SMR 1744 / NS 8507 7294
For decades the Glebe in Slamannan was used for sporting activities and it was only in the 1930s that serious consideration seems to have been given to the provision of a public park containing a football field and changing rooms or pavilion. In 1939 John Scotland & Sons of Airdrie drew up plans for a pavilion, but the advent of war knocked such schemes back for a considerable time.
A field at the west end of the village to the west of Slamannan Public School was purchased in 1955 for use as a public park. Work on levelling the eastern part was conducted the following year and a football pitch installed. The western segment still bears traces of the rig and furrow type surface drainage. In May 1958 a gateway was cut through the school wall to allow the pupils to enter directly.
Playground equipment was installed in the south-east corner of the park and this has been renewed at intervals. A Multi Use Games Area pitch was placed to the north of this in the first decade of the 21st century, and a perimeter exercise path was set just within the bounds of the field. The climbing frames were augmented by a flying fox to their west.
Falkirk district has two Blinkbonny Parks – one in Falkirk and one in Slamannan. The name is a Scottish compound which implies a place with a good view – the Scottish equivalent to Bellevue. Both parks enjoy such a facility and in each case the word is taken from existing place names.
Bibliography
| Waugh, J. | 1977 | Slamannan Parish through the Changing Years. “In 1954 there were plans to have a new public park, but the problem was to find a suitable field near the housing schemes and the school. Finally, a field to the west of the school was purchased, and by May, 1956, work had begun on the public park, which was given the name “Blinkbonny Park”. In May, 1958, a door was cut in the school wall to allow the children to enter the park direct from the school playground.” [p.116] |
Falkirk Local History Society 