Springburn Virtual Museum

Community life

Springburn Harriers novice championship contenders, 1913

The Springburn Harriers Club was instituted in 1893 as a general amateur athletic club, but concentrated on cross-country running. ('Harrier' is the name of a small beagle-like dog used for hare-coursing). The diamond-shaped emblem used by the club was an adaptation of the trademark of the Springburn locomotive works.

In its early years, the club met at its first training headquarters, the public baths in Kay Street. Saturday pack runs began from here at 3pm. Within six years, the club moved to Auchinairn and opened its own pavilion, the first harrier club in Scotland to do so. In 1930 they moved again, to a new clubhouse, but financial pressure forced this to be given up in 1973. The club's current headquarters is Huntershill House in Crowhill Road.

The picture shows a group of Harriers at the novice championship of 1913. The man marked with a cross was Mr John Provan of Wellfield Street.

Source: Glasgow City Archives