Griffin Park, Brentford.

Not a set of football pics but a set of art works created by me of the former Griffin Park Football Stadium, Home of Brentford Football Club until 2020. 

Griffin Park opened on the 1st September 1904 with a 1-1 draw between Brentford and Plymouth Argyle, and closed after the final game between Brentford "B" and Erith Town in the London Senior Cup. The record attendance for a Brentford FC match at the ground was 38678 fora FA Cup 6th round tie against Leicester City in the February 1949, Brentford lost 2-0.

The ground has featured athletics, tennis, Gaelic Football and baseball in the early part of it's history, and was the home ground of the London Broncos Rugby League team from 2002 until 2006.

Other notes of interest about Griffin Park is the stadium being underneath the flight path of Heathrow Airport and the roof of the stands being used as giant advertising boards, and a pub being situated on each corner of the ground.

The pictures are based on aerial shots of the ground from each corner in 2019, the artwork was created by me in 2020 for someone that had requested art style prints of the ground for their Brentford supporting daughter.

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Clicking any image should open a link in another window to the un-watermarked, higher resolution version on Clickasnap.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Crossley Heath School Building 01-01-2019

Taken whilst out for a New Years Day stroll these images of Crossley Heath School show a Victorian Architectural gem on the edge of Saville Park Moor.

Built at a cost of £65000, the Crossley Orphan School and Home was opened on the 29th June 1864, designed by Paull & Aycliffe - John Hogg and paid for by the Crossley family of John, Joseph and Francis. The orphanage was created for boys aged between 2 and 15, and girls up to an age of 17. The children were housed there for free receiving lodging, clothing and education, when opened there was room for between 400 - 500 children.

Thomas Porter a Manchester based merchant made a donation of £50000 to the school in 1879 on the condition the name was changed, so on the 31st January 1887 it became the Crossley & Porter Orphan Home and School. In 1919 day pupils were admitted and the orphanage became the Crossley & Porter School, which is how it remained known until 1985 when a merger with Heath Grammar School saw the school become Crossley Heath School.

The pictures below were taken using a Nikon d3300 SLR on January 1 2019, there are 2 in total plus an artwork created by me. The photo's can also be seen on Clickasnap full size, resolution and un-watermarked.

Clicking the images above should open a link in another window to the un-watermarked, higher resolution version on Clickasnap, the image below should open a link to my Artworks album on Clickasnap.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Ruins of Staups Mill, Blackshawhead

 Built as a cotton mill in the mid to late 18th century, Staups Mill was originally known as Starling Mill and built alongside the then Blackshawhead Clough which was used to power it. Blackshawhead Clough was at the time of building of the mill the border between Lancashire and Yorkshire, it has become known more commonly as Jumble Hole Clough. The mill was largely damaged when a dam collapsed and caused water to rush down Jumble Hole Clough on the 24 September 1896 and there the story seems to end, other than the ruins that now remain.

I visited the area on the 4 May 2022, the path that passes the mill has had some trees put alongside it to prevent access to the mill area and signs have been erected warning of no access and private property. I can only assume this is because of what appears to be the unsafe nature of the remains of the building, I made no attempts to go anywhere near the building with that in mind as I was out to explore not upset the land owner. It was a shame as I would have liked to have pictured the mill from the other side where Jumble Hole Clough flows towards it.

A couple of things that struck me when I was heading back down the valley towards Hebden Bridge, why would you have ever built a mill there, I realise the water flow helps power the mill but it's a fair distance up or down the valley to nearby settlements for workers and access for transporting goods. The second thought i had was it must have been pretty bleak heading to and from work in the 18th and 19th centuries during the winter months.

There are a total of 9 pictures to see around the mill area, they were taken using a Nikon d3300 SLR.

Jumble Hole Clough flowing past Staups Mill, this was as close as I got to the
ruins and due to careful camera cropping it looks a lot closer than it was.

I thought this picture had a similar look to the ones of the Amityville House,
with the 2 windows like eyes at the top.

One of the streams flowing off the surrounding moors and fields into
Jumble Hole Clough, at one time this would have been me stood in
Lancashire looking across to Yorkshire.

The path away from the mill towards Blackshawhead.

I have recently been made aware that the remains of Staups Mill have been demolished.

Clicking any image should open a link in another window to the un-watermarked, higher resolution version on Clickasnap.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Eastwood Railway Station Remains

Eastwood Railway Station opened on the 1st January 1841 to serve the village of Eastwood between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, West Yorkshire. The station used to have a signal box, level crossing, coal drops and goods passing loop around its site but these have all been removed over time. The access ramp from Burnley Road is still used by pedestrians but the former vehicle level crossing is now just a pedestrian crossing providing access to Eastwood Lane.

