NO MORE PLAINMOOR?
V INCE T AYLOR REPORTS FROM THE E NGLISH R IVIERA
When Torquay United
suffered relegation from
Photo: Vince Taylor
the Football League for the
second time in 2014, they
did so whilst in possession
of one of the best small-
scale grounds in the lower
divisions. Completely re-
built in the wake of the
Valley Parade and Hills-
borough disasters, despite
being separate structures
Plainmoor’s four modern
stands knit together to form a satisfyingly coherent whole. The only part of the old Plain-
moor to survive the redesign were the floodlight pylons, and what beauties they are.
Smaller cousins of the giant
towers that once roamed
An exterior view of Plainmoor
the land, their reduced di-
Photo: Vince Taylor
mensions complement Plain-
moor perfectly. Like Darling-
ton’s much-mourned Feeth-
ams ground, Plainmoor and
Torquay United are a con-
summate fit, yet plans are
afoot to uproot the Devon
seaside club to a new stadi-
um at a contaminated rub-
bish tip on the edge of
town. While there appears
to be little appetite for the
scheme beyond the club’s owner, the fact that a question mark hangs over Plainmoor’s
future is nevertheless a cause for concern.
Plainmoor in 2019
Plainmoor began life primarily as a rugby ground, playing host to Torquay Athletic RFC
from the 1880s to 1904. The oval ball held sway in Devon and Cornwall during this peri-
od, and it wasn’t until 1898 that Torquay United, the town’s first association football club of
note, were formed. Initially
The view towards the Ellacombe End based at a basic ground at
Photo: Vince Taylor
Teignmouth Road, United
moved to Torquay Recrea-
tion Ground in 1900, a pri-
vately-owned sports arena
with a grandstand and cy-
cling track, which opened in
1888 and was situated close
to the seafront and Torquay
Railway Station. With the
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