Groups

In October, 1895, The Edinburgh Academical Club decided that they were no longer prepared to lease Raeburn Place to the Scotitsh Football Union SFU). In an attempt to overcome this blow, the Union purchased ground at Inverleith, Edinburgh Thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own rugby ground, complete with stand.

During building and preparatory operations, the Powderhall sports ground in Edinburgh was used to house two international matches: versus Ireland in 1897 and versus England the following year.

Central Park former home of WIgan RLFC.

Wheldon Road Ground can be seen top midle of the photograph home to Catleford Tigers RLFC.

Headingley Rugby Ground, home of Leeds RLFC/Rhinos

St Helens Rugby League Ground Knowsley Road

St Helens Recreation Rugby League Ground City Road St Helens

Site of Hull Kingston Rovers ground on Craven Street from 1895 to 1922 when the club moved to the new Holderness Road site, which came to be known as Craven park (as opposed to the current Preston Road ground, called the New Craven park)

The first field above the last houses in the top left corner is Raeburn Place.



Raeburn Place has been the home of Edinburgh Academical FC - the oldest club in Scotland and second oldest in the world - since 1857.



The first ever international under Rugby rules, Scotland v England, was played here on 27 March, 1871. Scotland won by a goal and a try to a try in front of a crowd of 4000 who paid 1/- each.

Lidget Green, home of Bradford RUFC - formed in 1863 as Bradford Football Club - from 1919 to 1982 when BRUFC merged with Bingley to form Bradford & Bingley RFC, based at Wagon Lane, Bingley.



Beside hosting numerous Yorkshire County games, amongst other big games played there were -

Australia v NZ inter services game in 1919 - won by Aus 6-3,

The second All Blacks v Yorkshire (which included 7 Bradford players) in 1924/5 - won by ABs 42-4 - the 4 points for Yorkshire was a drop goal!,

North v South England trial in 1924,

Three county championship finals between 1920 and 1928 - 1920 Yorkshire lost to Gloucester - 1926 Yorkshire beat Hampshire15-14 - 1928 Yorkshire beat Cornwall 12-8,

The Maoris v Yorkshire in 1926 - won by Maoris 17-9

The third All Blacks v Yorks/Cumberland in 1935 - won by ABs 14-3 ,

All Blacks v NE Counties in 1954 - the only game played in England that day through use of salt and a steam-roller to soften the frozen pitch, 20,000 watched the game - it took several years to restore the pitch!.

Barbarians v Bradford, 4 October 1965 - 75 years after Barbarians formed in Bradford in 1890

All Blacks v North East of England on 9 Dec 1972 - ABs won 9-3

Affectionately known as Billy Williams Cabbage Patch after an RFU committee member who was instrumental in the purchase of the former market garden, Twickenham hosted its first international when Wales visited on 15 January 1910. England won 11-6.



For more on international rugby venues in the British Isles, visit http://sportinglandmarks.co.uk/?p=156

A third view of Cardiff Arms Park.

Another view of Cardiff Arms Park.

The long association between Cardiff Arms Park and international rugby began on 12 April 1884 with a Welsh victory over Ireland by 1 drop goal and 2 tries to nil. Donated by the Marquis of Bute to the City of Cardiff “for recreational use” in perpetuity, the Arms Park was used by Cardiff Cricket Club from 1848 and subsequently by Glamorgan County Cricket Club until the 1960s.



The southern part of the park became the home of Cardiff RFC from 1876. In the 1960s, as cricketers relocated to pitches up-river in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff’s rugby club took over the former cricket ground while the existing rugby stadium was redeveloped for international use as the National Ground Cardiff Arms Park.



Between the Welsh 3-0 victory over England on 22 January 1955 and England’s 13-34 victory on 15 March 1997, all Wales’s 5 Nations home fixtures were played at the Arms Park / National Ground.



The pitch of the new Millennium Stadium is has been rotated through 90 degrees compared with the old National Ground to run north-south.

Craven Park, home of Hull Kingston Rovers until 1989, is shown in the bottom left

One of the great things about sites such as this is that they encourage further investigation and research that ultimately gets to the full facts. It looks like my initial post was incorrect. The Barrow Raider's ground stands now where the areas of water are located on the photo. Which is very interesting. I havent found out yet what was within the area i thought was the ground. And i havent yet come up with a name for the building that looks like a demolished church. But is seems likely that the church and the buildings next to it eventually became the grounds for the Barrow Corperation Bus depot.

Aberavon RFC

I have tagged an area of the photo (just north west of photo centre) that is land now occupied by Barrow Raiders rugby league ground, Craven Park. I dont know what was on the site prior to the rugby, but there seems to be an old church that stands where now is the west stand of the ground.