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Lost Junior Grounds


peasy23

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Seeing how close they were to one another, it's perhaps no surprise they vanished.

It was no surprise but reasons were different.. If you read the Junior History the reasons so many Glasgow clubs went out of the game was because the vast new post war council housing schemes removed the huge volume of people away from the 19th century slums. The new enviroment ment their teams could not go with them.

The juniors post war attracted large crowds and the local derbies kept the interest going.

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  • 2 weeks later...

http://thescotsmanpublications.newsprints.co.uk/view/20005800/li850335_preston%20athletic%20v_jpg

a link to a photo in the Scotsman archives of a Preston Athletic (when they were Juniors) match against Dunbar United at the Panners' old ground. I think this ground was buried underneath Cockenzie Power Station.

(they wouldn't let me sneakily nick it, hence the link. curse the copyright laws! :lol::ph34r: )

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  • 1 year later...

As far as i am aware the cover at Tinto Park was built in the early 1950's as new.

Good memories of Cathkin Park. Several boys in my class at school were ardent hi hi supporters. The first time I went there the crush barriers were concrete. However they were changed to the red metal ones during one close season. Seen the Thirds in the semi final of the League Cup at Ibrox when they beat Arbroath 3-0. In the final their keeper; who was very small; Jocky Robertson played a blinder but they lost to Hearts 2-1 despite scoring in the first minute. Third Lanark were a strong side and had George Young formerly of Rangers as manager.

Went to Roseberry Park when very young but do not remember much apart from a red brick wall around the ground.

Petershill Park always had a bit of class to it and a good support.

Love these photo's they play on my nostalgia.

Many Thanks,

Tinto

The concrete crush barriers were there till the bitter end...the red metal ones were placed by GCC when they landscaped it in the 70s

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Thanks peasy, I see it now ! http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/tongue.gif I can also see the Saracen Bar at Saracen Cross and, going back along Hawthorn St. to the Junction of Saracen St. there's a wee shop at the corner . The shop next to that one was a bicycle shop owned by Davy Hope, who went on to be a director of Rangers . I got my first new bike in that shop !

Lot of good memories, and a bit of sadness for me on this thread, but all good stuff --- thanks guys . http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/smile.gif

ETA : Before it was a bingo hall it was the Mecca picture hoose and, further along Balmore Rd. was a chip shop where 3d. got wee boys a bag of chips that they struggled to lift ! http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/laugh.gif

I miss those days . http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/sad.gif

Team formerly known as rangers and bicycle shops.who'd have thunked it ????????

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post-12982-0-29115400-1436117362_thumb.j

I pinched this one off Lost Edinburgh's Facebook page (worth looking at if you're into the history of the Capital). It's Bathgate Park, which was build on top of the Old Town gasworks and used by the Edinburgh Junior FA until the mid 1920s when the New Street bus garage was built.

It's strange to think there was once a football ground at the back of the High Street.

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  • 2 months later...

Are there any visible remnants of any of the lost grounds mentioned so far?

I know Muirkirk's old ground still exists and the stumps of the goalposts and changing rooms are still present.

Ardchoille Park in Stevenston, former home of Ardeer Thistle is now used as a public pitch, however the banking where the terraces were is still visible.

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  • 3 months later...

Myself and one of the other Clydebank guys went to speak to a group of guys wanting to resurrect Thirds in the Juniors ... that was around 3 years ago but nothing much seems to have happened since. Hope we didn't put them off http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/ohmy.gif

So that would be about 2009 the meeting took place.

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Loved reading this.Really interesting to see how things were & how grounds from the past looked. I believe Kilwinning Rangers hadn't always played at Abbey Park. I think their first ground was in Stevenston Road in Kilwinning,behind Howie's Garage,near the railway station. The pitch & goals were still there in the '70s & I remember playing there as a kid. A small housing estate was built there in the '80s. Does anyone remember Buffs playing there,or can verify this?

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Loved reading this.Really interesting to see how things were & how grounds from the past looked. I believe Kilwinning Rangers hadn't always played at Abbey Park. I think their first ground was in Stevenston Road in Kilwinning,behind Howie's Garage,near the railway station. The pitch & goals were still there in the '70s & I remember playing there as a kid. A small housing estate was built there in the '80s. Does anyone remember Buffs playing there,or can verify this?

According to "The History of Kilwinning Rangers F.C." book, Buffs moved to Abbey Park in 1929.

They were at Woodwynd Park and then Claremont Park prior to that.

Edited by Markka
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According to "The History of Kilwinning Rangers F.C." book, Buffs moved to Abbey Park in 1929.

