Dalziel Park
Encyclopedia
Dalziel Park is an area located between the small villages of Cleland
, Carfin
and Newarthill
in North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. Other nearby settlements include the large town
of Motherwell
and the new town of Ravenscraig
. The area consists of an estate, a sports facility (regarded as one of the best in Scotland), a golf course and a clubhouse. It is also used as the home venue for the local rugby team Dalziel
, as well as a training location for the local professional football team Motherwell
. The facility is not to be confused with Dalziel Park Stadium
, the former home of Motherwell.
who lost their lives during World War I
and World War II
.
On 27 June 1947, the former pupils committee of Dalziel decided that the school's memorial of the pupils who died during both wars should take the form of playing fields. The former Cleland Estate was put up for sale by the Right Honourable Sir John Colville, P.C., G.C.I.E, for only six thousand pounds. For the purchase to be possible, there was lots of fundraising along with a grant provided by the Lanarkshire
Education Committee. After the purchase, playing fields in the form of hockey
, rugby
and football were laid, and later an athletics track would also be included. In 1990, the War Memorial Trust took up the challenge of maintaining the facility, converting the former Cleland Estate into what is known as one of the finest facilities in Scotland, Dalziel Park.
On 2 October 2004, the Clubhouse was open, and that officially ended a long-running journey that the War Memorial Trust embarked on to sell a portion of land for housing and also build a top-quality sports facility. The journey the trust took was never going to be a smooth one. The main problems were the high costs for maintenance and the requirement for top-quality sports facilities, and those were evidence enough to suggest something needed to be done. The trust adopted a determined attitude for the vision to become a reality, constantly refusing to accept 'no' for an answer no matter how many times rival organisations said it. Because of this, progress started to be made, and results were starting to be produced. Initially, only a handful of playing fields were formed, but that number slowly increased and the reputation of the sports facility started to grow. On 5 April 2001, The Princess Royal
formally opened the playing fields and, as soon as the clubhouse was built, the dream of playing fields became a reality.
The War Memorial Trust, in existence for more than half-a-century, remain committed to keeping the facility as maintained and successful as possible.
The sports fields is equally impressive. The whole facility caters for many sports, such as hockey, football, athletics, rugby and tennis, and has pitches, tracks and courts for each of these sports. There is a main rugby playing field located next to the hockey pitches and changing areas, and this is where the rugby team Dalziel
play all of their home games. The pitch also contains a grandstand, which has a seating capacity of around 400 spectators.
The local SPL
side Motherwell
use the football pitches of the facility for training.
Cleland, North Lanarkshire
Cleland is a small village near Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland - see . The two nearest towns are Wishaw and Motherwell. The village has a strong mining heritage and is a typical example of a working class village in North Lanarkshire and the Glasgow area...
, Carfin
Carfin
Carfin is a small village to the north-east of Motherwell, Scotland on the road to Newarthill.-Local facilities:The closest secondary school is Taylor High School in nearby New Stevenston...
and Newarthill
Newarthill
Newarthill is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, situated roughly three miles north-west of the town of Motherwell. It has a population of around 7,800. The Member of Parliament for the local area is Pamela Nash. The Member of the Scottish Parliament for the local area is Michael McMahon...
in North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Other nearby settlements include the large town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Motherwell
Motherwell
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more...
and the new town of Ravenscraig
Ravenscraig
Ravenscraig is an area of land located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Ravenscraig was previously inhabited by steel industry workers, as it was formerly the site of Ravenscraig steelworks...
. The area consists of an estate, a sports facility (regarded as one of the best in Scotland), a golf course and a clubhouse. It is also used as the home venue for the local rugby team Dalziel
Dalziel RFC
Dalziel Rugby Football Club, formerly known as Dalziel High School Former Pupils Rugby Club, currently has a playing and social membership hailing from Motherwell, Wishaw, Bellshill and other parts of Lanarkshire, Scotland. Historically the club was closely associated with Dalziel High School in...
, as well as a training location for the local professional football team Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
. The facility is not to be confused with Dalziel Park Stadium
Dalziel Park (stadium)
Dalziel Park Stadium was a football stadium located at Airbles Street and Glencairn Street in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, that hosted the home matches of Motherwell, formed after a merger between Alpha and Glencairn. The first official match at the stadium was a 3–2 win over Hamilton Accies. The...
, the former home of Motherwell.
History
The park was established by the Dalziel War Memorial Trust, which is an organization that was formed to offer a living memorial to the pupils and staff of the Motherwell-based Dalziel High SchoolDalziel High School
Dalziel High School is a non-denominational secondary school that is based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The current rector of the school is Levi toi.1.-Overview:...
who lost their lives during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
On 27 June 1947, the former pupils committee of Dalziel decided that the school's memorial of the pupils who died during both wars should take the form of playing fields. The former Cleland Estate was put up for sale by the Right Honourable Sir John Colville, P.C., G.C.I.E, for only six thousand pounds. For the purchase to be possible, there was lots of fundraising along with a grant provided by the Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
Education Committee. After the purchase, playing fields in the form of hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and football were laid, and later an athletics track would also be included. In 1990, the War Memorial Trust took up the challenge of maintaining the facility, converting the former Cleland Estate into what is known as one of the finest facilities in Scotland, Dalziel Park.
On 2 October 2004, the Clubhouse was open, and that officially ended a long-running journey that the War Memorial Trust embarked on to sell a portion of land for housing and also build a top-quality sports facility. The journey the trust took was never going to be a smooth one. The main problems were the high costs for maintenance and the requirement for top-quality sports facilities, and those were evidence enough to suggest something needed to be done. The trust adopted a determined attitude for the vision to become a reality, constantly refusing to accept 'no' for an answer no matter how many times rival organisations said it. Because of this, progress started to be made, and results were starting to be produced. Initially, only a handful of playing fields were formed, but that number slowly increased and the reputation of the sports facility started to grow. On 5 April 2001, The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
formally opened the playing fields and, as soon as the clubhouse was built, the dream of playing fields became a reality.
The War Memorial Trust, in existence for more than half-a-century, remain committed to keeping the facility as maintained and successful as possible.
Layout
The entire area is very impressive. It has lots of high-quality housing, which is right next to a large golf course. As well as this, Dalziel Park contains a Hotel and Conference Centre, which has a restaurant as well as overnight accommodation.The sports fields is equally impressive. The whole facility caters for many sports, such as hockey, football, athletics, rugby and tennis, and has pitches, tracks and courts for each of these sports. There is a main rugby playing field located next to the hockey pitches and changing areas, and this is where the rugby team Dalziel
Dalziel RFC
Dalziel Rugby Football Club, formerly known as Dalziel High School Former Pupils Rugby Club, currently has a playing and social membership hailing from Motherwell, Wishaw, Bellshill and other parts of Lanarkshire, Scotland. Historically the club was closely associated with Dalziel High School in...
play all of their home games. The pitch also contains a grandstand, which has a seating capacity of around 400 spectators.
The local SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
use the football pitches of the facility for training.