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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