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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2010 10:08:22 GMT
Number 2 must therefore be the old Bristol City ground at St John’s Lane, Bedminster. Something of a surprise given that such a long-disused ground has only just been built upon. Or have other clubs played on the site in the intervening years? One of those works sides such as DRG, perhaps?
Also I thought the place was more “closed in” and lacking those South Bristol hillside views which, had I been there, I’d surely be comparing with Tuscany. But, once you try Street View, it starts to make sense and you also notice that Broad Plain RFC still plays on the unseen open land behind the construction site.
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merse
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Post by merse on Aug 20, 2010 10:21:55 GMT
 I'll take my hat off to Barty on his knowledge of "The Bristols" (wehey missus!  ) and try another shot at no3 later ~ I've got bills to pay and three kids to look after right now!
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Post by Budleigh on Aug 20, 2010 11:07:19 GMT
Yep... St Johns Lane, Bristol. Home of Bristol South End FC before merging with Bedminster to form Bristol City. Hence the clue 'one of a lovely pair' ... of Bristols!
The merged club then moved to Bedminster's old ground Ashton Gate in 1904 and St Johns Lane was in continual use as a sports ground until the building of the houses in 2003.
It was a shame as I'd visited many times in passing when it was still a sports field and football pitch but not taken pictures, thinking 'next time', then I saw the work going on and took these.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2010 12:05:31 GMT
Number 5 is bothering me. The bit about part of it being elsewhere ties in with Roker Park on the previous thread; the building society reference leads me towards it being the Victoria Ground at Stoke to fit with Britannia’s sponsorship of the new place. There again how about Ayresome Park?
But, in all three cases, then relative newness of the properties beyond the wall brings doubts. As far as I recall, all three grounds were surrounded by Victorian terracing with the only newer developments now being on the sites of the old grounds at Middlesbrough and Sunderland. As for Stoke, is the Victoria Ground still unused waste land? If so, there can’t be too many examples of latter-day abandonments not being utilised.
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merse
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Post by merse on Aug 20, 2010 13:18:07 GMT
As for Stoke, is the Victoria Ground still unused waste land? If so, there can’t be too many examples of latter-day abandonments not being utilised. I think it is, if only to satisfy the requirement that it blends in seemlessly with the general "industrial waste land" environment of The Potteries  Certainly there can't be a more soul destroying place to be relocated than the site of the Brittania Stadium ~ stuck on the outer edges of the city, atop an old slag heap; seemingly miles from anything warm and welcoming in the way of pubs, chippies and betting shops.................all the working class establishments a normal male would wish for on his way to and from his local football ground.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2010 13:46:01 GMT
Number 7 - Moor Green?
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merse
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Post by merse on Aug 20, 2010 15:11:25 GMT
I think you have it Barty................they certainly turned the pitch around there before vacating the ground altogether. There is a link with TUST there too, do you know what it is?
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Post by Budleigh on Aug 20, 2010 17:00:41 GMT
No.7 is Moor Green, where there is still overgrown terracing stuck in the car park from when it was the end terrace, then left in limbo when the pitch was turned to accomodate residents concerns over floodlights. The stand was burnt out but stood for some years, until a few weeks before I visited! So the clue was the main stand was on the half-way line then found itself behind the goal when the pitch rotated. |
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Post by Budleigh on Aug 20, 2010 17:08:09 GMT
So two to go..... Last clues.
No.3: You'd find this ground by following the sound of barking on an island.
No.5: The stand departed and left this place and found another home, it's been out the league and back again, and now slipped further down.
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merse
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Post by merse on Aug 20, 2010 19:03:40 GMT
No.3: You'd find this ground by following the sound of barking on an island. So I've done that and after Henry the Eighth's' hunting parties had departed along came Millwall Athletic who played at East Ferry Road ( E14) from 1901-1910, when they then decamped accross the river to The Den. East Ferry Road was in fact their fourth ground in a small but rapidly developing area of the Isle of Dogs: the first being in Glengall Road (1885-86), the second was just further down the East Ferry Road at a site behind the Lord Nelson pub ( 1886-90) and the third was known as "The Athletic Ground" and is barely a hundred yards from the fourth ground~ but they were all in what is known as Mudchute or Millwall Park today (and they played there from 1901-1910); exactly which "East Ferry Road" this picture is maybe open to conjecture but looking at the railway arches in a part demolished state; I reckon that to be the fourth and final one which acccomodated crowds in excess of forty thousand in it's heyday. |
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Post by Budleigh on Aug 20, 2010 19:37:26 GMT
It was indeed the final ground before Millwall moved to the Den...
When I first visited it there was still terracing hidden in the undergrowth but since landscaping this has gone leaving just the hump.
And when I took this picture I had gone for a walk to 'warm down' having rowed 24 miles from Ham House, Richmond to Greenwich in the Great River Race (the rowing equivalent of the marathon) and was on such a high! Three hours and ten thirst quenching pints later I returned in the dark and sat in what I reckoned was the centre circle and fell asleep!!
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Post by Budleigh on Aug 20, 2010 19:42:02 GMT
Ok... one to go and maybe it's a bit obscure.
This is what I believe to be the outer wall of the Hyde Road Ground of Manchester City. Having visited it with an OS map of the time, and noting the brickwork etc I am sure it is.
The end stand was sold to Halifax Town and still stands at the Shay, albeit re-roofed and re-seated.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2010 20:02:41 GMT
No.3: The stand departed and left this place and found another home, it's been out the league and back again, and now slipped further down. No.5: You'd find this ground by following the sound of barking on an island. Were these two cunningly swapped to put us off the trail? (not that it fooled Merse). And I'd just pieced together the clues about the building society and being in/out/in/out of the league with Simon Inglis to hand.... |
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Post by Budleigh on Aug 20, 2010 20:12:36 GMT
Whoops.. sorry about that!
Yep, of course No. 3 was Millwall on Mudchute and No.5 was Hyde Road, Manchester.
(Quite... Merse realised and didn't kick up a fuss!!)
I'll go and swap it around so it doesn't confuse anyone looking in the future (as if that might happen!) That'll confuse them...
And sorry to spoil the last one, thought we were all finished there, so we'll give it to you..
Good old Simon Inglis... Is there a better ground's man than him to be designated the Godfather... maybe taking over the mantle of Dave Twydell whose videos of lost grounds need to be seen to be believed!
I once shut the bedroom door and re-ran one of his early ones and my wife-to-be knocked on the door...
'What you watching in there?' she said.
'Oh nothing', I replied... 'um, just a bit of late-night porn'
'Rubbish', she shouted' 'It's that bloody football grounds crap again, isn't it?!'
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