Plough Lane
Encyclopedia
Plough Lane was a football stadium
in Wimbledon
, south west London
. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club
from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park
as part of a groundshare
agreement with Crystal Palace
. Both clubs' reserve teams then used Plough Lane as their home ground until 1998, when it was sold to Safeway
. The stadium was then left derelict until it was demolished in 2002, and became the site of the Reynolds Gate housing development in 2008.
in 1912. The pitch was consequently fenced in and the playing surface improved, while a dressing room was built. A stand holding 500 spectators was erected, and Wimbledon played their first match at the ground on 7 September 1912, a friendly match against Carshalton Athletic
which was drawn 2–2. Improvements continued to be made to the ground during the First World War
, and Plough Lane soon became the pride of the club — in 1918, Vice-president
A. Gill Knight boasted that the club had "the finest ground in the southern district".
During the 1920s, crowds were regularly taken at between five and eight thousand. The South Stand was added in 1923, purchased from Clapton Orient
. The terrace in front of the North Stand was improved during 1932–33, and by the start of the Second World War
the ground's capacity stood at 30,000. The ground was even used as the site of an amateur international match, when England
took on Wales
on 19 January 1935. However damage attained during the Second World War
meant that extensive redevelopment was necessary after the club returned in 1944 — the South Stand had been bombed, and the incomplete fencing meant the club couldn't even charge for admission. Half-time
collections were taken to keep Wimbledon going.
The South Stand was restored to its former glory in 1950, and 1950–51 saw the capacity back around the 25,000 mark. Glass panels were fitted at each end of both stands two years later, at the cost of £90, 8s — a sum equivalent to £ in 2009. Floodlights were purchased in July 1954, and the North Stand was completely rebuilt before the 1957–58 season. The ground's freehold was purchased from Merton Borough Council
by chairman Sydney Black for £8,250 in November 1959, and then donated to the club. Black announced at the same time that the floodlights purchased five years earlier would be erected on eight pylons the next year at the cost of £4,000. Due to inflation
, the price paid by Black for the stadium would have been equal to £ in 2009 — this became significant as one of the conditions of the sale of the ground was the insertion of a pre-emption clause stating that if the site was ever to be used for any purpose other than sport, the Council would have the right to buy the ground back for the same price it had been paid, regardless of inflation. As the pound sterling
's value decreased over the years, this clause became a double-edged sword — it protected the club from asset strippers
, but also meant that the stadium's value could never grow above the £8,250 that Black had paid in 1959.
The first match under the new floodlights took place on 3 October 1960, in a London Charity Cup
match against Arsenal
. Arsenal beat Wimbledon 4–1. The ground remained unchanged until the club's election to the Football League
, though during 1971–72 an attempt was made to start a market
on the club's grounds to raise funds. The High Court
ruled that this plan contravened a statute
decreed by Charles I
in 1628 forbidding any market within seven miles of Kingston's — the court reckoned the distance between Kingston market and Plough Lane to be five and a half miles, so no market was built. Despite election to the Football League
in 1977 and subsequent success, the club was still plagued by financial trouble. To try and ease the strain on the club, in April 1983 Wimbledon bought out the preemption clause inserted back in 1959 for £100,000. A year later, they sold the ground to Sam Hammam
for £3 million.
Following the publication of the Taylor Report
in 1990, that introduced new safety measures for stadia including the regulation that they be all-seater
, the board of the club decided that Plough Lane could not be redeveloped to meet the new standards. The work required to modernise Plough Lane would have been difficult and expensive, but not impossible as the board claimed. A supposedly temporary groundshare
with Crystal Palace
at Selhurst Park
was announced the same year, to begin for the start of 1991–92. Wimbledon's final first team match at Plough Lane came on 4 May 1991, ironically against new landlords Crystal Palace. 10,002 spectators saw Crystal Palace beat Wimbledon 3–0, before swarming onto the pitch to bid farewell to the ground.
. Safeway sought to build a supermarket
on the site for four years but, after local residents' opposition and local authority objections to their plans, gave up in 2002. They demolished the stadium during the summer and subsequently sold the vacant site to David Wilson Homes in November 2002. Planning permission was granted to the developer in October 2005 to build 570 flats, and the development was completed in 2008. Following lobbying by Wimbledon supporters, the development agreed to adopt a Wimbledon Football Club theme, with the entire site named "Reynolds Gate" after former player Eddie Reynolds
. The six individual blocks making up the development were named Bassett House
, Batsford House
, Cork House
, Lawrie House
, Reed House and Stannard House.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
, south west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
as part of a groundshare
Groundshare
Groundshare is the principle of sharing a stadium between two local sport teams. This is usually done for the purpose of reducing the costs of either construction of two separate facilities and related maintenance. -Intersport Groundshares:...
agreement with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. Both clubs' reserve teams then used Plough Lane as their home ground until 1998, when it was sold to Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
. The stadium was then left derelict until it was demolished in 2002, and became the site of the Reynolds Gate housing development in 2008.
As Wimbledon F.C.'s home ground
The leasehold on the disused swampland at the corner of Plough Lane and Haydons Road was purchased by Wimbledon Football ClubWimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
in 1912. The pitch was consequently fenced in and the playing surface improved, while a dressing room was built. A stand holding 500 spectators was erected, and Wimbledon played their first match at the ground on 7 September 1912, a friendly match against Carshalton Athletic
Carshalton Athletic F.C.
