Post by Budleigh on May 10, 2009 19:28:34 GMT
This weekend I visited a client in York and on the journey back visited Doncaster, which, in Doncaster Rovers, has one of the few football clubs where it is possible to see the area of pitch used in all their league matches at three different grounds.
The first ground they used was the Intake enclosure situated within the boundaries of the Deaf Institute off Town Moor Avenue. The playing field used by them is still in existence, as is the Institute, and on my visit was actually being set out for a game of football!
A 'Google earth' picture showing the position of the pitch at the Intake, the black areas being the tea hut and shed, the gray areas are the stands, and the outlined areas the terracing.
A rare picture from circa 1900 from the other side of the Town Moor Avenue showing, in the distance, the ground. Visible is the far goal in front of the white wall of the end terrace, and closer to the camera is just visible the end and back of the near side stand beyond the roof of the pay hut seen in the foreground (From Dave Twydell's 'Grounds for a Change')
A similar view, albeit closer to the road, taken this weekend.
The area where the pitch was situated, in the near distance, with the lower row of hedge running some way behind where the far stand and terracing were situated and the right hand trees behind the terracing.
A goal being positioned in a similar spot that the original would've been situated (maybe nearer to the camera and further to the right) with the path running to it probably being that from the football league days.
The original gates to ground entrance, the 'paybox' was set inside and to the left.
Rovers played here from 1885 and actually started their football league career at the ground with a game against Burslem Port Vale in 1901, their league last game being four years later against Grimsby Town after being voted out of the league for the second time in that period. They continued as a non-league outfit before moving, in 1919, to a pitch at Bennethorpe as the army had requisitioned the Intake during World War One and not handed it back. Bennethorpe was never used as a league ground as by the time Rovers had been re-admitted in 1923 they had moved to Belle Vue, the second ground visited and have since, in the last few years, moved to the Keepmoat Stadium.
As can be seen from the following pictures the basic layout of Belle Vue is still visible with only the roof over the popular side and the grandstand itself having gone.
The away terrace with the extra added terracing from the mid 2000's at the near end
Same terrace with, in the background, the wonderful Georgian grandstand at the racecourse
The 'popular side', now roofless
Another view of the away end from the goalmouth
The remnants of the turnstile block next to the grandstand
A view we're all familiar with these days! The yellow emergency stairway
The home end, barriers since taken by the scrap metal merchant, and on top of which used to stand, until 1985, the original grandstand from the Intake ground
This is remnants of the original cinder terracing situated at the top of the previous terrace and unused for many years
Looking across to the area where the grandstand stood, now just rubble
Another view of the popular side
The home terrace with the magnificent new grandstand built at Doncaster racecourse standing dominant behind
A bush grows from the penalty spot!
Another view of the away terrace with one of the original floodlights still standing, now used as a mobile phone mast
A last look at the forlorn ground from above the popular side
From humble beginnings at the Intake ground, via Belle Vue to their new ground... The Keepmoat...
But rather like my visit to the Feethams, ex home of Darlington, and their new home on the outskirts, (see previous post) have Doncaster Rovers lost something of their own, original, identity with the move away from Belle Vue or is the move just a progression as was that to the Belle Vue in the 1920's?
The first ground they used was the Intake enclosure situated within the boundaries of the Deaf Institute off Town Moor Avenue. The playing field used by them is still in existence, as is the Institute, and on my visit was actually being set out for a game of football!
A 'Google earth' picture showing the position of the pitch at the Intake, the black areas being the tea hut and shed, the gray areas are the stands, and the outlined areas the terracing.
A rare picture from circa 1900 from the other side of the Town Moor Avenue showing, in the distance, the ground. Visible is the far goal in front of the white wall of the end terrace, and closer to the camera is just visible the end and back of the near side stand beyond the roof of the pay hut seen in the foreground (From Dave Twydell's 'Grounds for a Change')
A similar view, albeit closer to the road, taken this weekend.
The area where the pitch was situated, in the near distance, with the lower row of hedge running some way behind where the far stand and terracing were situated and the right hand trees behind the terracing.
A goal being positioned in a similar spot that the original would've been situated (maybe nearer to the camera and further to the right) with the path running to it probably being that from the football league days.
The original gates to ground entrance, the 'paybox' was set inside and to the left.
Rovers played here from 1885 and actually started their football league career at the ground with a game against Burslem Port Vale in 1901, their league last game being four years later against Grimsby Town after being voted out of the league for the second time in that period. They continued as a non-league outfit before moving, in 1919, to a pitch at Bennethorpe as the army had requisitioned the Intake during World War One and not handed it back. Bennethorpe was never used as a league ground as by the time Rovers had been re-admitted in 1923 they had moved to Belle Vue, the second ground visited and have since, in the last few years, moved to the Keepmoat Stadium.
As can be seen from the following pictures the basic layout of Belle Vue is still visible with only the roof over the popular side and the grandstand itself having gone.
The away terrace with the extra added terracing from the mid 2000's at the near end
Same terrace with, in the background, the wonderful Georgian grandstand at the racecourse
The 'popular side', now roofless
Another view of the away end from the goalmouth
The remnants of the turnstile block next to the grandstand
A view we're all familiar with these days! The yellow emergency stairway
The home end, barriers since taken by the scrap metal merchant, and on top of which used to stand, until 1985, the original grandstand from the Intake ground
This is remnants of the original cinder terracing situated at the top of the previous terrace and unused for many years
Looking across to the area where the grandstand stood, now just rubble
Another view of the popular side
The home terrace with the magnificent new grandstand built at Doncaster racecourse standing dominant behind
A bush grows from the penalty spot!
Another view of the away terrace with one of the original floodlights still standing, now used as a mobile phone mast
A last look at the forlorn ground from above the popular side
From humble beginnings at the Intake ground, via Belle Vue to their new ground... The Keepmoat...
But rather like my visit to the Feethams, ex home of Darlington, and their new home on the outskirts, (see previous post) have Doncaster Rovers lost something of their own, original, identity with the move away from Belle Vue or is the move just a progression as was that to the Belle Vue in the 1920's?
Belle Vue doesn't look much different than the last time we played there does it Leigh? 
They had a "double decker" arrangement, as well as an "Executive Club", and "Family Club" all constructed the same way in the car park behind that old Main Stand the last time we payed there.