They were at Woodwynd Park and then Claremont Park prior to that.

Cheers for that Markka.Yeah,Claremont Park is where I was talking about,but had forgotten it's name. The former park's name & position makes sense,as the Claremont Hotel (now called Taylor's) is nearby,at the other side of the railway station.

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Cheers for that Markka.Yeah,Claremont Park is where I was talking about,but had forgotten it's name. The former park's name & position makes sense,as the Claremont Hotel (now called Taylor's) is nearby,at the other side of the railway station.

It's not Claremont Park you're thinking of, as Claremont Crescent was built on it.

I can envisage where the park you're thinking of would have been, but I don't think it had any connection to the Buffs.

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It's not Claremont Park you're thinking of, as Claremont Crescent was built on it.

I can envisage where the park you're thinking of would have been, but I don't think it had any connection to the Buffs.

That's probably true & sounds more likely Markka,thanks for the info. It verifies what I believed about Abbey Park not being Buff's first ground,& fits in with this thread....another "lost junior ground". Cheers mate.

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About that yes. They had some old 3rds players on their committee and did seem quite keen. It's a lot of hard graft though

Think there would be a few questions asked if any money was spent on Cathkin by the city authorities when a lot of poorer parts of the city are sitting with not much more than a blow at a ragmans trumpet.

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  • 4 months later...

For those with a propensity for mountaineering, i've located the grounds of Benwhat (or more properly Benquhat) Heatherbell and Burnfoothill Primrose high up (at about 1000 feet) above the Doon Valley in Ayrshire.  

 

Benwhat, Burnfoothill and Lethanhill were ironstone mining settlements providing raw materials for the massive furnaces down in the valley at Waterside.  By 1954 the settlements had been deserted with the residents moving to new housing in Dalmellington, Bellsbank and Patna.

 

The Heatherbell and Primrose, separated by just a couple of miles were significant players in the early days of Ayrshire junior football.  In 1900 they actually contested the final of the Ayrshire Junior Cup at Rugby Park. In a fiercely contested match Benwhat emerged 2-1 winners. The match report in the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald concludes: "At the close of the game ...several of the players quarrelled, and a pugilistic display concluded the day's proceedings."

 

Kilbirnie Ladeside were once handed a 4-2 beating at Benwhat in the Scottish Junior Cup - they claimed that the 3 mile walk up to Benwhat from Dalmellington railway station had adversely affected them!

 

The Heatherbell and Primrose were playing in Junior football until the late 1920s - no doubt the depression hastened their exit - although the latter continued to play at the Juvenile level well into the 1930a.

 

Hardly anything of these villages remains on the ground. At Benwhat the site of the school is recognisable and some layers of brickwork at the end of the rows is in place. Lethanhill has been overwhelmed by a plantation though the floor of the church remains and some ruins can be spotted in the woods.  Burnfoothill has been completely erased by open cast mining. The war memorials of Benwhat and Lethanhill & Burnfoothill remain, however, and are well-maintained.

 

It's hard to imagine these were once vibrant communities with schools, pubs and shops.

 

--------------------

 

A map of the area - also showing the settlements of Craigmark and Burnton.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3qi8les1zuh76ev/areamap.jpg?dl=0

 

 

Benwhat Heatherbell.

Google earth view showing their ground known as "The Hearth"

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6m3hvptgih3rdin/benwhatgoogle.jpg?dl=0

 

Map of the village of Benwhat c 1900

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tyffa6roxozg5d0/benwhatos.bmp?dl=0

 

Benwhat Heatherbell FC - possibly with the Ayrshire Junior Cup

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u620c9l38ulzwep/benwhatfc.jpg?dl=0

 

 

Burnfoothill Primrose

 

The neighbouring settlements of Burnfoothill and Lethanhill were collectively known as "The Hill"

 

"Long live the Hill" http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/32/69/3326948_138b211c.jpg

 

Google earth view

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0eszutjmnl2ivg6/burnfootgoogle.jpg?dl=0

 

Map of Lethanhill/Burnfoothill c 1900 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5ojzn3xvn6nhzc/burnfootos.jpg?dl=0

 

Burnfoothill Primrose Fc

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pshn36gf0fpy61h/burnfootfc.jpg?dl=0

 

 

 

 

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Good work again Paul!

As an aside, are you aware of this tool from the National Library of Scotland?

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=55.3565&lon=-4.4299&layers=156

It overlays old maps onto google earth. Simply type the place name into the search box, choose the map you wish to see from the drop down list and use the blue slider at the bottom left to switch between the two. It will morph one of the other depending on where the slider is.

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