Old Photos of your Ground

[shoddycollins]

Someone posted this on our forum today: Brunton Park in 1925.

Thought I could start a thread for fans to post old photos of their grounds / former grounds.

Historical Notes
Carlisle United moved to Brunton Park in 1909.
The grandstand shown here burned down in 1953. The sale of Geoff Twentyman to Liverpool allowed the building of a replacement which still stands today.

And for comparison, the ground viewed from roughly the same angle in recent years (seems to be before the flood defences were built, and when we still had that blue sand around the pitch).

 

[AdamStag]

This was Field Mill in the 30's - the frame of the now closed Bishop St stand is still there.

Our old west stand, we got in around 1970 from an old racecourse, I used to love that crappy old stand, much more appealing than the current one.

 

[Stringy]

I wish I had been around to enjoy the lower tier of the old West Stand. Bet it was great when there was a good game.

 

[cufc17]

That 'West Stand' looks fairly similar to our current one.

 

[Stagat]

- Mansfield Town’s Field Mill Ground, now known as the One Call Stadium, is the second oldest football ground in the world. Field Mill has been used as a football ground since 1861 (and as a cricket ground for a few years before that). The Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, which was first used in 1860, is the oldest football ground in the world. It is currently used by Hallam FC. Bramall Lane, the current home of Sheffield United, was first used as a football ground in 1862 (though like Field Mill was used as a cricket ground for a few years before that). Field Mill is therefore the oldest football ground in the world that hosts professional football. It is also the oldest football ground in the Football League.

- Field Mill staged the first competitive match to be played under artificial light in this country when the North Notts League Senior Cup final was played at Field Mill under floodlights in 1930.

- National exposure for Field Mill was gained in 1998 with the first match ever played with a new yellow fluorescent ball.

Love that tinpot third claim to fame.

 

[UTS]

Gigg Lane 1933:

Gigg Lane in the early 1900's: http://www.buryps.co.uk/photography...9-title-play-up-bury-vs-sunderland-gigg-lane/

 

[shakerandy]

I love this stuff.

Anyway, Gigg Lane. 1890.

Gigg Lane, around early 1900's looking toward what is now the main stand.

Bury in action v West Ham at Gigg Lane, 30th August 1952.

Gigg Lane, about 1973.

From above, 1980.

Boys Stand, early 1980's. Demolished following Bradford fire.

Bury v Hartlepool, April 1985. Main stand paddock weeks before Bradford City fire saw it closed. Remains of this terrace still exist.

More v Hartlepool. Old South stand in background.

v Wrexham, May 1985.

From the sky, 1989.

South Stand, early 1990's, about 1991.

Manchester Road End, about the same time, 1991.

Cemetery End, about 1993 due to control tower being built on former site of boys stand during redevelopment of 1992/93. Note the floodlight, these were installed in 1955 making Bury the first club in Northern England to have them.

 

[Richard Cranium]

View from the old QLE. Looks like we were playing Lincoln as there are only 2 fans in the away end..

 

[Millwall_Matt]

I'm invading the lg2 thread slightly, but I love this picture of the old den so much I thought i'd share it. Safe to say Health and Safety culture wasn't much of a thing back then....

 

[AdamStag]

That was a picture in the 60's - looks like proper footballing weather

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Mansfield is the only ground in football I have seen a Carlisle game from all 4 sides, not even seen that at Carlisle.

Old stand/paddock back in 1995....was quite bad really as their nut jobs were in block of seats next to us
Open terrace behind goal in 1997
Old crappy side stand in 2001
t'other side modern stand now in 2006.

plus 2 promotions seen so I ain't done too bad from that ground and seen it all completely re-develop.

 

[AdamStag]

Mansfield is the only ground in football I have seen a Carlisle game from all 4 sides, not even seen that at Carlisle.

Old stand/paddock back in 1995....was quite bad really as their nut jobs were in block of seats next to us
Open terrace behind goal in 1997
Old crappy side stand in 2001
t'other side modern stand now in 2006.

plus 2 promotions seen so I ain't done too bad from that ground and seen it all completely re-develop.

Even I haven't done that!

 

[Murphy]

1921, when originally used by Sterling Athletic.

1972

1955

1998

Variation of bits there, ground has remained relatively unchanged bar the Traditional Builders Stand which replaced the Pondfield Terrace which I'm sure a few League Two fans will remember, Conference certainly. Bury Road Terrace probably hasn't changed at all in about 70 odd years, the Sieve has just been extended to run the length of the pitch and the main seated stand for home supporters was rebuilt in 2002 (?), but hasn't changed drastically from the 1998 picture.

