NEW Programmes - 1947 - 1955

NEW Programmes - 1947 - 1955 -https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=111328&id=1140579742&saved

Having been fortunate to see the programmes before you Jeff, I have to say that it is vital that the programmes remain in the club and not "passed" on ..

Wow!

I’ve always been a bit of a ‘ground geek’, and as such, have always wondered about the history of the grounds that Redditch have played at.

I’d always believed that the Valley Stadium was relatively new, maybe built from the late 60’s / early 70’s. The programmes you have uploaded prove that the ground is somewhat older!

Before the Valley Stadium, I believe the club had a ground near to Millsborough House, although I’ve never been able to find anything on it. If correct, playing there was a lot further back than I imagined.

Del Boy...Chris is fully behind an idea to have a history of the Reds wall...museum, call it what you like.Jeff has done some amazing work, and these programmes are part of our history, we won't sell them guys...they are ours!!!

del boy wrote:Wow!

I’ve always been a bit of a ‘ground geek’, and as such, have always wondered about the history of the grounds that Redditch have played at.

I’d always believed that the Valley Stadium was relatively new, maybe built from the late 60’s / early 70’s. The programmes you have uploaded prove that the ground is somewhat older!

Before the Valley Stadium, I believe the club had a ground near to Millsborough House, although I’ve never been able to find anything on it. If correct, playing there was a lot further back than I imagined.

I have also seen info stating Millsborough Road, Terry's recreational ground. Millsborough road in about 1900 was a lot longer than it is now but most of this was factories(terry's springs), it was common for factories to have football and cricket teams at this time so makes sense that there was a field and possibly where the highway and st. bedes school now stand.However if we played there it has to be before 1906 and not forgetting we became Redditch Fc in 1905.
I can date us playing some where in the close proximity of the valley stadium at least from 1906/in fact I think I have 100% proof we played where the training pitches are now( and even better it was RED Lane at the time and not Bromsgrove Road), this same land was used by Albert Eadie (Eadies motorcycles) who held the Eadies Sports Day there and also had a Team Called Eadies Redditch who played at the same time as Redditch Excelsior and Redditch Town (I will scan pictures that show the land and Bridley Moor Farm). Eadies Redditch would have also used this same pitch.
Date wise I can prove we played there from 1906 as I have evidence that Redditch Fc used the Railway Hotel(now the Golden Cross) as club House and changing rooms when the pub was run by Fredrick Shelton who I have info stating that he was there from 1906 to 1908(I will have this picture scanned)It was noted that the players changed there and were taken to the ground on the back of an open Lorry to the "RED Lane venue"! During the 50's the clubhouse was at the Talbot Hotel, Evesham Street(roughly where J D Sports is now next to primark). This was knocked down to make way for the town centre in the 60's, which is maybe why the clubhouse was built?.

porrohman wrote:Del Boy...Chris is fully behind an idea to have a history of the Reds wall...museum, call it what you like.Jeff has done some amazing work, and these programmes are part of our history, we won't sell them guys...they are ours!!!

Good to hear mate, we are really getting a better picture of Redditch United History and items like these open a lot more doors into our past than we may think. It also helps people visualise our past in a more graphic way. :dance:

I think the museum in the room next to the club shop is a great idea.

I also think we should create something for the market stall in the town centre....this will get attention and remind people of the Redditch history.

Great ideas.

Bob Marley wrote:I think the museum in the room next to the club shop is a great idea.

I also think we should create something for the market stall in the town centre....this will get attention and remind people of the Redditch history.

Great ideas.

Jeff and I have been in conversation about the museum. Ideas are already in plan.

del boy wrote:Wow!

I’ve always been a bit of a ‘ground geek’, and as such, have always wondered about the history of the grounds that Redditch have played at.

I’d always believed that the Valley Stadium was relatively new, maybe built from the late 60’s / early 70’s. The programmes you have uploaded prove that the ground is somewhat older!

Before the Valley Stadium, I believe the club had a ground near to Millsborough House, although I’ve never been able to find anything on it. If correct, playing there was a lot further back than I imagined.

I have done a bit more work today and have put these new pics up -https://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=1760531410003&id=1140579742&aid=100928, the first 7 relate to your message mate :dance:

Jeff, top work on the pics mate. Love looking through them to see how things have changed at the club over the years.
Don't suppose you could do a bit of digging to see if there are any pics from the Peterborough game in 1971? Would love to see what the Valley looked like with 4,500 people

Incredible, Jeff!!

Redditchbluenose86 wrote:Jeff, top work on the pics mate. Love looking through them to see how things have changed at the club over the years.
Don't suppose you could do a bit of digging to see if there are any pics from the Peterborough game in 1971? Would love to see what the Valley looked like with 4,500 people

I shall see what I can find, just been concentrating on the early years so I don't miss anything as I go along but will have a look mate. :dance:

I have now added a map/aerial photo and key that helps to explain where the photo's were took and the position of the original Redditch Fc Pitch circa 1906 - https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100928&id=1140579742&saved.
I have not got as far as when we moved into our current location/position, It would also seam that not only Redditch Fc played there. Others included Redditch Wednesday and Redditch Athletic.

