Strangest Football Grounds in UK

[Slipperduke]

Hi Chaps,

I've been asked to write a piece for Prostate Cancer about the most interesting, alternative football grounds in England. Unfortunately, given my day job, I spend most of my time at Premier League grounds these days, which are neither interesting nor alternative.

Can you remind me of odd, quirky or idiosyncratic stadiums that you've visited? This is the kind of feature where you always get someone writing, "Oh my God! I can't believe you didn't mention the talking parrot on the turnstiles at Chesterfield, what kind of football writer are you?"

Also, please feel free to open up with both barrels below on the subjects of 'lazy journalists' and 'getting the internet to do your work for you,are you?'

Guilty as charged.

(PS: I wasn't sure where to put this, Cricko!)

 

[Napster]

York stadium used to have an open wall for a urinal not 8 years ago.
Kidderminster has the best catering by far

Oh and Layer Road is falling down.

 

[Colchester and proud!]

If you asked one of my sister's she would say "there is always big spiders in the ladies toilets at Brentford" :smile:

 

[Napster]

If you asked one of my sister's she would say "there is always big spiders in the ladies toilets at Brentford" :smile:

how is your missus?

:hilarious:

 

[LennySUFC]

Exeter away toilets!

 

[dingleydangley]

The Dell at Southampton had a great atmosphere, but the catacombs and dungeons that you had to crawl through under the stand were terrifying. It was like the crooked house on the seafront, and built in an era when no one was over five and a half feet tall.

 

[TrueBlue]

Luton Town - qwerky ground with a stand of boxes
Scunthorpe - a simple effective enclosed affair
Aldershot - qwerky
Plymouth - Old grandstand vs 3 sides of development
Hereford - more of an oval at both ends
Bristol Rovers - a mish mash of different stand designs

 

[EastStandBlue]

Luton Town - qwerky ground with a stand of boxes

Kenilworth Road's a great shout. Not many grounds are built slap bang in the middle of a housing estate and offer views into other people's gardens. Reminds me of how Maine Road was situated.

Blundell Park is odd too. Right by the North Sea, and when the wind sweeps in it doesn't half feel like it.

 

[Sherif H]

Whilst it may look like your average Premier League venue, there are some very interesting features and facts surrounding Villa Park.

For starters, whilst it may not look to be set in the most salubrious of surroundings, it is actually sitting on the site of a former Jacobean stately home, Aston Hall.

The frankly stunning Holte Hotel sits behind the gargantuan Holte End, which, in itself is an oddity, being one of the largest end stands in Europe not to house any corporate hospitality whatsoever.


Some of the stands are clad in a beautiful mosaic facade with dutch gables as well - it was seen as famed stadium architect, Archibald Leitch's prize creation.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Roots Hall is odd, we can't seem to win there.

 

[Benfleet A1]

The old Manor Ground at Oxford used to be an interesting affair. You used to have to walk down an alleyway to the away end which took you past some of the more excitable Oxford fans while on the other side was a Mental Hospital which let the inmates wander about on their own. The time I went there was fun as in bricks and bottles coming over the stand from the ground and lunatics from the hospital manicly laughing and trying to paw you through the fence. Frightened the life out of me.

 

[Richard T]

When going to Oxford away at the old ground I also parked in the road with a shark out of a hoise roof which was a bit odd,

http://www.headington.org.uk/shark/

 

[Richard Hearn]

Not sure it still is but Aldershot's ground used to be open to the public except on match days as it was part of the park and owned by the council.

 

[Rayleigh Weir]

Assuming we're not just talking league grounds - surely Canvey FC's Park Lane should get a mention? Granted most of the oddness is in the surrounding streets, but being a few feet below sea level is 'quite' quirky. Especially when one of those big container ships goes past...

 

[maninasuitcase]

Bristol Rovers has four odd looking stands, one looks like a cricket pavilion, one has a canvas roof and one looks like it should be on a racecourse. Great Pasties though.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Sadly you are about 10 years too late to write this piece. Only ones I can think of are:

Pub on each corner at Brentford
Have to walk through someone's living room to get to Luton
Sloping pitch at Barnet
The beach on the Care in the Community Stadium pitch

RIP grounds with character

 

[snapper1]

At Luton Town a few years ago,photographers had to lie on their stomachs to take pictures-otherwise paying fans couldn't see the action-always optimistic are Luton Town .

 

[Davros]

Hi Chaps,

I've been asked to write a piece for Prostate Cancer about the most interesting, alternative football grounds in England. Unfortunately, given my day job, I spend most of my time at Premier League grounds these days, which are neither interesting nor alternative.

Can you remind me of odd, quirky or idiosyncratic stadiums that you've visited? This is the kind of feature where you always get someone writing, "Oh my God! I can't believe you didn't mention the talking parrot on the turnstiles at Chesterfield, what kind of football writer are you?"

Also, please feel free to open up with both barrels below on the subjects of 'lazy journalists' and 'getting the internet to do your work for you,are you?'

Guilty as charged.

(PS: I wasn't sure where to put this, Cricko!)

Unfortunately Chesterfield was a quite soul-less new build i'm afraid.

Brentford sell "90% Beef Burgers". We all laughed at this at the time, but this was about 2 days before the horsemeat scandal hit the headlines!

 

[snapper1]

Northampton Town's old ground used to have only 3 sides as they shared the venue with Northants cricket ground.

 

[Jai]

Lewes play at a ground called 'The Dripping Pan'. That's enough for a mention, surely?