Where are Rovers old grounds?

[...]

Also fascinating, see Key: O memory stone of Nancy Hasler, amongst her best clients were footballers.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5864730.memory-nancy-set-stone/

 

 

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Good find Mick.

Its quite obvious that the Pitch must have been 'levelled off' in relation to the surrounding geographic incline of the area.

All trace of that must have been destroyed when Housing was built upon the Pitch after moving to Ewood.

[...]

11 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Good find Mick.

Its quite obvious that the Pitch must have been 'levelled off' in relation to the surrounding geographic incline of the area.

All trace of that must have been destroyed when Housing was built upon the Pitch after moving to Ewood.

One end of the pitch was the start of an incline so ever so slightly went up at one goal mouth 

[RevidgeBlue]

17 hours ago, Roving Mick said:

This sale of lots is from 1882.  Rovers moved to Leamington Street the year before.  It's looking like the ground was behind the Leamington pub on Cheltenham St.

 

Rovers ground is specified as "M" on the plan and the large "MNO" plot which is unspecified stretches up past St Silas's School. The K plot behind Cheltenham St. is specified as Fox Delph. (Old Fox and Grapes Pub?)

It would seem from the Key the Church was already there (N) so In conjunction with the drawing that was also shown on here it looks to me like we have a fairly precise location for the ground.

To me it seems as though  the ground started somewhere around  Leamington Rd Baptist Church at one end stretching up in the direction of Sacred Heart Primary School at the other end with the side boundaries between New Bank Rd and Leamington Rd on one side and between what is now Lynwood Rd and Wellfield Rd on the other side further over in the direction of East Lancs Cricket Club.

(Think someone else mentioned Wellfield Rd was formerly named Rover St earlier in the thread.)

Edited October 23 by RevidgeBlue

[StubbsUK]

Can't you just pop round and have a look @RevidgeBlue 😀

[RevidgeBlue]

27 minutes ago, StubbsUK said:

Can't you just pop round and have a look @RevidgeBlue 😀

🤔

[RevidgeBlue]

33 minutes ago, StubbsUK said:

Can't you just pop round and have a look @RevidgeBlue 😀

I wish  the ground was still there - I'd only live about 250 yards away!

No point me popping round there's no sign of anything whatsoever as far as Im aware - bit weird when you think about it.

Of course if brfcs want to invest in some high tech x ray equipment to see what's beneath the tarmac and cobbles? 🙂

 

Edited October 23 by RevidgeBlue

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

What a shame there are no known match photographs of Rovers playing there.You would have also thought the England v Scotland game at the venue would have attracted the national media of the peroid.

http://englandfootballonline.com/TeamStadia/England/EngLeamington.html

http://englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1886-87/M0031Sco1887.html#Team

Edited October 23 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[StubbsUK]

10 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I wish  the ground was still there - I'd only live about 250 yards away!

No point me popping round there's no sign of anything whatsoever as far as Im aware - bit weird when you think about it.

Of course if brfcs want to invest in some high tech x ray equipment to see what's beneath the tarmac and cobbles? 🙂

 

There's a legend that part of Sacred Heart is what was the old pavilion, but I really doubt it, it would have been wooden for a start more than likely.

Maybe send Time Team round?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

The school was built on the site of were the pitch would have been after Rovers left for Ewood...pretty sure of that

[StubbsUK]

Someone on Facebook has done the Leamington Road ground with AI (I assume)

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Very good but take away those Goal nets!

[Upside Down]

8 hours ago, StubbsUK said:

Someone on Facebook has done the Leamington Road ground with AI (I assume)

 

That's a rendition of what our next ground will be when venkys sell of Ewood Park after letting it fall into total disrepair and rot.

[StubbsUK]

19 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Very good but take away those Goal nets!

And the cars 🤣

[rog of the rovers]

Some amateur sleuthing for my uncle, he’s a keen historian and grew up in the area, but obviously it’s hard to confirm.

Some solid ideas though I think?!

[RevidgeBlue]

On 30/10/2025 at 18:31, StubbsUK said:

And the cars 🤣

And add in the 45 degree slopes beyond the far side of the pitch!

[RevidgeBlue]

On 01/11/2025 at 13:00, rog of the rovers said:

Some amateur sleuthing for my uncle, he’s a keen historian and grew up in the area, but obviously it’s hard to confirm.

Some solid ideas though I think?!

⅖

Almost exactly what I said the other week, the ground stretching between Granville Rd and St Silas's Rd with an incline stretching beyond the far end of the pitch.

The inaccuracy of the drawing is that the steepness of the incline isn't severe enough and the former Dog Inn is quite a bit further away than it looks on the picture.

My only slight query would be whether the ground was slightly further over towards New Bank Rd. as someone else said I think the "Back Alley" was New Bank Rd but I remember the former TSB Bank on the corner of Leamington Rd very well so if these notes are correct, and there's no reason to suggest they're not as they're pretty detailed, we have an exact location.

Good work!

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I bet the Dog Inn was drunk dry by the Scots fans that day..never had such takings since i bet!

 

Edited 21 hours ago by SIMON GARNERS 194

[...]

Trying to pinpoint from the findings above on real time map where it would be situated can't seem to locate the cottages top right

[rog of the rovers]

@...

I assume they are these? Looking towards Billinge Woods, as though you were in the doorway of the (former) Dog Inn

Edited 5 hours ago by rog of the rovers

[rog of the rovers]

Or these? Going up Dukes Brow towards Revidge, opposite what was The Quarrymans (aka Duck and Puddle)

 

[...]

59 minutes ago, rog of the rovers said:

Or these? Going up Dukes Brow towards Revidge, opposite what was The Quarrymans (aka Duck and Puddle)

 

Yea these look like they could be the ones. 

All completely fascinating.  Would be willing to do a Sunday walk with a few of us to geek it out woollen Bob hats and all. Always an excuse for a pint albeit not at the Dog Inn...

Edited 4 hours ago by ...

[GHR]

4 minutes ago, ... said:

Yea these look like they could be the ones. 

All completely fascinating.  Would be willing to do a Sunday walk with a few of us to geek it out woollen Bob hats and all. Always an excuse for a pint albeit not at the Dog Inn...

Or indeed anywhere on the Revidge Run! Except for the Alexandra there can't be many at all up Revidge / Corpy Park / Pleckgate / Lammack these days. Royal Oak and Hare & Hounds have both gone of late.

@rog of the rovers excellent work by your uncle!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Best I could find - 1891-92 - Ordnance Survey data showing the area where there was free space. Seems to make a lot of sense based on comments/diagrams further up on the thread especially over the confusion that it went up to Revidge Road. This map shows that it did extend up to there but based on other bits and bobs, you could easily see the ground being further down towards Granville Road/Cheltenham Street (as it was back then).

 

 

[wilsdenrover]

52 minutes ago, Tim Southampton Rover said:

Best I could find - 1891-92 - Ordnance Survey data showing the area where there was free space. Seems to make a lot of sense based on comments/diagrams further up on the thread especially over the confusion that it went up to Revidge Road. This map shows that it did extend up to there but based on other bits and bobs, you could easily see the ground being further down towards Granville Road/Cheltenham Street (as it was back then).

 

 

There’s a Rover street on there.

Could that be some sort of clue?