  Merchiston Park Location in Bainsford, Falkirk | |
| Location | nr. Main Street,Bainsford, Stirlingshire, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 56°0′40″N3°47′15″W / 56.01111°N 3.78750°W /56.01111; -3.78750 |
| Owner | East Stirlingshire F.C. |
| Opened | c. 1882 |
| Closed | 1920 |
| Tenants | |
| East Stirlingshire F.C. (c. 1882–1920) | |
Merchiston Park (/ˈmɛərkɪstən/) was afootball ground inBainsford, nearFalkirk, which was the home ofEast Stirlingshire F.C. betweenc. 1882 and 1920. It was near Main Street, just north of theForth and Clyde Canal at Bainsford Bridge.
East Stirlingshire F.C. was formed in 1880 when a group of friends from a cricket team calledBainsford Blue Bonnets formed a football team under the nameBritannia.[1] At the end of the club's first year of existence it found a home at Randyford Park in the east of Falkirk. At the time, the ground's previous tenant was a cricket team calledEast Stirlingshire Cricket Club and in 1881, Britannia also adopted the East Stirlingshire name, which stands to this day.[1]
By 1882, East Stirlingshire is recorded as having played home games at Merchiston Park inBainsford. The ground was located just west of Main Street and north of theForth and Clyde Canal at Bainsford Bridge. One of the first matches at the ground under the East Stirlingshire name was against neighboursFalkirk F.C. and ended in a 4–0 defeat for the home side.[2]
The club was admitted to the second tier of theScottish Football League in 1900 and played its first ever league game at Merchiston Park in August of the same year. The match was againstAirdrieonians, in front of a crowd of 2,500 people, and ended in a 3–2 defeat.[3][4]
In 1908, the whole ground was moved a few hundred metres south to make way for a new railway line, the Bainsford Branch, which bypassedFalkirk Grahamston railway station to the north.[5] The line no longer exists and now forms the route of theA9 Falkirk Ring Road.
The ground was closed completely in 1920 when the adjacent Burnbank Iron Foundry acquired the Merchiston Park grounds for expansion.[6] The club then moved south of the canal to Firs Street in Falkirk, whereFirs Park was located.[6] It remained the club's home for 87 years, until 2008, when it was vacated due to the prohibitive cost of expanding the venue.[7] East Stirlingshire now plays its home games atOchilview Park, the home of neighboursStenhousemuir F.C. in agroundshare agreement.[7]
In 2012, East Stirlingshire opened a club shop in Bainsford, near to the former location of Merchiston Park, with the aim of recognising the club's historical roots.[8]