Carshalton Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton, London. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and are based at the War Memorial Sports Ground.-Early years:...
which was drawn 2–2. Improvements continued to be made to the ground during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and Plough Lane soon became the pride of the club — in 1918, Vice-president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
A. Gill Knight boasted that the club had "the finest ground in the southern district".
During the 1920s, crowds were regularly taken at between five and eight thousand. The South Stand was added in 1923, purchased from Clapton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
. The terrace in front of the North Stand was improved during 1932–33, and by the start of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the ground's capacity stood at 30,000. The ground was even used as the site of an amateur international match, when England
England national amateur football team
The England national amateur football team was the amateur representative team for England at football. It was formed in 1906, due to the growth of the professional game which meant that amateur players could no longer easily find places in the main England national team.-First match and unbeaten...
took on Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on 19 January 1935. However damage attained during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
meant that extensive redevelopment was necessary after the club returned in 1944 — the South Stand had been bombed, and the incomplete fencing meant the club couldn't even charge for admission. Half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
collections were taken to keep Wimbledon going.
The South Stand was restored to its former glory in 1950, and 1950–51 saw the capacity back around the 25,000 mark. Glass panels were fitted at each end of both stands two years later, at the cost of £90, 8s — a sum equivalent to £ in 2009. Floodlights were purchased in July 1954, and the North Stand was completely rebuilt before the 1957–58 season. The ground's freehold was purchased from Merton Borough Council
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
by chairman Sydney Black for £8,250 in November 1959, and then donated to the club. Black announced at the same time that the floodlights purchased five years earlier would be erected on eight pylons the next year at the cost of £4,000. Due to inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
, the price paid by Black for the stadium would have been equal to £ in 2009 — this became significant as one of the conditions of the sale of the ground was the insertion of a pre-emption clause stating that if the site was ever to be used for any purpose other than sport, the Council would have the right to buy the ground back for the same price it had been paid, regardless of inflation. As the pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
's value decreased over the years, this clause became a double-edged sword — it protected the club from asset strippers
Asset stripping
Asset stripping involves selling the assets of a business individually at a profit. The term is generally used in a pejorative sense as such activity is not considered productive to the economy. Asset stripping is considered to be a problem in economies such as Russia or China that are making a...
, but also meant that the stadium's value could never grow above the £8,250 that Black had paid in 1959.
The first match under the new floodlights took place on 3 October 1960, in a London Charity Cup
London Charity Cup
The London Charity Cup was one of the London Football Association's County Cups. The original trophy was donated by the Rt. Hon. Reginald Harrison. Former winners include Cheshunt , Wimbledon , among others. The competition was however discontinued in 1975.-External links:*...
match against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Arsenal beat Wimbledon 4–1. The ground remained unchanged until the club's election to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, though during 1971–72 an attempt was made to start a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
on the club's grounds to raise funds. The High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
ruled that this plan contravened a statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
decreed by Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
in 1628 forbidding any market within seven miles of Kingston's — the court reckoned the distance between Kingston market and Plough Lane to be five and a half miles, so no market was built. Despite election to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
in 1977 and subsequent success, the club was still plagued by financial trouble. To try and ease the strain on the club, in April 1983 Wimbledon bought out the preemption clause inserted back in 1959 for £100,000. A year later, they sold the ground to Sam Hammam
Sam Hammam
Samir "Sam" Hammam is a Lebanese business man, most notable for his high profile involvement in British football clubs.-Career:...
for £3 million.
Following the publication of the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
in 1990, that introduced new safety measures for stadia including the regulation that they be all-seater
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
, the board of the club decided that Plough Lane could not be redeveloped to meet the new standards. The work required to modernise Plough Lane would have been difficult and expensive, but not impossible as the board claimed. A supposedly temporary groundshare
Groundshare
Groundshare is the principle of sharing a stadium between two local sport teams. This is usually done for the purpose of reducing the costs of either construction of two separate facilities and related maintenance. -Intersport Groundshares:...
with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
was announced the same year, to begin for the start of 1991–92. Wimbledon's final first team match at Plough Lane came on 4 May 1991, ironically against new landlords Crystal Palace. 10,002 spectators saw Crystal Palace beat Wimbledon 3–0, before swarming onto the pitch to bid farewell to the ground.
After Wimbledon F.C.
Plough Lane continued to be used by both Wimbledon and Crystal Palace as the home ground for their reserve teams' home matches until 1998, when Sam Hammam sold the ground to SafewaySafeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
. Safeway sought to build a supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
on the site for four years but, after local residents' opposition and local authority objections to their plans, gave up in 2002. They demolished the stadium during the summer and subsequently sold the vacant site to David Wilson Homes in November 2002. Planning permission was granted to the developer in October 2005 to build 570 flats, and the development was completed in 2008. Following lobbying by Wimbledon supporters, the development agreed to adopt a Wimbledon Football Club theme, with the entire site named "Reynolds Gate" after former player Eddie Reynolds
Eddie Reynolds
Eddie Reynolds was an Irish footballer.Eddie Reynolds joined Wimbledon FC from Tooting & Mitcham United FC during the 1957/58 season, scored 17 goals in 20 appearances in his first season – and remained a prolific goalscorer for the next seven seasons...
. The six individual blocks making up the development were named Bassett House
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
, Batsford House
Allen Batsford
Allen Batsford was a former football manager. He was appointed manager of Walton & Hersham in 1967 and led them to the Athenian League title in 1969 and the Amateur Cup in 1973. He left to join Wimbledon, leading them to three consecutive Southern League titles and election to the Football League...
, Cork House
Alan Cork
Alan Cork is an English former professional football player. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and has held a number of managerial and coaching posts since his retirement from playing. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association...
, Lawrie House
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...
, Reed House and Stannard House.