North Road (stadium)

Infobox stadium
name = North Road
nickname =


fullname =
location = Newton Heath, Greater Manchester
coordinates = coord|53|30|13|N|2|11|56|W|region:GB_type:landmark
broke_ground =
built =
opened =
renovated =
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner = Manchester Deans and Canons
operator =
surface = Grass
construction_cost =
architect =
structural engineer =
services engineer =
general_contractor =
project_manager =
main_contractors =
former_names =
tenants = Newton Heath F.C. (1878–1893)
capacity = ~15,000
dimensions =
scoreboard =

North Road was a multi-use stadium in the district of Newton Heath, Greater Manchester, England. It was used mostly for football matches and was the first home of Manchester United F.C., then known as Newton Heath Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Football Club, from the club's foundation in 1878 to 1893, when they moved to a new ground at Bank Street, Clayton.

History

Upon the foundation of Newton Heath L&YR F.C. at the request of the employees of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company's Carriage and Wagon Works, it became apparent that the club would require a pitch upon which to play. The site chosen was a "bumpy, stony patch in summer, [and] a muddy, heavy swamp in the rainy months". [Tyrrell et al., p.93] Located adjacent to the railway line operated by the L&YR, the ground was often clouded with a thick mist of steam from the passing trains, and there was not even a place for the players to get changed on site. Instead, they had to change at the Three Crowns pub, a few hundred yards away on Oldham Road.Inglis, p.234]

The first recorded matches at the ground took place in 1880, two years after the club's formation, and were mostly friendlies. The first competitive match held at North Road was a Lancashire Cup first round match against Blackburn Olympic's reserve team, played on 27 October 1883; Newton Heath lost 7–2. The details of the match attendance have been lost, though it is assumed that the ground was now enclosed as an entry fee of 3d was levied. [Shury, pp.6–7] Upon the advent of professionalism in football in 1885, Newton Heath had to find a means of paying their players, which they did through the introduction of a 3d admission charge for all matches, later rising to sixpence. [Shury, p.8]

Records show that the ground originally had a capacity of around 12,000, but the club officials decided that they should be able to provide for more spectators if the club was to have any hope of joining the Football League.White, p.21] Therefore, in 1891, Newton Heath used what little financial reserves they had to purchase two grandstands, each able to hold 1,000 spectators. However, this transaction put the club at odds with the railway company, who refused to contribute any finance to the deal. The two organisations began to drift apart from that point, and, in 1892, the club attempted to raise £2,000 in share capital to pay off the expansion of the ground.White, p.23] The split also meant that the railway company now refused to pay the rent on the ground, which actually belonged to the Manchester Cathedral authorities, who then raised the rent.Tyrrell et al., p.97] Unable to afford the increased rent, especially as the Manchester Deans and Canons felt it inappropriate for the club to charge admission to the ground,Shury, p.21] the Heathens were served with an eviction notice. Fortunately, the club's management had been seeking a new stadium ever since the first attempted eviction in 1892, and they moved to a new ground on Bank Street, three miles away in Clayton. They attempted to take the two grandstands with them, but the attempt failed and the stands were sold for just £100.

The stadium no longer exists, and North Road has been renamed Northampton Road. The site now serves as the location of the North Manchester Business Park, and before that it was Moston Brook High School. A red plaque could once be found attached to one of the school's walls at the location of the old stadium, as a marker of the social history of the city of Manchester, but the plaque has since been stolen and not replaced. [White, p.15]

References

;General
*cite book |last=Inglis |first=Simon |title=Football Grounds of Britain |origyear=1985 |edition=3rd edition |year=1996 |publisher=CollinsWillow |location=London |isbn=0-00-218426-5
*cite book |last=Shury |first=Alan |coauthors=& Landamore, Brian |title=The Definitive Newton Heath F.C. |publisher=SoccerData |date=2005 |isbn=1899468161
*cite book |last=Tyrrell |first=Tom |coauthors=Meek, David |title=The Hamlyn Illustrated History of Manchester United 1878-1996 |origyear=1988 |edition=5th edition |year=1996 |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |isbn=0-600-59074-7
*cite book |last=White |first=Jim |title=Manchester United: The Biography |year=2008 |publisher=Sphere |location=London |isbn=978-1-84744-088-4

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