Jeff, i can tell you we moved to the Valley around 1934/5 from what is now the HDA,sports ground.No i'm not old enough to remember that,but one of my neighbours who is Redditch born and bred does remember the move.What i do remember was our current clubhouse being built around 1974/5 under then chairman Bill Lawrenson.Upto that point where the directors park their cars,ran a wooden hut,which was the tea bar/come bar,and where the club shop is now was the changing rooms and the 2 gates facing the club shop is where the players ran onto the pitch.Also around that same time they put up the stands at the cedar road/and Bromsgrove Road end of the ground.This was all done to bring our ground upto standard for the newly formed Alliance Premier League(Blue square Premier).What a great team and memories from that era,thrashing Rovers 6 V 1 in worcs senior cup final,then Alvechurch 5 V 1 in worcs cup final,only 2 defeats in championship year of 1976.Winning B'ham senior cup at St Andrews(until this season, last time they saw a trophy there Andy )Roger Shaw the best centre forward ever at the valley,great memories.Finally Jeff you are doing a fantastic job with your research keep it up.

It’s before my time, but what I've been told by others, is that it was the FA Cup ties with Peterborough that financed the ground improvements of the 70's. This seems to tie in with the dates mentioned by toffeeman, of when the ground was developed into something that is more recognisable to us as it is now.

I do remember the FA Cup tie against Merthyr when the allotment end wasn’t really a terrace. There were only 2 or 3 steps at the front of the terrace and a single step at the back of the terrace. In between was just a mud bank which was taped off by stewards for this game.

Another major improvement of note, was replacing the original wooden floodlight pylons that were connected to each other by multiple overhead wires. Whenever a wayward shot struck these wires (a regular occurrence!), the floodlights would short circuit and go out. It was then a real struggle to get the floodlights back in action so the game could continue!

Happy Days!!

toffeeman wrote:Jeff, i can tell you we moved to the Valley around 1934/5 from what is now the HDA,sports ground.No i'm not old enough to remember that,but one of my neighbours who is Redditch born and bred does remember the move.What i do remember was our current clubhouse being built around 1974/5 under then chairman Bill Lawrenson.Upto that point where the directors park their cars,ran a wooden hut,which was the tea bar/come bar,and where the club shop is now was the changing rooms and the 2 gates facing the club shop is where the players ran onto the pitch.Also around that same time they put up the stands at the cedar road/and Bromsgrove Road end of the ground.This was all done to bring our ground upto standard for the newly formed Alliance Premier League(Blue square Premier).What a great team and memories from that era,thrashing Rovers 6 V 1 in worcs senior cup final,then Alvechurch 5 V 1 in worcs cup final,only 2 defeats in championship year of 1976.Winning B'ham senior cup at St Andrews(until this season, last time they saw a trophy there Andy )Roger Shaw the best centre forward ever at the valley,great memories.Finally Jeff you are doing a fantastic job with your research keep it up.

Not true! ....

























We won the Leyland Daf in 91, and Auto Windscreens in 95 (albeit a shield not a cup)




Please can we keep these old Red's stories going. It's a great read for those of us less fortunate to have been around back then.

toffeeman wrote:Jeff, i can tell you we moved to the Valley around 1934/5 from what is now the HDA,sports ground.No i'm not old enough to remember that,but one of my neighbours who is Redditch born and bred does remember the move.What i do remember was our current clubhouse being built around 1974/5 under then chairman Bill Lawrenson.Upto that point where the directors park their cars,ran a wooden hut,which was the tea bar/come bar,and where the club shop is now was the changing rooms and the 2 gates facing the club shop is where the players ran onto the pitch.Also around that same time they put up the stands at the cedar road/and Bromsgrove Road end of the ground.This was all done to bring our ground upto standard for the newly formed Alliance Premier League(Blue square Premier).What a great team and memories from that era,thrashing Rovers 6 V 1 in worcs senior cup final,then Alvechurch 5 V 1 in worcs cup final,only 2 defeats in championship year of 1976.Winning B'ham senior cup at St Andrews(until this season, last time they saw a trophy there Andy )Roger Shaw the best centre forward ever at the valley,great memories.Finally Jeff you are doing a fantastic job with your research keep it up.

cheers mate,its possible we played at the h.d.a but I haven't got to the 30's yet,But im 99.9 % sure I have it right with what I have posted and even spent sunday pacing/measuring the fields out and counting tree's and there positions to make sure I have the right location + and educated guess on the distance to the tree line of what is pitcheroak and foxlydiate wood/birchfield road. It could be that we moved to the h.d.a, the 1932 team photo is in front of a hut which I took to be at the cricket ground as i have a picture of redditch cricket team in front of the same building. Its possible that they used that to change and walk to the location I have highlighted as the Rugby Teams still do to this day. I will look in to the H.D.A as well as the Millsborough Road Pheory. the problem with not having first hand evidence is mistakes can be made so I will keep on digging.

Counted the steps from the tree?

Dude, you are a legend!