NO MORE PLAINMOOR?
venue proving unprofitable, the Recreation Ground was sold to Torquay Corporation in
1904, who set about improving the venue, including the provision of a handsome new
grandstand. As the facilities on offer were far superior to those at Plainmoor, Torquay Ath-
letic RFC moved across town to the Recreation Ground the same year, in so doing displac-
ing previous tenants Torquay United.
The vacancy at Plainmoor was filled by
United’s rivals Ellacombe FC, with United
using pitches at Cricketfield Road and Tor-
quay Cricket Club until merging with El-
lacombe in 1910 to become Torquay
Town. As well as the newly merged club,
Babbacombe FC were also in residence at
Plainmoor, with both teams competing in
the Plymouth & District League alongside
the reserve sides of Plymouth Argyle and
Exeter City. Indeed, it was in the hope of
emulating fellow Devon clubs Plymouth
Argyle and Exeter City, who won election
Above: Torquay United v Plymouth Argyle in the
to the newly formed Football League Divi-
Devon Professional Cup in 1922/23 showing the
sion Three in 1920, that football in Tor- two stands that were replaced by the Buckastleigh
quay was consolidated under one banner
Racecourse stand when Torquay were elected to
in 1921 when Torquay Town and Babba-
the Football League in 1927
combe joined forces and turned profes-
sional, reviving the name of Torquay United in the process. A new grandstand costing
£500 was erected at Plain-
moor, where it joined a tiny
wooden pavilion type
structure left over from the
rugby club’s tenure at the
ground. Joining the West-
ern League in 1921/22 and
the Southern League the
following season, Torquay
United’s first Football
Above: Torquay United players train at Plainmoor in August 1927
League application was
rebuffed in 1923, but an FA Cup run in 1925/26, in which they took Bristol Rovers to two
replays in the First Round proper, and a Southern League (Western Section) championship
in 1926/27, helped establish their bona fides, and in 1927 they were elected to the Foot-
ball League Division Three South, replacing Aberdare Athletic.
Much needed to be done at Plainmoor to make it fit for League Football, for at the time of
their election seated accommodation was limited to 500 across the two stands that stood
on the eastern side of the ground. Facing the expensive prospect of building a brand-new
stand or extending those already in situ, it came to Torquay’s attention that twenty miles
down the road at Buckfastleigh Racecourse a good-sized grandstand was up for grabs.
Costing £150, and seating 1,000, the structure was transported to Plainmoor and reassem-
bled in time for Torquay’s inaugural Football League fixture, a local derby against Exeter
City on 27 August 1927. An opening day crowd of 10,749 watched the game, which fin-
ished 1-1, with most of those present populating the newly created banking that had been
4
Groundtastic - The Football Grounds Magazine