Palmerston Park – stadium description

Just like the local club Queen of the South, Palmerston Park was established in Dumfries in 1919. Although football had been played here since late 1870s, it became a stadium officially in early twentieth century and has been owned by Queen of the South since 1921, when the club sold four important players to get the required £1,500.

The stadium had its best times in 1930s-50s, when Queen of the South was experiencing considerable success, drawing crowds of over 10,000 on many occasions. Record game came in 1952, when clash against Hearts was watched by over 26,000 people.

Today the stadium in western Scotland has three stands. West side has a central seated section, built in 1965 after fire took the old one, with terracing in front and on both sides of it. To the east is the newest addition, built in 1995, only stand at the stadium from after the Taylor Report's reform and one providing vast majority of the seating. To the north is Scotland's biggest existing terrace. Similar sections, though not covered and smaller, were operating behind southern goal, but were closed due to poor state. Interestingly, the stadium boasts Scotland's tallest free standing floodlight masts, each at 26 meters (or 85 feet).