DEN OF INIQUITY
Millwall ’ s new ground was a former vegetable plot on Cold Blow Lane , closely hemmed in by railway lines on three sides . Named The Den due to the club being nicknamed the Lions , it was designed on a modest scale by the famous ground designer Archibald Leitch and consisted of three open banks of terracing and a Main Stand on the south side featuring a typical Leitch pedimented roof gable .
Right : A newspaper photo-spread document- ing the opening of The Den in 1910
Millwall joined the Football League in 1920 but the ground didn ’ t really start to grow for another decade . By then the New Cross Stadium had opened immediately adjacent to The Den adding the joys of greyhound racing and speedway to the south London sports scene . Covers were built over the rear sections of the three open banks of terracing and were in place in time for The Den ’ s record gate of 48,672 for the game against Derby in February 1937 .
The outbreak of war halted the Lions ' progress , with the North Terrace receiving a direct hit by a bomb and , just a week later , the Main Stand being destroyed by a fire caused by a discarded cigarette . The club moved in with Charlton at The Valley whilst the damage was made good but the compensation received was only enough for limited covers to be built over the terraces and 1,200 seats to be installed under the Main Stand ’ s partially replaced new roof ; Leitch ’ s gable was never replaced . Millwall were able to purchase the freehold of the ground in 1951 and two years later floodlights were installed . It wasn ’ t until the early 1960s that the Main Stand roof was finally completely replaced ( see pages 6-7 ).
4 Groundtastic - The Football Grounds Magazine