’s Street before it was closed in 1956 and relocated.
It reopened at Murton Park and shared its new home with St Johnstone Football Club.
Dubbed ‘Muirton Rink’ from then on, the new ice rink provided hours of fun for skaters – and not just the professionals!
The Muirton Rink ice skating sessions were soon the place to be on a Friday night.
Perth-based journalist Jim Masson remembers taking a turn on the rink all too well.
He said: “What I remember most about the old ice rink was being taken there as a child in the 1960s for the skating sessions.
“They were really well attended.
“I went once and fell flat on my face!
“I never went back again.
“That was it.”
Jim added: “I also remember the attending the World Curling Championships.
“They’d be filming for the St Johnstone games next door and then, because they couldn’t be bothered bringing a separate camera over from Glasgow, they’d just move the same one 200 yards to film the curling championships!”
Calls were made for the Duke of Edinburgh to attend the Curling Championships by the surrounding Scottish nobility.
The Royal Caledonian Curling Club, which met in Dundee, was adamant the royal family should support curling as they did cricket and football.
They got their wish, albeit perhaps not quite as they’d intended, when they were visited by the Duke of Atholl in 1986.
CIP-14. Mrs Ada Wilson, described as the 'tartan-trewed skip', on the ice at the Central Scotland Ice Rink, Perth, sometime in the 1950s. Note the duster on the ice at the front of the house to show where the stone should end up! #CurlingHistory #curlingimageproject pic.twitter.com/0ctgPFXnji
— CurlingHistoryBlog (@CurlingHistory) September 14, 2018
The 10th Duke of Atholl attended the ice rink to support the celebrations being held for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations were a celebration of the past 50 years – not just for the Queen, but for the rink too.
Dundonian David Arnott won a trophy during one of the rink’s first curling seasons and returned to the rink, aged 84, to throw the first stone of the event.
That first stone was the beginning of the day’s three special curling sessions, which were enjoyed by more than 160 club members.
They were ready to join the 500 other guests at the end of the day for a celebratory buffet!
But amid all the celebrations, cracks were starting to form in the ice.
That year, developers had expressed an interest in turning the 80,000 sq ft Muirton Park-Ice Rink land into a brand new superstore.
Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury were gearing up to battle it out for the contract.
In 1987, St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown confirmed he had been approached on behalf of each of the three supermarket chains.
But he was keen to stress: “There are no front runners.
“As far as I’m concerned, I am listening to everyone right now.”
Asda were confident of their chances.
They had recently asked for planning consent from the Perth and Kinross District Council to build an 80,000 sq ft superstore.
The plans were rejected and the supermarket were due to appeal at Perth Museum in March 1987.
But a spokesperson for the Scottish Office confirmed the appeal had been withdrawn – at Asda’s request.
Their sights were set firmly on the ice rink.
But would they get it?
Rumours started to swirl that William Low would also throw their hat in the ring for the ice rink and abandon their plans for a new, 52,000 sq ft supermarket in the region.
The ice rink, of course, still also had to agree to sell.
St Johnstone FC and the ice rink were firmly in the driving seat when it came to striking a deal with the developers.
For them to move, the compensation would have to be significant.
THROWBACK THURSDAY
🥌🥌🥌Some curling over the years in Perth and Kinross; from a Bonspiel on a frozen Loch Leven in 1959, to the ice rink next to Muirton Park to an international competition at Dewars in 1994!#WeLiveActive
Thanks to Perth & Kinross Archives for the pics! pic.twitter.com/QIQ3fSjy1Y
— Live Active Sport (@lal_sport) May 21, 2020
However, both were beginning to see the positive side to a relocation.
A new, 36-acre site on Crieff Road had become available.
If the necessary cash could be raised to relocate the football ground, ice rink, and its new indoor bowling stadium to the 36 acre site, the developers would get their wish.
Lengthy negotiations followed.
Was the asking price of nearly £4 million just too hard a bargain?
Breaking new ground
An agreement was eventually made in December 1987.
Asda submitted detailed plans to the district council’s planning department for their new superstore on the site of the old football stadium.
They had been unable to reach an agreement with the ice rink, and so returned to the drawing board to design a smaller complex that would fit solely on the football stadium site.
The relocation of the football club, and the building of the new superstore, would cost a total of £8.5 million to complete.
As for the ice rink, it had now found itself sitting next to a demolition site – perhaps an indication of what was to come.
Photo of Muirton Park with the full Drybrough's advert which I sourced some years ago from the AK Bell Library pic.twitter.com/zHZMNSUYZt
— Brian Doyle (@briandoyle77) April 13, 2020
In April 1988 Central Scotland Ice Rink Ltd approached Perth and Kinross District Council for discussions about a new site.
They suggested that a new curling, bowling and skating venue be built on the land of the old Dewars Whisky Bond buildings.
Still in the ownership of United Distillers, the site had lain vacant for some time.
In the proximity of the Perth Leisure Pool, it was felt the relocation of the ice rink to that land could help to redevelop that sector of the city.
Dewars Centre
An agreement was struck.
The Scottish Central Ice Rink was demolished in 1990, and Perth’s curlers went out on a high.
At the annual meeting of the Perth Ice Rink Club, president Betty Loudon reflected on their final season at the old rink.
Perth curlers David Smith, Mike Hay, Peter Smith, and David Hay won the Scottish Curling Championship that year.
They also finished second in the World Championships.
The season was regarded as the team’s best ever.
The new ice rink that was built at the Dewars Centre still stands today.
Since its construction, it has become renowned for its Olympic-standard ice.
The new ice rink was used as one of the training rinks for Eve Muirhead’s Olympic medal-winning team, and Muirhead also won her sixth Scottish title at the rink in 2016.
In 2012 Live Active Leisure took over the management of the building from Perth Ice Rink (1988) Ltd, which was then dissolved.
However, several of the people involved in PIR (1988) Ltd continue to support the venue, whether through events management or coaching development.
Among these people is David Hay, who won the World Championships at the previous rink.
As well as serving its purpose as an ice rink, the new venue also acts as a centre for events and conferences.
Despite its numerous relocations, the Perth ice rink remains a constant hub for sport, fun, and community.
More like this:
Do you remember the Kingsway ice rink before its demolition 30 years ago?
Stonehaven’s Jackie Lockhart won curling gold in 2002 after sinking her rivals in Bismarck
Conversation