All about the Maroon Mile

The Heritage Department at the Heart of Midlothian Football Club are excited to announce the completion of the Maroon Mile Project.  

The Maroon Mile has been delivered by the Hearts Heritage Team at Tynecastle Park in collaboration with the Club and The Foundation of Hearts, and has been generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Foundation of Hearts, and the Heart of Midlothian Football Club would like to thank the National Lottery players.

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland said “The Maroon Mile project has delivered a fantastic celebration of the shared heritage of Hearts and the community.

“In addition to creating the Maroon Mile route from the war memorial at Haymarket to the stadium Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Foundation of Hearts have, through this project, strengthened the connections between club and community and delivered opportunities to get involved and learn new skills.”

 We would like to thank all the volunteers who have taken part in the project including Bill Alves, Valerie Mentiplay, Jim Paris, David Speed, Bob Christie, Norrie Rush and everyone who attended and supported our numerous events.

Lianne Parry, Head of Heritage at Heart of Midlothian Football Club said "Receiving this funding during the Club’s 150th anniversary year afforded Hearts a unique opportunity to expand our work outwards within Gorgie & Dalry.

Through researching and sharing stories and imagery, the project has successfully highlighted the deep connections between the Club, its supporters, and the wider community.

This has been a wonderful collaboration with local groups, expertly guided by heritage professionals, and a fitting way to celebrate the Club’s enduring role as a key sporting institution in the capital city." 

About the Maroon Mile

Over the last eighteen months the Heritage Department has delivered a mile-long heritage trail with an audio tour, BSL elements and tactile activities.

The trail starts at the iconic Haymarket War Memorial and continues up through Dalry and Gorgie finishing at the Hearts Museum at Tynecastle Park where three new interactive touchscreens have been installed.

The trail encompasses the area's rich history highlighting the buildings, people, and events associated with Gorgie and Dalry. Although the project has been led by the football club, the heritage trail focuses on the social, economic, industrial and sporting history of the area.

The Heart of Midlothian has enjoyed iconic status in Gorgie and neighbouring Dalry since the late 19th century with a rich history that is ingrained with that of the local community.  Watch Jock the Jambo walk the trail here 

The community has been central to the development and design of the trail and local community groups, schools, and organisations have all played a vital role throughout the process. The banners which line the Maroon Mile route contain pictures drawn by local children featuring depictions of what Gorgie and Dalry mean to them such as shops, friends and football.

More than a Heritage Trail 

The Maroon Mile is more than just a heritage trail. The project has created two handling kits which can be used by schools, care homes and youth groups. The handling kits are free to use and have an array of activities relating to the sounds, smells and sights of Gorgie and Dalry.  The kits are supplemented by two new interactive ‘museum in a box’ kits, which will allow visitors the opportunity to engage in new ways with the museum collection.

An educational programme was also included in the project including digital skills, oral history training and Wikithons to encourage attendees to develop new skills. Over eighteen months, three digital skills workshops were held for school-aged children to learn how to create an interactive timeline of the history of the club.

For the past twelve months, the Oral History Curator has been working closely with the Club and the local community to capture a range of stories, experiences and voices reflective of the area. The project has created a unique archive of oral history stories with 32 entries which can be accessed via the museum touchscreens.

As part of the project, the team has also held 3 community clean ups which aimed to clean up specific areas around Gorgie and Dalry linked to the heritage trail.

About the Heritage Department

The department is led by Lianne Parry and consists of a small team of five who have designed, researched and delivered this project. The project has been supported by a proactive team of volunteers. Annually the heritage department runs approximately 150 stadium tours, and welcomes thousands of museum visitors. The department oversees the club Archives, Museum, Memorial Garden, stadium and coach tours and all events associated with the history and heritage of the Club. The museum collection and archive consist of over 15,000 objects, many of which are accessible to the public via the museum and interactive touchscreens.

The Hearts Museum is open Thursday to Saturday 10am – 4pm and 10am until 2pm on Sundays