If you don't follow @Groundtastic on Twitter, and you have Twitter, can't recommend him enough. Posts pictures like this every day, great archive of lots of teams on there as well.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Mansfield is the only ground in football I have seen a Carlisle game from all 4 sides, not even seen that at Carlisle.

Old stand/paddock back in 1995....was quite bad really as their nut jobs were in block of seats next to us
Open terrace behind goal in 1997
Old crappy side stand in 2001
t'other side modern stand now in 2006.

plus 2 promotions seen so I ain't done too bad from that ground and seen it all completely re-develop.

Since I've been going I've seen us promoted against you, almost relegating you but you got a draw I believe and also you getting promoted here!

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

last minute pen save which kept us up when we won 3-2 that was.....I never went to your promotion one but is usually something hectic between us if we get drawn to play near end of season.

Bury I've seen from 3 sides as I have crewe who are only 2 other clubs I may see Carlisle from 4 sides, its mostly because if you went in the early 90's and wanted a seat you got shoved into the old home end stands and then Mansfield swapped it about all over the place when re-developing.

i'll have to look at that groundtastic I like seeing how grounds developed.

 

[Habbinalan]

First match at the Abbey in 1932

 

[AdamStag]

First match at the Abbey in 1932

View attachment 458

Whats going on with that lads shorts?

Any higher and he'd be able to see through his fly

 

[Habbinalan]

FA Cup tie with Bradford Park Avenue, December 1953

 

[Habbinalan]

...and our first stand, March 1934

 

[rudebwoyben]

Groundtastic is fantastic to follow on Twitter.
Mansfield old main stand is a bit reminiscent of the West and East stands at Highbury (no, not that one!)

 

[rudebwoyben]

Where on earth is Gamlingay?

 

[Habbinalan]

The dream - plenty of time to see the old Abbey before this happens (if ever). No significant change for away fans - it retains the quaint walk through cows on the Common and brings the pitch back in front of the South Stand as well.

http://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/news/article/stadiumarticlenov13-1175584.aspx

 

[Habbinalan]

Where on earth is Gamlingay?

38 miles due north and 50 years due south of Barnet.

 

[shoddycollins]

A closer view of the old grandstand you can see in the aerial photo at the top of the thread

And another after it was replaced by the current main stand, but before the wings were added... I've no idea why there are so many cars parked at the base of the stand.

The old East Stand or Scratching Pen. The terracing extended around the corner to the left where it became the Waterworks End

The ground from the air later on from the photo at the top of the thread, the old grandstand has been replaced with the current main stand, which has in turn had wings added either side so it runs the full length of the pitch. The old East Stand is there still at the top of the image and the Warwick Road End is on the right. Floodlights pylons don't appear to have been built yet, you can see instead banks of floodlights on the top of the Main and East stands, date unknown, 70s or 80s maybe?

A match being played at Brunton Park in 1982, and yet again with the cars at the edge of the pitch, just the one this time though.

And a photo of a similar viewpoint taken just last season... spot the difference

Did you spot the difference? That's right... no cars.

And this one I just like, it's from a League Cup game against Spurs a couple of years ago

And another one of a recently full Main Stand and Paddock, from more recent times, don't even know if it was a particularly big game, it used to look like that most Saturdays.

Finally, for no particular reason other than it looks like the pipe dreams of a five year old, Michael Knighton's proposed and oddly square, ground redevelopment, of which the current East Stand is the only part that got built, about 20 yards offset from the rest of the stadium.

 

[Habbinalan]

"...And another after it was replaced by the current main stand, but before the wings were added... I've no idea why there are so many cars parked at the base of the stand."

They look like the old disability 3 wheelers - I bet they're coloured sky blue.

 

[shoddycollins]

"...And another after it was replaced by the current main stand, but before the wings were added... I've no idea why there are so many cars parked at the base of the stand."

They look like the old disability 3 wheelers - I bet they're coloured sky blue.

If you look at the picture further down, then yeah it's sky blue.
I thought they looked a bit small but it was hard to figure out a sense of scale, and I felt cars would probably be smaller back then anyway.

 

[shoddycollins]

That was a picture in the 60's - looks like proper footballing weather

Would make a quality spot-the-ball competition that.

 

[Glasshalffullpools]

Them disability cars are all over the 70s match of the days, Coventry in particular ...apparently awful to drive, as soon as motorbility offered proper cars no one quite rightly wanted them, back in the 80s Pools disgracefully stuck the disabled fans in what only can be described as a cage in a windswept corner, much much better now though

 

[Pliny Harris]

This thread's hot. Might make one in the non-league section tomorrow. Keep it up, chaps.

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAA/eU95RJyRE1Y/s0/Eton+Park+Panoramic+1.jpg
Burton Albion's old Eton Park ground, in fact the very last match there in 2005.