Construction work on a major refurbishment project for a historic Inverness park is due to begin this week.
The Northern Meeting Park was opened in 1864 as the world’s first Highland Games stadium.
But it’s been on the slide for a number of years.
And in addition to that, its usually locked iron gates have made it largely inaccessible to the public.
However, there is optimism locally that all that is about to change.
‘The park is a significantly important part of Inverness’
A successful application to the UK government’s levelling up fund means that £5m is being put towards transforming the place.
Most of that cash will be going towards refurbishing and preserving the Victorian grandstand.
But a huge part of the project is about making it easier for people in Inverness to access what has become a massively underused green space, close to the city centre.
Councillor Ian Brown, who leads the Inverness city committee, said he was proud to see the project coming together.
He said: “The park is a significantly important part of Inverness and the wider Highlands’ history.
“It has been known for decades as the place to meet and gather to enjoy sporting activities and events.”
What will the future look like for the new Northern Meeting Park?
Local firm Morrison Construction has been appointed as the contractor for the work.
It should be all wrapped up by December.
Once that happens, the park could further establish itself as a home for major concerts and events.
It has already hosted several high-profile gigs in the recent past – Rag’n’Bone Man was scheduled to play there last summer and Clean Bandit and Ella Henderson will be there on June 30.
Part of the work is about improving infrastructure to make things run smoother when those events do happen.
With the current gap in the market for Inverness venues, it seems likely we’re going to see a lot more of that soon.
The park has mainly been used for cricket and piping competitions in recent years.
But the day-to-day use might be the biggest change of all.
It might, once again, become a place where people meet.
A green space where kids can play, families can have a picnic and people want to spend time.
The Northern Meeting Park’s history
The park is named after the Northern Meeting, an annual gathering that started in 1788.
A group of gentlemen met in Inverness and began hosting annual meetings “for the purpose of promoting a social intercourse”.
It was used to hold the Northern Meeting Games.
They were last held there in 1938.
In 1946, the park was sold to Inverness Burgh Council.
The £5m refurbishment project is being funded as part of the UK government’s levelling up fund.
It was one of three projects – totalling £20m – being worked on in Inverness.
The other two are at Bught Park and the Castle Street energy centre.
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