Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2011 14:46:14 GMT
The second part of my Sunday afternoon walk took me into Devonport but not before I popped into a smart little bar for a pot of tea. Here I was cheerfully served by a friend of the proprietor who looked remarkably like a presenter from Spotlight. Knowing the BBC is free of sporting bias, the presence of two dogs on Plymouth Argyle leads confirmed it must have been mistaken identity on my behalf.
Thereafter it was over to Pennycomequick roundabout and into the old county borough of Devonport.
STONEHOUSE CREEK
I understand that, until the late 19th century, Stonehouse Creek came right up to Pennycomequick. What is now Victoria Park was filled in around the time of the old Queen’s demise; the lower part from the 1960s onwards (I’m sure I can remember that section having water!). This has led to land being created which has mainly been used for sporting purposes.
Indeed, I have memories of watching various Torquay GS age group teams face Devonport HS in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was a strange place to visit because the school is housed in a former military hospital and I’m pretty sure our games were played on a "shelf" of land which would have been above the old creek. I really can’t remember if the creek had been filled in by that time. The first Geograph picture gives an impression of that school pitch; the second shows the rugby fields on the former creek:
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i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq191/nickh_album/rectory5.jpg [/img]
THE RECTORY
Walking past the front entrance to Devonport High you soon come to the bridge across the old railway line with the site of the former King’s Road station to your left (this now being City College, Plymouth). Then you need to find a side road under a disused railway bridge which leads to the self-contained enclave of the Rectory. This consists of two or three streets and what is now home to Devonport Services RFC:
This was a discovery to me as I was only dimly aware of it being there even though I’d often heard of the Rectory. I suspect that the whole development – houses, sports field and all – dates from the sports ground's inception in the mid 1890s. It was, of course, very much a development for rugby and was built as a home for (Devonport) Albion, soon to emerge as one of the country’s leading clubs in the pre-1914 era. Albion had already tried their hand at Home Park (where Argyle weren’t yet on the scene) and at Bladderly, a little further out of town. But the Rectory also hosted soccer including county representative games against the likes of the Corinthians and WBA.
I was surprised at how much is still there and it must have a reasonably impressive ground in its' day when it housed some pretty big rugby crowds. There’s a covered stand – with seats – on the northern side and the old stand (picture from Greens on Screen below) has been re-roofed:
BRICKFIELDS
It had been a fair time since I’d been in that part of Plymouth so the development since 2003 of the Brickfields for Plymouth Albion had passed me by. I knew they’d had a crowd of nearly 7,000 for a game against Exeter Chiefs so I was ready for the ground being slightly bigger than Plainmoor. Along one side there’s a new stand which has indoor sports facilities; on the opposite side there’s a strange-looking squat set-up astride the half-way line which is standing only (I think). Behind one end is a clubhouse and semi-permanent hospitality hutches; the other end being a sizeable bank of temporary seating.
After leaving the Brickfields I crossed the road to watch a few overs of women’s cricket at Mount Wise (Plymouth CC – new pavilion in the pipeline), an area which is now in the throes of being gentrified with new housing. Then I did a circuit of the Scott memorial, Mutton Cove and the old civic centre of Devonport with its’ 1821 town hall and nearby column. Devonport might not be everybody’s cup of tea but I think it’s a fascinating place with the feel of parts of Merseyside, Portsmouth (inevitably) and even bits of North and South Shields. Then it was along the Milehouse Road....
HOME PARK
I won’t say too much other than to suggest a read of the Greens On Screen history. Things which might surprise you are that it was built partly for other sports (such as cycling) and partly as a venue for the short-lived Home Park FC which had professional ambitions at a time when Argyle were still knocking about on park pitches. Devonport Albion RFC were also to play there until a dispute over rent led to them heading off to the Rectory.
Another aside is that Argyle themselves were a multi-sports outfit for a while and were actually a minor force in rugby circles. I’ve always been curious about a rugby club called Plymouth Argaum (who pay at Bickleigh). Although there is some disagreement as to their origins, the Greens on Screen history suggests Argaum dates from the old Argyle rugby team’s reformation in 1902.
These Home Park pictures come from Greens On Screen:
The 1950s street plan shows other sports facilities around Home Park and may recall memories of a few "first visits" to the ground. The ward boundary line would suggest that the ground would have been in the borough of Devonport prior to 1914:
PENNYCROSS
Just enough time to nip up to Pennycross before taking the 1955 back to Exeter. I knew there’d be nothing to see but I still wanted to visit the sites of the old Beacon Park rugby ground and the greyhound and speedway stadium at Pennycross.
