Origins of the club

[barrowaberdeen]

I'm sure expert Barra Soccer historians will be along in seconds to get this right re origins of the club.

I thought it was Scots who formed the club, Barrowfan Chris says Geordies, this says a pub landlord..anyone?

https://thebeautifulhistory.wordpress.com/clubs/barrow/



Just curious- also to the exact location of the old grounds pre H.S..

[Steelworks End]

The Strawberry Ground still exists, and is used by Furness RUFC. It's off Abbey Road, just passed Valley Drive.

There was a thread some time ago about the location of the Ainslie Street ground; as I recall, no-one was really certain exactly where it was.

Little Park has been lost beneath the housing estates in the Yarlside / Holbeck area; again, the above thread (which someone may be able to find) discussed this. Also, there may be some information on this venue from the Barrow Raiders' history buffs.

[Suffolk Blue]

Am intrigued that no-one seems to be sure where the Ainslie Street ground was.

Can anyone enlighten me as to why that is. Surely if we know we played there must be some record or archive of where the ground was. Or has this been lost in time?
I guess a look at an ordnance survey map for the time would give a clue. I do know that the houses on the station side of Ainslie street date from the 1870s and as I was born in Kendal Street I know that the houses around Oxford Street, Lancaster Street Harrogate street and Titchfield Street are late Victorian.

My father who was born in 1914 could remember the playing field next to St Matthews Church as a reservoir in his youth. So that suggests the most likely place for a ground at that time would be closer to Schneider road and the obvious place from my youth that comes to mind is the housing estate next to the railway line that used to be known as the "Griffin". However when I was a kid I remember it as something of a wilderness.

Any club historians out there?

[boyliegladbach]

Newby terrace?

[Bingo]

Isn't it behind Ainslee street at the top end bordered by Newport street, hereford street and Newby terrace

If you look at a map you can see the big grassed area - I'm sure this is the site of it

[spirit of 1990]

Newby terrace?

That'd was my first thought but thinking about it, was that not a reservoir. I would assume most of Ainslie Street's houses have been there a long, long time apart from where Suffolk Blue mentions - the Griffin.

PJDaly will be the man to answer this!

[boyliegladbach]

Newby terrace?

That'd was my first thought but thinking about it, was that not a reservoir. I would assume most of Ainslie Street's houses have been there a long, long time apart from where Suffolk Blue mentions - the Griffin.

PJDaly will be the man to answer this!

Might well of been as there's a street called resovoir Street next to it I think.

[Holkerbird]

Wasn't it in the area behind what is now Burn's undertakers office and previously a garage on Ainslie St. I think it was decided in a discussion on here some time ago that that is where it was.
There are about 4 houses and then an area that has been taken up by the tyre fitters and a garage and Burn's so it seems this space would have been the location.

[Hadrian]

Different accounts suggest various groups were involved in coming together to form a professional outfit in Barrow; some mention Geordies, others Tynesiders. The original black and white strip may lend some credence to the latter (but bear in mind that this was before the invention of colour...).

Newby Terrace was indeed the site of a reservoir; Barrow's temporary ground on Ainslie Street was to the west of Ainslie Street on the site of a tip (as was Holker Street, incidentally) and the soil cover was said to be so thin that players were at risk from debris poking through.

It is possible that 'our' Strawberry Ground was on a different alignment to the current Furness ground; my cousin's husband, Jimmy Jones, was landlord at The Strawberry for a while and his understanding was that teams changed there in the space above the stables to the rear of the hotel (the building still exists).

Old maps may help but they were not updated anywhere near as regularly as nowadays so a ground on use for but a few years may have come and gone between issues unless it continued for another organisation.

[Wintergreen]

The Strawberry Gardens Hotel opened in 1866. In 1880 it was demolished and rebuilt for £850 to allow Abbey Road to be widened; the council perhaps acting with great foresight and a good degree of optimism in expectation of bumper crowds arriving by tram to watch the soccer.

[Shaun]

I'm pretty sure someone posted a photo a good while back that showed what appeared to be the Strawberry Ground entrance on the corner across from The Strawberry pub...the corner that is now car showroom stuff....the corner across Hollow Lane...on the same side of Abbey Rd as The Strawberry pub.

[SKIPPER]

Can't shed any light on the origins but just to mention a couple of snippets.
I used to live in Gosport Street adjacent to the grassy area known by all as the 'Res', my kids playground for much of their early childhood. Isn't it now the ground of a local club ? However I've delved even further back in my distant memories to the early 60's when I am almost certain I went to a showing of a World Cup film in a 'clubhouse' on the Newby Terrace side of the field ( I think it was Holker COB as they were then known but memory might be playing tricks). Wonder if any old-timers can shed any light ?

[Holkerbird]

That clubhouse on Newby Terrace was originally the school canteen for Victoria Junior school.
We held our meal in there on the Queen's Coronation day as it was a wet day.
I remember when they drained the reservoir as it had a massive plug in it and they had a deep sea diver in full gear attaching the chains for the crane to lift it out.
The place was full of frogs and toads and the area was over run with them for years.

[dodger]

I can't remember Holker ever playing at the " Ressa". I started playing for Holker around 1965-6 and we played on the pitch that was the Tech school playing fields and from there went up to Rakesmoor Which was previously an isolation hospital! I also just about lived at the Ressa from around 1960 and there would be as many as 30-40 lads playing there every weekend and summer evenings ( No goalposts just jackets!!!)! Victoria school did start using this but the building at Newby Terrace used to be a canteen! Barrow Celtic moved from playing in the Park up to the Ressa perhaps around the 1980's and I think are still there now!

[SKIPPER]

Thanks for that lads (and lasses). I know it was organised by a football club. Can only assume it was someone just using a free building. I was only about 12-13 at the time but can remember distinctly where it was if not any greater detail.