Meadowbank, Edinburgh

Meadowbank is a suburb of Edinburgh in Scotland. It is best known for Meadowbank Stadium, a multi-purpose sports facility that opened as an international sports stadium in 1970. The stadium closed in 2017 and was redeveloped as a local sports and athletics facility that was officially opened on 4 November 2022.

1. History

The area developed extensively during the Victorian era as Edinburgh expanded eastwards. Holyrood Park lies to the south of Meadowbank. Meadowbank lodge is a Category C listed lodge, built in 1858, that borders the park and Meadowbank. Meadowbank Parish Church is named for the Meadowbank area although is located in Abbeyhill. The church was originally called Hollyrood Abbey Church. It is Category B listed and was built in 1899.

Meadowbank retail park lies on the western edge of Meadowbank. The retail park was built in the early 1990s and occupies the former site of a foundry on London Road and a former seven storey Malt house.

1. Geography

Meadowbank lies to the east of central Edinburgh, bordering Abbeyhill on its western side. To the north of Meadowbank is Lochend and Restalrig. To the east of Meadowbank are the areas of Parsons Green, Jock's Lodge and Piershill.

1. Transport

The A1 road and East Coast Main Line railway to England run through this way. There were two former train stations in Meadowbank, but these no longer exist. Meadowbank Stadium railway station served the adjacent stadium from 1986 beginning with the 1986 Commonwealth Games. It remained in use until 1998.

1. = Queen's Station =

The Queen's Station was a private railway station used by Queen Victoria to enable her to reach Holyrood Palace, without the need to travel through the Old Town. The station was established in 1850 by the North British Railway and ceased used sometime after 1881. On 29 August 1851, Queen Victoria arrived at the station and was met by a large military escort and crowds.

1. Notable residents

Duncan Shaw, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland grew up in a tenement flat in Meadowbank.

1. References


1. External links

Meadowbank Sports Centre

Nearby Places View Menu

6 m

Old Meadowbank

Old Meadowbank was a multi-purpose sports facility located in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was mainly used as a football stadium by Leith Athletic between the 1930s and 1950s and as a motorcycle speedway track. The stadium was demolished in the late 1960s and provided part of the site for Meadowbank Sports Centre, which was used for the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1986.

Landmark Stadium

Meadowbank Stadium

Meadowbank Stadium (officially the Meadowbank Sports Centre) is a multi-purpose sports facility located in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Built on the site of the earlier New Meadowbank and Old Meadowbank sports venues, it was originally built to host the 1970 Commonwealth Games. It also hosted the Games in 1986, becoming the first venue to host the Games twice. It is the current home of Scottish League Two side Edinburgh City. The stadium has also regularly hosted football. It was the home ground of Scottish Football League team Meadowbank Thistle between 1974 and 1995, becoming the first all-seated football ground in the UK in the process, and subsequently hosted senior non-league football as the home ground of Edinburgh City. League football returned to Meadowbank in 2016 following City's promotion to the Scottish Professional Football League. The Meadowbank complex also hosts Leith Athletic, who first played on the Meadowbank 3G artificial pitch adjacent to the main stadium between 2013 and 2017. In 2017 the complex was closed ahead of the demolition of the stadium in the early months of 2019 and work beginning on construction of its replacement. In 2022, following the completion of construction, Edinburgh City and Leith Athletic returned to Meadowbank, where they were joined by Hibernian Women's FC. Meadowbank Stadium was also used for rugby union as the home venue of Edinburgh Rugby between 2002 and 2004.

Rugby Soccer

Edinburgh Athletic Club

Edinburgh Athletic Club is a British athletics club based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The club is based primarily at the Meadowbank Sports Centre on London Road and train on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Although founded in 2007 the club has a rich history under multiple other names.

Baseball Basketball

25 m

New Meadowbank

New Meadowbank was an athletics and football ground in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the home ground of Leith Athletic during the 1946–47 season. The site was later used to build the modern Meadowbank Stadium.

Baseball Soccer