The map gives an impression of how it was stretching from Weston Mill (home of Vospers Oak Villa of the SW Peninsula League) through to Home Park. Beacon Park rugby ground – never the best of places from what I can gather – is now a housing estate called Albion Drive; the old Pennycross Stadium has now been gone so long that even the factory which replaced part of the site has been demolished. Mind you, Stadium Garage and Stadium Fish and Chips are still in business and would baffle those unaware of the area’s sporting traditions.
Thereafter it was over to Pennycomequick roundabout and into the old county borough of Devonport.
STONEHOUSE CREEK
I understand that, until the late 19th century, Stonehouse Creek came right up to Pennycomequick. What is now Victoria Park was filled in around the time of the old Queen’s demise; the lower part from the 1960s onwards (I’m sure I can remember that section having water!). This has led to land being created which has mainly been used for sporting purposes.
Indeed, I have memories of watching various Torquay GS age group teams face Devonport HS in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was a strange place to visit because the school is housed in a former military hospital and I’m pretty sure our games were played on a "shelf" of land which would have been above the old creek. I really can’t remember if the creek had been filled in by that time. The first Geograph picture gives an impression of that school pitch; the second shows the rugby fields on the former creek:
THE RECTORY
Walking past the front entrance to Devonport High you soon come to the bridge across the old railway line with the site of the former King’s Road station to your left (this now being City College, Plymouth). Then you need to find a side road under a disused railway bridge which leads to the self-contained enclave of the Rectory. This consists of two or three streets and what is now home to Devonport Services RFC:
This was a discovery to me as I was only dimly aware of it being there even though I’d often heard of the Rectory. I suspect that the whole development – houses, sports field and all – dates from the sports ground's inception in the mid 1890s. It was, of course, very much a development for rugby and was built as a home for (Devonport) Albion, soon to emerge as one of the country’s leading clubs in the pre-1914 era. Albion had already tried their hand at Home Park (where Argyle weren’t yet on the scene) and at Bladderly, a little further out of town. But the Rectory also hosted soccer including county representative games against the likes of the Corinthians and WBA.
I was surprised at how much is still there and it must have a reasonably impressive ground in its' day when it housed some pretty big rugby crowds. There’s a covered stand – with seats – on the northern side and the old stand (picture from Greens on Screen below) has been re-roofed:
BRICKFIELDS
It had been a fair time since I’d been in that part of Plymouth so the development since 2003 of the Brickfields for Plymouth Albion had passed me by. I knew they’d had a crowd of nearly 7,000 for a game against Exeter Chiefs so I was ready for the ground being slightly bigger than Plainmoor. Along one side there’s a new stand which has indoor sports facilities; on the opposite side there’s a strange-looking squat set-up astride the half-way line which is standing only (I think). Behind one end is a clubhouse and semi-permanent hospitality hutches; the other end being a sizeable bank of temporary seating.
After leaving the Brickfields I crossed the road to watch a few overs of women’s cricket at Mount Wise (Plymouth CC – new pavilion in the pipeline), an area which is now in the throes of being gentrified with new housing. Then I did a circuit of the Scott memorial, Mutton Cove and the old civic centre of Devonport with its’ 1821 town hall and nearby column. Devonport might not be everybody’s cup of tea but I think it’s a fascinating place with the feel of parts of Merseyside, Portsmouth (inevitably) and even bits of North and South Shields. Then it was along the Milehouse Road....
HOME PARK
I won’t say too much other than to suggest a read of the Greens On Screen history. Things which might surprise you are that it was built partly for other sports (such as cycling) and partly as a venue for the short-lived Home Park FC which had professional ambitions at a time when Argyle were still knocking about on park pitches. Devonport Albion RFC were also to play there until a dispute over rent led to them heading off to the Rectory.
Another aside is that Argyle themselves were a multi-sports outfit for a while and were actually a minor force in rugby circles. I’ve always been curious about a rugby club called Plymouth Argaum (who pay at Bickleigh). Although there is some disagreement as to their origins, the Greens on Screen history suggests Argaum dates from the old Argyle rugby team’s reformation in 1902.
These Home Park pictures come from Greens On Screen:
The 1950s street plan shows other sports facilities around Home Park and may recall memories of a few "first visits" to the ground. The ward boundary line would suggest that the ground would have been in the borough of Devonport prior to 1914:
PENNYCROSS
Just enough time to nip up to Pennycross before taking the 1955 back to Exeter. I knew there’d be nothing to see but I still wanted to visit the sites of the old Beacon Park rugby ground and the greyhound and speedway stadium at Pennycross.
The map gives an impression of how it was stretching from Weston Mill (home of Vospers Oak Villa of the SW Peninsula League) through to Home Park. Beacon Park rugby ground – never the best of places from what I can gather – is now a housing estate called Albion Drive; the old Pennycross Stadium has now been gone so long that even the factory which replaced part of the site has been demolished. Mind you, Stadium Garage and Stadium Fish and Chips are still in business and would baffle those unaware of the area’s sporting traditions.
