If the Alexandra Meadows site was the first ground of significance Rovers could truly call home, Leamington Street was the first worthy ground that they could call their own. It wasn’t the greatest of distances to move. Barely a few hundred yards separated Leamington Street (or Leamington Road as it is confusingly known today) with Alexandra Meadows. Yet this new ground was to see the true glory days of Rovers. The three successful FA Cup campaigns in a row would begin from here. Rovers would play their first Football League seasons here. If it hadn’t been for a landlord charging a rental rate too high for Rovers to live with, they may still have been there to this day.

Leamington Street had one great advantage over the previous home of Rovers; it was a completely enclosed ground with no chance of any free views from surrounding hillsides. After renting the place, Rovers spent £500 on assembling a new grandstand which contained seating for over 700 people. With such a structure in place, Leamington Street was ready to be the launch pad for Rovers to dominate the country.

Losing FA Cup finalist in 1882, winners in 1884, 1885, 1886 and 1890. 3 Lancashire Cups. Two league seasons in the newly devised Football League. Fans at Leamington Street watched Rovers grow from a well-known local team to the most famous football club in the world. It is unsurprising that they had a home to match their grandeur. This was noted by the FA as they chose the ground to host the England internationals against Wales (1881 and 1885) and Scotland (1887). Leamington Street was the base for possibly the most successful period in the history of Blackburn Rovers. The amazing rapid growth was certainly unparalleled until the early 1990s.

The tenancy of Rovers at Leamington Street was not to last long after the dawn of a new decade. After the landlord of the ground put up the rent of the site to what the club considered unacceptable levels, Rovers decamped across town to Ewood Park in time for the start of the 1890/91 season. The ground was sold to property developers and quickly (with almost indecent haste) turned into housing. The landlord made more money out of selling the land for housing than he thought he would have been able to by renting it for football.

Leamington Street is gone and almost forgotten. All too few know that the Leamington Road of today was once the home of the greatest club side in the world.

Streetmap overview of the area - Leamington Street exists now as a road. All other traces of the ground have been buried under housing for well over a century.