Hastings : 1926 And All That
Why are Hastings United so desperate to vacate the Pilot Field , in most people ’ s eyes a classic old school venue , and start again elsewhere ? Has the condition of the ground deteriorated to such an extent that the club has no option but to move on ? Well , but for a few important add-ons , such as floodlights , improved fencing and some extra covered stands , the lay-out of the Pilot Field has essentially remained unchanged for one hundred years . In its defence , however , the Pilot Field ’ s sheer size and awkward topography has worked against it , therefore making any attempt to reconfigure the ground to modern standards prohibitively expensive .
For the moment , we are going to turn our attention to the grandstand at the Pilot Field , an architecturally important structure just shy of its 97 th birthday , that in recent years has unfortunately become a millstone around Hastings United ’ s neck . The Pilot Field , originally the site of the Hastings Union Workhouse off Elphinstone Road , began hosting Sussex County League side Rock-a-Nore in 1920 , the club changing their name to Hastings & St Leonards the year after . With just a rope around the pitch , and lacking a screen to prevent free viewing , the Pilot Field did at least possess a wooden stand . However , the stand did not last long , collapsing during a match in December 1921 . Acting upon complaints about the venue , Hastings Borough Council instigated a major building project at the Pilot Field in 1922 , using unemployed workers to excavate the hillside on Elphinstone Road to create two separate football grounds , with the so-called bottom pitch , which was surrounded by an oval track , being designated as a multi-purpose sports ground . Its lack of a covered stand was a major drawback , and it was not until 1925 that agreement was reached on building a 1,500 seater grandstand . At first , the intention was to build the stand on the large bank bordering the upper pitch , but instead the stand was constructed facing away from afternoon sun , on the flatter south-eastern side of the pitch . Most grandstands around this period were either made from timber or built around an iron framework , but Hastings Borough Council , who were in the midst of a progressive rebuilding programme , designed to bolster the seaside resort ’ s fading reputation , had other , more concrete , ideas in mind .
Sidney Little , Borough and Water Engineer for Hastings Borough Council from 1926 to 1950 , was nicknamed ‘ King Concrete ’ because of the many public amenities he constructed around Hastings in the 1930s and beyond using reinforced concrete as the prime building material . Chief among those were an extended promenade , Britain ’ s first underground carpark and his masterpiece , an open air bathing pool at St Leonards , which included tiered seating for 2,500 . Though the grandstand at the Pilot Field was officially opened in April 1926 , a few months before Little ’ s appointment , he surely would have approved . Built of reinforced concrete using the Hennebique System of reinforcement developed by French engineer François Hennebique ( 1842-1921 ), the stand may have been of conventional appearance , with its asbestos sheeted pitched roof and eight stanchion supports , but its composition was anything but . Though the land was indeed flatter on the southern side of the pitch , it fell away sharply as it followed the gradient of the hill ,
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