Hermitage Park takes its name from the Hermit’s Well a stone structure in the north east corner of the Park, a typical Victorian garden folly containing a spring and reputed to have therapeutic powers.
For most of the twentieth century the park was a beautifully cultivated public garden where children could play and visitors (majority arriving from Glasgow on commercial steamship) and residents could relax, and play various sports and listen to music. The park is still considered to be an important recreation asset and it continues to be used and appreciated locally, although the level of usage has declined steadily over the years. It continues to host a small number of events such as Remembrance Sunday and the bicentenary Scottish Pipe Band Championship.
Read a chronological history of Hermitage Park, from the 13th century to the present day