The station remained in use until competition from trams and buses caused reduced passenger numbers and closure came in December 1951, although some goods traffic continued until the early 1960's. The station buildings remained into the early 1970's when the closure of the signal box led to all the buildings being demolished and cleared.

These pictures were taken using a Nikon d3300 SLR on the 4 May 2022, there are a total of 6 pictures which can be seen below, they can also be seen on Clickasnap where they are full size, resolution and un-watermarked.

The remains of the former station buildings, the site was always tight on
space and the hillside was dug away to provide space for the buildings.
Its hard to imagine now that there were station buildings, a signal box, a
passing loop, coal delivery drops and 2 platforms all within this 
small area for a station.

The station access roads, these used to lead up to a level crossing that
past between the 2 stations platforms, these were staggered due to the
small area available. The only crossing now is for pedestrians.

Looking down the former access ramp and at the pedestrian crossing
that was once used by cars. This picture shows how tight the site
was to fit a station here.

Eastwood Lane runs above the station site, the road towards the
bottom left of the picture accesses the area around what was the station.

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Clicking any image should opena link in another window to the higher resolution, un-watermarked version on Clickasnap.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Middlesborough Transporter Bridge

The Tees Transporter Bridge by it's given name is the longest remaining transporter bridge in the world, currently closed and in need of repairs the bridge seems to have a somewhat uncertain future.

Built at a cost of over £68000, the bridge replaced the ferry service that crossed the Tees nearby when opened in October 1911. A transporter bridge was chosen so as not to effect shipping navigating the River Tees upstream and when the bridge was constructed it was red, the bridge only adopting its blue colour in 1961.

The Transporter Bridge was granted Grade II listed status on the 21 June 1985, and the Heritage Plaque from the Institution of Mechanical Engineer's in December 1993. The bridge was closed for works in August 2019 and has remained closed since on safety grounds.

The pictures below are original artworks created by me and based on drone footage of the bridge.

Clicking on either picture will open a link in another window to the higher resolution, un-watermarked version on Clickasnap.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Original Artworks of England International Test Cricket Grounds

 This collection of Test Cricket Ground pictures was created by me recently and uploaded to YouTube and ClickASnap. All current test cricket venues that host the England international Team are featured.

More information and all the pictures can also be found below, they are also available to view on Clickasnap, where they can be seen full size, resolution and un-watermarked. The pictures are shown in the order of newest test ground to oldest. There are 2 pictures of each ground roughly from opposite side.

The Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl

Currently known as the Ageas Bowl for sponsorship reason's, the Rose Bowl was opened in 2001, as the new home of  Hampshire CCC. It has a current capacity of 25000 and hosted a first test match from 16 - 20 June 2011, when England drew with Sri Lanka.

Sophia Gardens

Sophia Gardens.

The Cardiff Wales Stadium opened in 1967, the home of Glamorgan CCC the stadium also host's England games as the cricket team represents England and Wales. The current capacity is 15643 and it hosted a first test match from 8-12 June 2009 when England and Australia played out a draw in the 2009 Ashes series. 

The Riverside Ground

The Riverside Ground

The Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street is the home of Durham CCC. Opened in 1995 it can hold up to 17000 for international games. The first test match hosted at the Riverside was England v Zimbabwe on from the 5-7 June 2003, England won by an innings and 69 runs.

 

Edgbaston

Edgbaston

Edgbaston Ground opened in 1882 and is home to Warwickshire CCC, Birmingham Bears and Pheonix Cricket Teams. It has a capacity of 25000 and hosted its first test match from the 29 - 31 May 1902 when England met Australia in the first test, the match ended in a draw.

Headingley, both Cricket and Rugby Stadiums

Headingley

Headingley is the home of Yorkshire CCC and was opened in 1890. The current capacity 18350 and it hosted its first test match from 29 June - 1 July 1899 when England and Australia drew the third test of that's years ashes series. The cricket ground is joined on to the home ground of the Leeds Rhino's Rugby League team.

Trent Bridge

Trent Bridge

Trent Bridge opened in 1841 and is the home of Nottinghamshire CCC and has a current capacity of 17500. The first test match hosted was England V Australia from the 1-3 June 1899 in a drawn match.

Lord's

Lord's

Lord's is known as the Home of Cricket and is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club. It was opened at it's current location in 1814 and is also home to Middlesex CCC. The ground hosted England for the first time in a test match from 21-23 July 1884, England beating Australia by an innings and 5 runs.

Old Trafford

Old Trafford

Old Trafford is the home of Lancashire CCC and opened in 1857, the capacity for international cricket is 26000. The first test match hosted was England v Australia from 10-12 July 1884, a match that ended in a draw.

