Bristol Rovers - Eastville Stadium - South Stand 2 - 1970s

by Legendary Football Grounds

Title

Bristol Rovers - Eastville Stadium - South Stand 2 - 1970s

Artist

Legendary Football Grounds

Medium

Photograph

Description

Bristol Rovers played at Eastville Stadium from 1897 until 1986. The ground was purchased by the Football Club in 1921 and in 1932

the club decided to construct a greyhound track in the ground. The Bristol Greyhound Company then purchased the ground from

Bristol Rovers in 1940 and the football club were tenants for the next 46 years. Record attendance for a Bristol Rovers match was the

38,472 supporters who attended an FA Cup 4th Round match against Preston North End.

The wooden South Stand in our photos was constructed in 1924 but was destroyed by fire in 1980. The North Stand was opened in

1959 but the original plans proved too costly and the development was scaled back to 3/5 planned capacity. The West Stand,

constructed in 1935 and given a roof in 1961, was known as The Tote End thanks to the large "Totaliser" board for greyhound racing.

The East Terrace was curved to follow the lines of the dog track.

Eastville Stadium had flowerbeds located in the green spaces behind the goals. Our black and white photos show empty plots but the

colour photos from the 1970s show flowers in bloom.

Financial problems forced Bristol Rovers to seek a cheaper ground to Eastville after the 1985-86 season. The Bristol Greyhound

Company raised rent and the club left to play their home matches in Bath until their return to ground in Bristol a decade later.

Uploaded

January 27th, 2016

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