The City Ground - A Brief History
The City Ground - A Brief History
Nottingham Forest moved to their new ground on September 3, 1898. In order to raise the £3,000 required to finance the move the club asked members, supporters and businessmen to subscribe to "New Ground Scheme" bearer bonds which cost £5 each. Over £2,000 was raised this way.
The new ground was called the City Ground. It was only a few hundred yards from the old Town Ground at the opposite end of Trent Bridge, which had been named after the Town Arms pub. Nottingham was granted its Charter as a City in 1897 and it was called the City Ground to commemorate this. The ground was wide open on three sides with no protection from the weather. But the pitch was one of the finest in the country. This was due to the presence on the committee of J. W. Bardill, a nurseryman whose family firm still exists in Nottingham and whose company was given the task of preparing the pitch.
In 1935 the club had the opportunity to buy the ground from Nottingham Corporation for £7,000 but it was not proceeded with.
On October 12, 1957 a new East Stand opened at the City Ground costing £40,000 and having benches to sit up to 2,500 fans. The visitors for the opening were Manchester United's "Busby Babes". A new record attendance of 47,804 saw United win 2-1 and the ball, signed by both teams, is still in the Trophy Room.
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The Main Stand was largely rebuilt in 1965. But on August 24, 1968 fire broke out in the Main Stand during a First Division game against Leeds United. The stand was subsequently burned to the ground but thankfully, despite a crowd of 31,126, there were no casualties. The fire started, probably in the dressing room area, just before half-time and as much of it was built of wood, it spread rapidly and the whole stand went up in flames. As a result Forest played six 'home' matches at nearby Meadow Lane and did not win one of them. Sadly much of the club's records, trophies, memorabilia etc. was lost in the fire. The Stand was rebuilt with a capacity of 5,708. |
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The Brian Clough Stand was built in 1980 at a cost of just £2m - largely from proceeds of the unforgettable era in which Forest brought the European Cup back to Nottingham in 1979 and 1980. Under Clough's reign Forest had taken the English domestic game and the European scene by storm and money raised from those outstanding successes was invested in a stand that had a capacity of 10,000. The Stand also incorporated 36 executive boxes and large dining area which was to be the focus of the club's corporate hospitality arrangements. |
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More major development took part in 1992-93 with the rebuilding of the Bridgford Stand. Work started in April, 1992 and when completed the Stand had a capacity of 7,710, the lower tier of 5,131 being allocated to away supporters. The unusual shape of the roof was a planning requirement to allow sunlight to reach houses in nearby Colwick Road. The Stand includes accommodation for 70 wheelchair supporters. It also houses a Management Suite, which includes the public address systems, computerised electronic scoreboard controls and, of course, the police matchday operation. |
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| The Trent End was the most recent stand to be rebuilt - in time for Euro '96 - the European Championships. The new stand, such a prominent landmark by the River Trent, had a capacity of 7,500 to take the ground's capacity to 30,602. |
Centenary Celebrations in 1998
The Centenary of The City Ground was marked in November, 1998, when Nottingham Forest entertained their East Midlands rivals Derby County in a Premier League game. The game, filmed live by the Sky cameras, ended in a predictably competitive 2-2 draw and in addition to the game itself a number of attractions were organised to coincide with the Centenary.
The highlight of the celebrations came at half-time with a parade of some of the biggest names in the club's history, including Len Beaumont, who was believed to be the club's oldest living ex-player at the age of 83. Other famous names from the past included the eternally popular Joe Baker, who made the trip from Scotland. There was also a parade of Forest strips down the years and special entertainment was organised before the game and at half-time to mark a memorable occasion.
Previous Grounds
1865-1878 - The Forest
1879-1881 - Castle Ground, The Meadows
1873-1882 - Trent Bridge
1882-1885 - Parkside Ground
1885-1890 - Gregory Ground
1890-1898 - Town Ground
