Origin of the RCCC

The origin of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club dates back to 25 July 1838 when the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was formed in the Waterloo Hotel, Edinburgh – John Cairnie of Curlinghall, Largs, being the first President.

It was in the year 1843 that Her Majesty Queen Victoria graciously granted the Club the title of Royal Caledonian Curling Club, following upon a visit which her Majesty and the Prince Consort made to Scone Palace in 1842. On that occasion the Earl of Mansfield gave his Royal visitors a demonstration of the curling game upon the polished floor of the Scone Palace ballroom.

On behalf of the curlers in Scotland the Earl then presented the Prince Consort with a pair of curling stones with inscribed handles, but it is not on record whether Prince Albert ever used these.

‘To unite curlers throughout the world into one Brotherhood of the Rink’.

Since the inception of the Royal Club this objective has been kept in the foreground and today the Royal Club has branches and affiliated associations and clubs in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United States of America and Wales which all look to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club as the mother club.