Bell's Sports Centre dome, Perth

Bell's Sports Centre dome, Perth

Built between 1966 and 1968 and designed by John Beattie Davidson of Perth Town Council's Architect's Office, the arena block of Bell's Sports Centre is a modern purpose-built, domed indoor sports hall. It is located just off the North Inch, a public park to the west of the River Tay, north of Perth city centre.

The building is circular on plan with a large sports hall at its centre. The domed roof stands around 17 metres high and measures approximately 67 metres in diameter. A rendered brick outer ring of offices, changing rooms and ancillary spaces surrounds the sports hall. These ancillary spaces were added to the dome soon after completion. The original changing rooms are constructed in Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). A protruding two-storey former entrance section projects from the eastern elevation with tall windows at first floor level overlooking the North Inch.

The dome's roof structure comprises 36 whitewood glulam (glue-laminated timber) arches which are prominent within the main interior space. A central steel ring beam and ventilation oculus sits in the centre of the dome's ceiling. The interior is lit by replacement LED lights installed in 2023.

The exterior domed roof is clad in corrugated sheeting covered with a replacement grey PVC waterproof roofing membrane. The flat-roofed ancillary ring has regularly spaced window and door openings with a timber fascia above. Windows are predominantly in casement frames and doors are double-leafed.

The building was developed in response to post-war regeneration initiatives in Scotland. The Wolfenden Report of 1960 recommended that local authorities and voluntary organisations work together to expand opportunities for healthy physical recreation, both indoors and outdoors. Perth Town Council purchased the four-acre site on the western edge of the North Inch. The Gannochy Trust funded the construction, estimated at £150,000, later increased to £225,000. The timber glulam arches were assembled from September 1966 and the foundation stone was laid on 20 March 1967 by Lord Provost D K Thomson. The centre was due to open in March 1968 but was delayed by a fire in February of that year. It eventually opened to the public on 15 October 1968. Bell's Sports Centre was the first centre in Scotland to provide all-weather facilities for athletics and recreation. At the time of construction, the dome was the largest in the United Kingdom and the architects were presented with a Guinness Book of Records certificate. The centre was named after Arthur Kimmond Bell (1868-1942), founder and former chairman of the Gannochy Trust.

Bell's Sports Centre is part of a larger complex that includes the Gannochy Sports Pavilion (built 1975-79), a coaching hall now known as The Gym (added 1983), and squash courts (added 1989-1991). These structures are linked to the original domed hall by a tented entrance built between 1989 and 1991. All these later structures are excluded from the listing.

The building continues to operate as a multi-purpose community sports and fitness venue, owned and operated by Live Active Leisure.