Holker Street

Holker Street is a sports stadium located in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Currently and originally used as a football ground, it has also previously been used for speedways races. In addition, the ground also previously had some leisure centre facilities, including four squash courts which have now been demolished. Its current owners and tenants for the vast majority of its history are Barrow AFC, who have played at the ground since 1909. Despite having a recommended capacity of 5,000, some 16,874 people crammed the stadium in January 1954 when Barrow AFC played Swansea City in the FA Cup third round.

History

Early Years

The current site of Holker Street was previously land owned by the Furness Railway, who had used the land as a rubbish tip. It had been converted into a football pitch by Hindpool Athletic football club, though no stands had been built and the pitch had little grass; indeed, pieces of refuse which had been left on the site remained an obstacle for many years after the ground had been developed. Barrow AFC, who had been founded in 1901 and had spent eight seasons playing at a variety of grounds in Barrow, moved in and took a five year rent from Furness Railway in 1909.

The first structure built at the ground was a wooden all-seater stand in 1912. By 1921, when Barrow were elected into the new Third Division (North) of the Football League, Holker Street had been developed into an "excellent ground" with fully covered terracing surrounding the three remaining sides, changing rooms and turnstiles.

Football League Period

Holker Street remained a good quality ground during the 1930s, with further upgrades following the Second World War seeing the wooden stand replaced by terracing. The highest attendance at Holker Street was recorded in 1954 when 16,874 fans saw Barrow draw 2–2 with Swansea City in the third round of the FA Cup. but the next major changes to occur were in 1972. With Barrow relegated from the Football League Third Division into the Fourth Division, the club was struggling financially and the decision was made to create a speedway track around the edge of the football pitch, resurrecting a sport that had briefly been hosted at Holker Street in 1930. The claim lead the police to investigate Vaughan's activities, suspecting him of money laundering for Warren. Vaughan was later cleared of all charges, but withdrew his financial backing from Barrow during the course of the investigation. This sent Barrow into administration, during which conflicts over the ownership of Holker Street were central. Vaughan had bought Holker Street from Barrow AFC, transferring ownership to his company Northern Improvements. This end is dominated by the CrossBar which houses the club's offices, and which somewhat damages the aesthetics of the ground. The ground has large floodlights in its four corners, and basic catering facilities.

References

Category:Barrow A.F.C. Category:Football venues in England Category:Speedway venues Category:Speedway former venues Category:Furness Category:Barrow-in-Furness Category:Buildings and structures in Barrow-in-Furness