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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Sean Murphy

The story behind the Hampden Mural restored after being cruelly ruined by graffiti artist

Designed to commemorate one of the Scottish national team's most famous victories, a mural at the back of a bowling club in Glasgow's Southside was cruelly graffitied over by a vandal earlier this year.

However, thanks to the hard work of Ashley Rawson, the artist who originally designed it, it's now been restored to its former glory.

The mural, which can be found at the back of Hampden Bowling Club near Crosshill Railway, can be viewed from the nearby Cathcart Road.

Local Artist Ashley Rawson with the restored mural. (Ross Turpie)

The site of the first Hampden Park, the painting commemorates one of the Scotland national team's most famous victories - beating the Auld Enemy 5-1 in 1882.

The city has played host to three different Hampden Parks over the years, with the bowling club now sitting on the first ever one (1873 to 1884) and the site of that incredible win over England.

It was then relocated across the road to the now semi-abandoned Cathkin Park (the former home of the now defunct Third Lanark), before moving to its current site close to Mount Florida.

The mural was first created last year. (Ross Turpie)

Organisers, the Hampden Collection, who raised over more than £3000 for the original mural, stated that when it was first built in 1873 it was the world’s first purposefully built international football ground and template for all modern football stadia and should be remembered as such.

The collection, which was established to promote and celebrate the trio of Hampden Parks and all that played on them, tasked artist Ashley with creating a design that included the historic score as well as Scotland’s Andrew Watson - who was the world’s first black international player - and his team mate and Scottish footballing legend and former President of Queens Park, Charles Campbell.

Posting on the crowdfunder at the time, the Collection wrote: "The First Hampden Park is a monument to the gift that Scotland gave the world and the foundation stone of the modern game."

Ged O’Brien, chief historian of the Hampden Collection, added in an interview with Glasgow Live: “The mural celebrates the sporting brilliance of Scotland and Glasgow.

"It celebrates two footballing geniuses who taught England and the world to play the Scottish Game."

Considered a "tartan fortress", Scotland played at the first Hampden Park six times. Undefeated, the national team beat both England and Wales three teams each - scoring five goals or more in each victory.

The players

The world's first black international football player, Andrew Watson is a source of pride for Scottish football.

Having gone on to captain Scotland, the Hampden Collection state that his skill and bravery proved that it is "the ability of a man, not the colour of his skin that is the sole defining characteristic for sporting genius".

While team mate Charles Campbell, who features on the left hand side of the mural opposite Watson, is considered one of the grand architects of the Scottish game.

A key player for both Queens Park and Scotland, he went on to be a referee before becoming the President of both Queens Park and the Scottish Football Association.

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