 Kepier Haughs is on the far side of the river in this image. | |
 | |
| Location | Durham, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°47′14″N1°33′40″W / 54.7872°N 1.5611°W |
| Record attendance | 7,886 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1920 |
| Closed | 1923 |
| Tenants | |
| Durham City | |
Kepier Haughs is a haugh located to the north of Kepier Hospital in Durham, England. It has been used as a rifle range and a sports field, as well as hosting a brick works. It was the home ground of Durham City football club between 1920 and 1923.
The land originally belonged to the Kepier Hospital, and on the dissolution of the monasteries, it was transferred to William Paget and John Cockburn, who sold it to John Heath in 1555. The land subsequently changed hands a few times, with mining works being established in 1822 and 1872. [1]
The site housed a brick works, which remained in use until the 1880s; this was dismantled in the 1890s, leaving only the kiln. [2] The space was then used as a rifle range, with firing posts every 100 yards from a concrete target (also extant). [2] The latter 500 yards of the range were removed in 1920, when Durham City moved to the ground. [3] The only spectator facility was a wooden seated stand. [3]
In 1921 Durham were elected to the Third Division North of the Football League, and the first Football League match played at the ground on 3 September 1921 saw Durham beat Southport 2–0 in front of 3,800 spectators. On 3 December 1921 the ground's record attendance of 7,886 was set for an FA Cup match against Darlington.
However, the ground's location some distance from the city centre made it unpopular with supporters, and in 1923 the club relocated to Holiday Park, taking with them the wooden stand. The last League game played at Kepier Haughs was on 5 May 1923 when Durham beat Barrow 4–1 in front of only 1,000 spectators, equalling the lowest recorded attendance at the ground. [3]
The remaining 400 yards of the rifle range survived into the 1930s. By 2019 only the concrete frame of the target remained. [2]
The site was purchased by the North Eastern Electric Supply Company in the 1940s, with a view to constructing a power station on the site, and on nationalisation ownership was transferred to the British Electricity Authority, which disposed of it in the 1950s. [4]
The former football ground is now used as a school playing field; [3] the final 400 yards is pasture land.
Durham City Association Football Club is a football club based in Durham, England. Members of the Football League from 1921 until 1928, they currently play in the Wearside League Division One.
Tannadice Park officially known as The CalForth Construction Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. It is the home ground of Dundee United F.C., who have played at Tannadice since the club was founded as Dundee Hibernian in 1909. The stadium has been all-seated since 1994 and has a capacity of 14,223. It is located only 200 yards from Dundee F.C.'s stadium, Dens Park; the two are the closest senior football grounds in the UK.
The Shay is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It is home to the F.C. Halifax Town football club and the Halifax Panthers rugby league team.
Victoria Park is a sports venue in Abbotsford, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The stadium is oval shaped and was built to host Australian rules football and cricket matches. In the past Victoria Park featured a cycling track, tennis courts, and a baseball club that once played curtain raisers to football matches.
Wilderspool Stadium was a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Saltergate, officially the Recreation Ground, was the historic home of Chesterfield Football Club, and was in use from 1871 until the club's relocation in July 2010, a 139-year history that made it one of the oldest football grounds in England at the time of its closure. From the 1920s onward the name 'Saltergate' became predominant in popular references to the ground.
St Mirren Park, more commonly known as Love Street, was a football stadium located on Love Street in Paisley, Scotland. At one time the stadium was capable of accommodating almost 50,000 spectators, however in its final years it had an all-seated capacity of 10,800. Until its closure in 2009, it was the home ground of St Mirren F.C.
The East Melbourne Cricket Ground was a grass oval sports venue located at the southwest corner of Jolimont Road and Jolimont Parade in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The site is best known for playing host to many sporting events during the city of Melbourne's early existence, consisting mainly of cricket and Australian rules football, although the ground occasionally hosted soccer matches. Its closure was predicated by the annexure of the land by Victoria Railways to enable stabling and marshalling of trains as part of the electrification of Melbourne's metropolitan rail service.
Bower Fold in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, England, is the home ground of Stalybridge Celtic football club and, intermittently, Oldham rugby league club.
Muirton Park was the second of three football stadiums the football club St Johnstone from Perth, Scotland, have occupied in their history. It was preceded by the Recreation Grounds (1885–1924) and succeeded by McDiarmid Park (1989–present). Muirton Park stood between 1924 and 1989, at which point it was demolished and replaced with a supermarket.
Exmouth Junction is the railway junction where the Exmouth branch line diverges from the London Waterloo to Exeter main line in Exeter, Devon, England. It was for many years the location for one of the largest engine sheds in the former London and South Western Railway. The sidings served the railway's concrete casting factory as well as a goods yard.
The Seedhill Football Ground was a football stadium in Nelson, Lancashire. It was the home of various incarnations of current North West Counties League Division One side Nelson F.C. from 1889, when the Burnley Express reported an opening senior fixture played against Burnley on March 16, 1889, until 1971. During their tenure at Seedhill, Nelson were members of the English Football League between 1921 and 1931. Nelson's last game at Seedhill was a Lancashire Combination fixture on Sunday 28 March 1971 against local rivals, Clitheroe F.C. Local newspaper, the Nelson Leader, reported that a crowd of over a thousand gathered to see Clitheroe beaten by five goals to three in what was not only the last game but also the first Sunday game at the stadium. Nelson then moved to their current Victoria Park ground on Lomeshaye Holme for the start of the 1971–72 season. Seedhill football ground was demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the M65 motorway.
Bayview Park was a football stadium in the town of Methil, Fife, Scotland. It was the home ground of East Fife F.C. from their formation in 1903 until they moved to the new Bayview Stadium in 1998.
Huish Athletic Ground, more commonly referred to as Huish, was a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. It was the second home ground of Yeovil Town Football Club, after the Pen Mill Athletic Ground which they left in 1920, until the club's departure for Huish Park in 1990.
The Clapton Stadium, also known as Millfields Road, was a football ground and greyhound racing stadium in the Lower Clapton area of London.
Horsley Hill was a football and rugby league ground and greyhound racing track in South Shields.
Holiday Park was a football ground and greyhound racing stadium in Durham in England. It was the home ground of Durham City between 1923 and 1939.
Portland Park was a football ground in Ashington, England. It was the home ground of Ashington A.F.C. between 1909 and 2008. It also hosted greyhound racing from 1936 until 1993.
Chapelhill Park was a football ground in Clackmannan, Scotland. It was the home ground of Clackmannan F.C. from 1886 until the club folded in 1931.
Old Road Ground, also known as the Clacton Greyhound Stadium, was a cricket, football, and greyhound racing stadium in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.