Good Old Highfield Road (1 Viewer)

[You'll Never Beat McPake]

Taken from "12 lost English Football.Grounds" by Gary Winter, May 2022.

Highfield Road opened in September 1899. This Aerofilms photograph was taken in 1953 but shows the ground as it would have looked before the outbreak of the Second World War.

The dark section of terracing at the top-left corner of the Kop was known as the Crow’s Nest. It was added in 1938 and survived at Highfield Road until 1981. © Historic England Archive. Aerofilms Collection EAW051854.

At the far end of the ground is the Kop, a mass of terrace constructed using rubble collected when tram lines were laid in the city. A new Main Stand was built in 1936. Opposite the Kop is the West Terrace, which was covered in 1927 with a roof acquired from Twickenham rugby ground.

 

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[Nick]

Look at how "green" the surroundings are.

I know the park is still there but it just seems a bit more "desolate" now.

 

[napolimp]

What's all that farmland above the stadium - Willenhall and Binley now? Looks like they really built out that way in the second half of the 20th century.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

Just looking at all the fields in the distance. All of that built on now. Would that be areas such as Stoke Aldermoor?

 

[Sick Boy]

What's all that farmland above the stadium - Willenhall and Binley now? Looks like they really built out that way in the second half of the 20th century.

Yeah I’d say so - it’s incredible how much it changed in a relatively short timeframe.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

Binley Village would have been there but I would think the Willenhall estates hadn’t been built at that time. Ernsford Grange certainly wasn’t around as I can remember all of that going up.

 

[sotvtoday]

A case of 'be careful what you wish for'. 15(?) years later how much better off would we have been?

 

[speedie87]

Great pic, can see the house my grandparents and dad lived at the time!

Loving the steam train on the track right of pic too

 

[thekidfromstrettoncamp]

Used to stand on the Crows Nest in the 50's terrific view if you wanted to admire the pattern of play.Then in the 60's moved to the shed that was the west terrace for atmosphere just like Singers Corner today.They built a West Stand above where we stood.Sat the Main Stand a few times before it burnt down. Moved back toSwan Lane end of the ground to stand with son and father.Never sat in the Sky Blue Stand 1 regret.

 

[Sky Blue Harry H]

Used to stand on the Crows Nest in the 50's terrific view if you wanted to admire the pattern of play.Then in the 60's moved to the shed that was the west terrace for atmosphere just like Singers Corner today.They built a West Stand above where we stood.Sat the Main Stand a few times before it burnt down. Moved back toSwan Lane end of the ground to stand with son and father.Never sat in the Sky Blue Stand 1 regret.

Never really thought about it before, but 99% sure I stood/sat in every area of Highfield Road at one time or another.

 

[usskyblue]

Never really thought about it before, but 99% sure I stood/sat in every area of Highfield Road at one time or another.

Think I win m8

Over the years I did the Main Stand, West Stand, East Terrace, West Terrace, Skyblue Stand (once), Directors box… and…

….I even got dragged through the Man Utd fans in the East End Away Terrace by two rather irritated police officers

 

[thekidfromstrettoncamp]

Stood in front of the main stand the night of the Sunderland cup tie. 1963 (great night that was) It felt very strange when the gates were broke down and a surge of fans behind us, pushed us foward being in my teens then though nothing of it but I could see how the Hillsborough disaster took place years later..Just read a peice that said kids were passed down to the pitch that night don't remember that .Think that was the Wolves game or has dementia set in .

 

[HerneBayGaz]

Never really thought about it before, but 99% sure I stood/sat in every area of Highfield Road at one time or another.

Me too sat and stood in ever part of the ground. Really miss the West End. Happy memories

 

[Sky Blue Harry H]

Think I win m8

Over the years I did the Main Stand, West Stand, East Terrace, West Terrace, Skyblue Stand (once), Directors box… and…

….I even got dragged through the Man Utd fans in the East End Away Terrace by two rather irritated police officers

You beat me - never did the directors box. I did manage to watch (very very drunk) a home game against Ipswich (Wark, Gates, Brazil era), where I started off in the West End and ended up in the Kop - along with a few from the West End (where the Ipswich 'mob' of about 100 were. Probably the most drunk I've ever been at a game (late teens) and remembered next to nothing about the game about 10 minutes after it had finished.

 

[Johhny Blue]

Think I win m8

Over the years I did the Main Stand, West Stand, East Terrace, West Terrace, Skyblue Stand (once), Directors box… and…

….I even got dragged through the Man Utd fans in the East End Away Terrace by two rather irritated police officers

Don’t forget on the field from the ankles down at the wolves game

 

[Frank Sidebottom]

That can't be Highfield Road, Where's the A444 and the giant neon sign on top of the Binley Mega Chippy in the distance?

