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SELHURST PARK

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

CRYSTAL PALACE FOOTBALL GROUND, SELHURST PARK FOOTBALL GROUND

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Selhurst Park is the home of Crystal Palace Football Club and since 1991 Wimbledon Football Club in a ground share arrangement. Following the Great Exhibition at Hyde Park in 1951, the Crystal Palace was erected in Upper Sydenham at the centre of a large amusement park. The staff of the Crystal Palace formed a football team in 1861 and became founder members of the Football Association in 1863. However the present club was not formed until 1905, as a professional team at the same ground. Known as 'The Glaziers', the team played in what was effectively a huge turfed bowl laid out to the east of the park in 1895. The ground was a venue for the FA Cup finals until 1914 and even accommodated a crowd of 120,000 spectators in the 1913 Cup Final. The ground was taken over for other uses during the First World War, leaving Crystal Palace FC to locate elsewhere. The old ground is now (2006) the site of the Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium. For a short time the team rented a small ground on Selhurst Road called 'The Nest'. It relocated to the present venue in 1923 and purchased the land for £2,570. The new ground was designed by eminent football ground designer, Archibald Leitch. It was a simple design comprising one corrugated stand seating 4,500, with standing room for 1,500 in front, and three sides of terracing. However due to a variety of problems Humphreys the builders never fully completed the stadium. Although it was officially opened in 1924, there were large unterraced sections which suffered from mud slides in following years. There was little change until 1969, when the Wait Stand was erected. The Main stand was converted to seating in 1979 providing a capacity of 51,482. Following the Taylor report, there were further ground improvements in the early 1990s. The Holmesdale Road stand was erected between 1994 and 1995, designed by George Watt and Partners. The stadium was used for the 1948 Olympic games for two football games.

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The home of Crystal Palace football club and since 1991 Wimbledon football club in a ground share arrangement. Crystal Palace was formed in 1861 by members of the Great Exhibition staff and their ground was used as the first national stadium. The ground was eventually considered too large for the club and they had various temporary homes before moving to Selhurst Park. The ground opened in 1924 with one stand by Leitch and grass banks forming the other three sides. The Wait stand opened in 1969. The Main stand was converted to seating in 1979. Following the Taylor report there have been further ground improvements in the early 1990s. The Holmesdale Road stand was erected in 1994-5, designed by George Watt and Partners. (1-2)

Following the Great Exhibition at Hyde Park in 1951, the Crystal Palace was erected in Upper Sydenham at the centre of a large amusement park. The staff of the Crystal Palace formed a football team in 1861 and became founder members of the Football Association in 1863. However the present club was not formed until 1905, as a professional team at the same ground. Known as 'The Glaziers', the team played in what was effectively a huge turfed bowl laid out to the east of the park in 1895. The ground was a venue for the FA Cup finals until 1914 and even accommodated a crowd of 120,000 spectators in the 1913 Cup Final. The ground was taken over for other uses during the First World War, leaving Crystal Palace FC to locate elsewhere. The old ground is now (2006) the site of the Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium. For a short time the team rented a small ground on Selhurst Road called 'The Nest'. It relocated to the present venue in 1923 and purchased the land for £2,570 from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The new ground was designed by eminent football ground designer, Archibald Leitch. It was a simple design comprising one corrugated stand seating 4,500, with standing room for 1,500 in front, and three sides of terracing. However due to a variety of problems Humphreys the builders never fully completed the stadium. Although it was officially opened in 1924, the terracing was not fully completed leaving large unterraced sections which suffered from mud slides in following years. There was little change until 1969, when the Wait Stand was erected. The Main stand was converted to seating in 1979, providing a capacity for 51,482 spectators. Selhurst Park now (2007) comprises a pitch surrounded on all sides by all seated stands with a capacity of 26,400. (3-6)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) Simon Inglis 1996 Football grounds of Britain

3rd edition Page(s)142--146

(2) Aerial photograph

MAL/71088 frame 219 02-JUN-1971 ALBPO

(3) Simon Inglis 2005 Engineering Archie : Archibald Leitch - football ground designer

http://www.playedinbritain.co.uk/books/engineering-archie.php Page(s)152-3

(4) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:2500, 1913

(5) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:2500, 1935

(6) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:2500, 2007

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CRYSTAL PALACE

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Crystal Palace was a huge glass conservatory designed to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. At first a brick building had been proposed, but the est...

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