Murrayfield Ice Rink: the history of one of the oldest rinks in Britain
However, although Murrayfield Ice Rink was due to open with much fanfare in 1939, it was delayed until the 1950s after war broke out and the building was requisitioned by the Government for use as a storage facility. The rink became a Royal Army Service Corp Depot, and remained in their domain until it was handed back in 1951. After some building alterations, it finally opened, as intended, as a mecca for ice sports enthusiasts in August 1952 by Lord Provost, Sir James Miller.
With its doors formally open, the rink was hailed as ‘’the most modern in Scotland’’ - this was at a time when there were facilities across the country including Kirkcaldy, Glasgow, Dundee, Dunfermline, Ayr, Perth and Falkirk. Only four of the original 1930s rinks built in Britain in the 1930s – including Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy – still remain today.
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Hide AdMurrayfield played host to up to 1,000 skaters at a time, ice shows and ice hockey with the launch of the Murrayfield Royals in 1952. The rising costs of staging ice shows saw ownership change hands with a quartet of businessmen taking over in 1957. The same families still own it today.
Murrayfield Ice Skating Club was born, and the Royals’ name vanished in 1966 to be replaced by Murrayfield Racers who went on to become one of the sport’s powerhouses throughout the 1980s. After a period hosting teams under other names, the latest incarnation of the rink’s ice hockey team has been named the Murrayfield Racers.
The ice skating club still met weekly until the Coronavirus outbreak, attracting skaters from children to skaters in their 80s – including one of the founders, Sheila McLean.
A seven-sheet curling rink was constructed adjacent to the ice rink in the 1970s following the closure of Haymarket Ice Rink and now runs separately.
A B-listed building, the rink’s hard wooden seats and freezing temperatures are well-known to – and beloved by - skaters and ice hockey fans across Scotland. For many, the building has changed little in decades. A Canadian ice dance group performing at the rink during the Fringe Festival three years ago told how they opened a cupboard to find it filled with gas masks.
The rink has produced a number of figure skating champions over its history, including ice dancers Sinead and John Kerr, who learned to skate at the rink and went on to win two bronze medals at the European Figure Skating Championships.
Until lockdown in March, the rink was well-used by both ice hockey and figure skaters, as well as recreational skaters.