The Oval

The Oval

The Kia Oval named for sponsorship reasons is the oldest test cricket ground in England. Opened as the home of Sussex CCC in 1845 the ground is traditionally the home of the final test in each series. The current capacity is 27500 and it has also be home to FA Cup Finals and England Football matchers. The first test match hosted here was from 6-8 September 1880 England beating Australia by 5 wickets.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share and follow me on social media, All the pictures can also be seen on Clickasnap.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Top of Eastwood and Staups Lanes, Blackshaw Head.

 A small set of picture taken earlier today around the Eastwood Lane, Staups Lane area of Blackshaw Head, Hebden Bridge. I was here on a walk towards Staups Mill near the top of Jumble Hole Clough, having walked up Eastwood lane from the site of the former railway station that served the area until closure in December 1951, when I reached the top of Eastwood Lane at the junction with Staups Lane and Eastwood Road I was greeted by a Rock Formation as seen below.

Great Rock

Great Rock is a natural rock made from Kinderscout Grit, a form of Millstone Grit on the edge of Staups Moor. Their are many a local legend regards the rock but the one I know best is the one that gives the rock the name Devil's Rock. The Devil bet with God that he could step across the valley from Stoodley Pike to Great Rock, despite his failure to make the it, legend says you can see his hoof print upon the rock.

The following pictures were taken along Staups Lane before i took the path down to Jumble Hole Clough.

The last picture was taken at the top of Jumble Hole Clough before heading down to find Staups Mill, the purpose of my visit. The stream would have powered the mill and eventually flows in to the River Calder at the valley bottom.

The pictures were taken using a Nikon d3300 SLR on the 4th May 2022, they can also be seen on my Clickasnap account, click any image to view the un-watermarked, higher resolution version in another window.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share and follow me on social media.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green

Scottish Premiership Football Stadiums Season 2021/22

 My latest upload to YouTube is a slideshow of artworks of Scottish Premiership Football Stadiums season 2021 / 22 created by me, based on public domain images. The stadiums are featured in team alphabetical order in the video

The images below feature in the video, although below they are in stadium name order.

Almondvale Stadium opened in 1995 as the home of Livingston FC, it has
a current capacity of 9512. The record attendance was 10112 v Rangers Fc
on the 27 October 2001.

Celtic moved to their current location in 1892, the stadium has been modernised
several times and now has a capacity of 60411. The record attendance is
83500 v Rangers on the 1 January 1938.

Dens Park is the home ground of Dundee FC and opened in 1899. It is just 200yds
from the ground of city rivals Dundee United. The capacity is 11775 and the record
attendance 43024 was v Rangers on 7 February 1953.

Hibernian FC play at Easter Road, Edinburgh which has a current
capacity of 20421. The largest crowd ever was 65860 on the 2 January 1950
when they played city rivals Hearts of Midlothian. They played their first
game here in 1893.

Fir Park has been the home of Motherwell FC since 1895 and has a capacity of 13677.
The largest crowd ever was 35632 for a game against Rangers on 12 March 1952.

Rangers FC have played at Ibrox Park, changed to Ibrox Stadium in
1997, since 1899 and the current capacity is 50817. The record attendance which is
also the largest ever for a domestic football match in Britain is 118567 for a league
fixture against Old Firm Rivals Celtic on the 2 January 1939.

McDiarmid Park in Pert is the home stadium of
St Johnstone FC. The capacity is 10696 and since opening in 1989
the record attendance is 10721 v Rangers on the 26 February 1991.

Pittodrie Stadium has been the home to Aberdeen FC since September 1899,
there are plans to replace the ground with a new build stadium but this has
been planned for at least 15 years. The current capacity is 20866 and the
record attendance is 45061 v Hearts of Midlothian 13 March 1954.

St Mirren Park hosted it's first game on the 31 January 2009, built to replace
the previous home of Love Street the ground has a capacity of 8023. The
record attendance is 7732 v Dundee United on the 26 May 2019. Their best
at Love Street was 47438.

Dundee United have called their home Tannadice Park since 1909 and the record
attendance is  28000 v Barcelona on the 16 November 1966. This is unlikely
to ever be beaten as the current capacity is around half that at 14223.

Tynecastle Park has a current capacity of 19852 and has been home to Hearts
of Midlothian since 1886. The record attendance is 53396 for a Scottish
Cup game against Rangers FC on the 13 February 1932.

Victoria Park opened in 1929 as the home ground of Ross County FC.
It has been the most northerly ground in senior British football since being
elected to Scottish Football League Division Three in 1994. The
current Capacity is 6541 and the record attendance was set
v Rangers in the Scottish Cup on the 28 February 1966.

I thought that because Celtic had the biggest home ground in Scotland and had massive support that they would also feature mostly in the other teams record attendances, surprisingly they were only the highest attendance once for a game against Rangers, Rangers were highest 7 times with Hearts of Midlothian featuring twice. Dundee United had the only non domestic highest for a game against Barcelona.

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The pictures are the copyright of Colin Green.