 

[lacesoutdom]

I really miss that ground. never should have left.

 

[Terry_dactyl]

I really miss that ground. never should have left.

A bloke I play football with turned round to me last week and said, in relation to our current pitch crisis, “things really have gone to shit for Cov since they moved to that ground. What a disaster it’s been”.
I didn’t argue with him.

Having said that the last few years have been great.

 

[AiS86]

Different angle, presumably from the same flight

 

[Skyblueweeman]

Didn't know that the West Terrace had a roof that came from Twickenham. Interesting.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

Pitch looking worn in the last photo!

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Interesting to see the advert still there for a cinema which had been destroyed over 10 years before the photo

 

[AiS86]

Can't say I'd ever heard of Rex cinema before, just had a look and found this though, would be great if they ever highfield road too The Rex Cinema – Coventry Rebuilt

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Can't say I'd ever heard of Rex cinema before, just had a look and found this though, would be great if they ever highfield road too The Rex Cinema – Coventry Rebuilt

Yes was a very good cinema for its time, then completely destroyed by bombing in 1940. Interesting the HR advertising was still there years later.

Imagine if somebody rebuilt one now along those same lines with a full restaurant, bar and tropical birds it’d get some interest.

 

[Hutch11]

See the Mercers on the bottom photo , what a lively place that was at times

 

[Gint11]

I’ve got tons of memories at HR over the years but one of my favorites was when we went to HR on a school trip one sunny afternoon and i remember sitting in a random seat looking around. It was really quiet and tranquil but you’d hear noises from the ground staff or some bloke fixing a seat in the distance etc and just couldn’t take my eyes away from the view and how beautiful it looked. What a stadium. Miss it loads.

Honestly, if any of the hierarchy read these threads, if you are genuinely building a new stadium, please please please replicate HR with obviously in a modern way

I can see it now, New Highfield rd

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Didn't know that the West Terrace had a roof that came from Twickenham. Interesting.

And the flood lights.
seems we have had a relationship wirh Rugby football for nearly 100 years.

 

[Macca1987]

Stood in front of the main stand the night of the Sunderland cup tie. 1963 (great night that was) It felt very strange when the gates were broke down and a surge of fans behind us, pushed us foward being in my teens then though nothing of it but I could see how the Hillsborough disaster took place years later..Just read a peice that said kids were passed down to the pitch that night don't remember that .Think that was the Wolves game or has dementia set in .

I was there, it was the Wolves match, remember getting passed over heads all the way down to the grass at the front, sat there for the rest of the game

 

[COVKIDSNEVERQUIT]

Pitch looking worn in the last photo!

Yeah and they still played on it.

 

[thekidfromstrettoncamp]

I was there, it was the Wolves match, remember getting passed over heads all the way down to the grass at the front, sat there for the rest of the game

Glad someone else remembers.Talking about the Wolves game stood on west terrace but in the corner wife with me she could not see a lot of the game I had to tell here what was happening .

 

[MTK]

I can see Mowbray Street where I grew up in the 60s/70s. Living so close is how I came to love football. I don't miss the ladies toilets behind the West Terrace though - they were not pleasant to use

 

[Brylowes]

Taken from "12 lost English Football.Grounds" by Gary Winter, May 2022.

Highfield Road opened in September 1899. This Aerofilms photograph was taken in 1953 but shows the ground as it would have looked before the outbreak of the Second World War.
View attachment 25870
The dark section of terracing at the top-left corner of the Kop was known as the Crow’s Nest. It was added in 1938 and survived at Highfield Road until 1981. © Historic England Archive. Aerofilms Collection EAW051854.

At the far end of the ground is the Kop, a mass of terrace constructed using rubble collected when tram lines were laid in the city. A new Main Stand was built in 1936. Opposite the Kop is the West Terrace, which was covered in 1927 with a roof acquired from Twickenham rugby ground.

Stood on the Crows nest as a boy, I used to find it fascinating and even as a young kid I was never convinced how safe it was, amazing to think how long it lasted.
also interesting to see how the city has grown in that time, a photo of the same view today would show the built up area has reached almost as far as you can see.

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

And the flood lights.
seems we have had a relationship wirh Rugby football for nearly 100 years.

Back in the day, the saying was “ there’s only one football club in Coventry , and they play at Coundon Rd. “

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

I can see Mowbray Street where I grew up in the 60s/70s. Living so close is how I came to love football. I don't miss the ladies toilets behind the West Terrace though - they were not pleasant to use

Should have seen the gents

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

See the Mercers on the bottom photo , what a lively place that was at times

It also looks like the car park behind it was a park or playing field of some kind.