North Inch disaster

The North Inch Disaster was a collapse of a stand on the North Inch in Perth during a Scottish County Championship derby match between Perthshire and Forfarshire. As was the case for many large events on the North Inch at the time, a temporary stand was erected to accommodate a section of the 5,000-strong crowd in the morning, increasing during the afternoon. At the time of the collapse, it was estimated that there were 488 people seated in the grandstand. Eyewitness reports suggested the stand began to sway before the entire structure collapsed within seconds. Some of the most severely injured had fallen from the top of the stand, a height of over 30 feet (9.1 m). The North Inch Disaster occurred just over a year after a similar stand collapse at Ibrox, with questions raised about how such an event could have been allowed to be repeated.

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North Inch

North Inch is a large public park in Perth, Scotland. About 57 hectares (140 acres) in size, it is one of two "Inches" in Perth, the other being the smaller, 31-hectare South Inch, located half a mile across the city. The inches were granted to the city, when it was a royal burgh, by King Robert II in 1374. Both inches were once islands in the River Tay; today, they are connected by Tay Street, part of the A989. The inch was the site of the "Battle of the Clans" in 1396. Balhousie Castle and Bell's Sports Centre are located on its western edge. A path circumnavigates the entire park. Overlooking the southern edge of the Inch is the Old Academy, built between 1803 and 1807. Perth Bridge, which is also known as Smeaton's Bridge and the Old Bridge, is nearby. In the 1840s, a large addition was made to the Inch by an excambion with the Thomas Hay-Drummond, 11th Earl of Kinnoull, bringing it up to 100 acres (40 ha). Three years after her husband's death in 1861, Queen Victoria unveiled a statue of Albert, Prince Consort, at the Inch. The couple and their children had stayed at the city's Royal George Hotel in 1848. It was their first time staying in a hotel, an occurrence prompted by their inability to stay at nearby Scone Palace because William Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield, was out of town. Another statue, an obelisk near the river bank, commemorates the 90th Regiment of Foot, the Perthshire Volunteers, alias the Grey Breeks. It was unveiled by Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, on 8 December 1896. Unveiled in 1995, the 51st (Highland) Division War Memorial commemorates the soldiers of that infantry lost in World War II. A bandstand formerly stood to the west of the obelisk, a gift of James Pullar.

Royal Perth Golfing Society

The Royal Perth Golfing Society, or its full name of The Royal Perth Golfing Society & County and City Club, is a golfing and private members club in Perth, Scotland, with premises overlooking the North Inch.

Bell's Sports Centre

Bell's Sports Centre, formerly known as the Gannochy Trust Sports Complex, is located in Perth, Scotland. Built in 1968, it stands at the western edge of the city's North Inch park, adjacent to Balhousie Castle. At the time of its opening, its domed roof, over 220 ft (67 m) in diameter, was the largest laminated timber dome in the United Kingdom. It was surpassed by London's Millennium Dome in 1999. Owned by Perth and Kinross Council, it is operated by Live Active Leisure on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council.

Old Academy, Perth

The Old Academy is an historic building in Perth, Scotland. Located on Rose Terrace, overlooking the southern end of the North Inch, it is a Category A listed building, built between 1803 and 1807. It was the home of Perth Academy between 1807 and 1932. Thomas Hay Marshall, twice Perth lord provost, was involved with its design with Robert Reid, four years before Marshall's death. The building formerly housed Perth Academy, established in 1696 (at the time specialising mostly in Maths and the sciences), the Grammar (specialising in mostly Classics, History and Philosophy), the English School, the French school, the Drawing and Painting school, and the Writing school. Together they were known as the public Seminaries. The building's balustraded parapet, with a clock and statues of Britannia and a British Lion, was added in 1886, the work of sculptor William Birnie Rhind. His father, John Rhind, died in Perth three years later. Andrew Granger Heiton made additions in 1907, and Donald Alexander Stewart made alterations to the academy's preparatory department in 1908. Perth Academy moved to its current location, in the Viewlands area of the city, in 1932.