West Side Story Younger than previously thought, but Barnsley’ s West Stand is a Leitch
The West Stand at Oakwell in the 1970s Photo: Bob Lilliman
As it sits amongst its newer and much larger neighbours, one could be forgiven for not giving the West Stand at Barnsley’ s Oakwell a second look. With red plastic seats added to its paddock and an ugly TV gantry awkwardly blocking its fine old gable, the West Stand has been updated in recent years in an attempt to blend it with its 1990s counterparts, but underneath the modern garnish it is still identifiable as a symbol of football’ s early days. Scratch the surface and it is easy to see the stand’ s early 1900s vintage and to feel its strong link to the early days of the ground and the triumphs of a bygone age. Added to its charm and antiquity, a recent revelation has been that the West Stand was designed by none other than Archibald Leitch; and is therefore one of the few remaining examples of the great man’ s work. Until recently it was thought that the West Stand was built in 1904, but we can now reveal that it is in fact the fourth stand to have stood on that side of Oakwell, with the current version built in 1910.
Despite sport in the Barnsley area in the late 19 th century being dominated by rugby, a local side under the name of Barnsley Wanderers were the first to take up the mantle of Association Football. After professionalism was legalised the Wanderers team waned but the baton was taken up by a pioneering clergyman by the name of Reverend Tiverton Preedy who set up a new club in 1887 under the name of the church at which he was curate, Barnsley St Peter’ s. From the outset, the‘ Saints’, as they were soon nicknamed, played at Oakwell but it was not where the present ground lies but at a rather sloping piece of turf roughly situated under the present East Stand Car Park, using the nearby Dove Inn for changing rooms. Throughout their time on this undulating patch, Preedy and his men coveted the much flatter neighbouring enclosure by Grove Street and this was to be the ultimate prize of the Reverend’ s persistence. The move to the present
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