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1891 - Old Boys Field - Near the Tram Depot.

What we know about this image :

Though dating from the 1930s. this  picture had captured the site of “Old Boys Field” in Cleveland Road to the right of the ‘bus, near to its junction with Union Road.

"Old Boys" RFC played on this field from 1893; they took over the site when Hartlepool Rangers ceased playing that year "due to a lack of a field", and moved to another site on the Field in 1898.   Apparently the site was known as "Old Boys Field" when Rangers played there although all their games were advertised as "Near the Tram Depot" which stood to the rear of this picture at Greenland (the Tram Offices still stand, being re erected in William Gray House grounds). Press reports of Rangers matches also occsionally refer to Central Estate as Rangers ground. Later known as "Horsley’s Field", the site was used for many years for pit prop storage, one of a number of areas of the town that had prop storage - (giving rise to the quip, that Hartlepool was heavily wooded - with pit props!). The area is now covered in modern housing developments

The Field was also the field on which Rovers (initally formed as Hartlepool Albion) played their first games in 1879, carrying the posts to the game for each match to the ground and bringing them back after each game. 

This site was also part of the 1922 Pit Prop Fire which devastated a lot of the housing in the area, fortunately without loss of life.  

 

Date (of image) : 1/1/1930

Donor : Hartlepool Museums Service

Creator : Unknown

Part of the "Hartlepool Museums Service" collection

Location


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