Grant Street Park

[GaidhealtachdDosser]

Went for a random look last week and was gutted to see the old end terrace has been demolished/renovated. Anyone got any pics of the old shed to share ?

Edited September 22, 2013 by GaidhealtachdDosser

[Charles Bannerman]

Dosser... I take it you are talking about the Grant Street institution which was the wineshed at the far end? Basically it had become dangerous to the point of being condemned and the only option was demolition. I am sure a lot of Merkinchers and others as well have fond memories - some rather less clear than others! -  of the place.

[Sneckboy]

The Wine Shed

 

[Charles Bannerman]

That looks as if it may be a reasonably old photo since I can see no evidence of the current stand which went up, I seem to recollect, during the early 90s. I would therefore guess that the photo was taken after about 1988 when the original wooden stand (ahem ) "burned down" -  or maybe after the slice of land with the old enclosure was sold off as part of the 1990 rescue - and before the current stand went up, maybe around 1992/3?

[WYNESS101]

 

When did clach have these stands?

[IBM]

 

When did clach have these stands?

That was the main stand when I moved into Inverness in 1968, I think they were demolished in the mid seventies when they sold of the land at the old main entrance for flats.

[WYNESS101]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.217201924980640.59218.150336495000517&type=3

 

Photos from clachs facebook page of the wine shed being taken down

[dougiedanger]

 

When did clach have these stands?

Was that not the original Wine Shed beyond the main stand?

I have vague recollections of my first footballing experience in Inverness, being in among the Clachers in the Wine Shed, and being scared at all the shouting, and the heady smell of booze.

[IBM]

 

When did clach have these stands?

Was that not the original Wine Shed beyond the main stand?

I have vague recollections of my first footballing experience in Inverness, being in among the Clachers in the Wine Shed, and being scared at all the shouting, and the heady smell of booze.

All the Clach stands were like that! The first football match I attended was there after climbing over the wall and not being to impressed I went to Telford Street and started supporting Caley.

[GaidhealtachdDosser]

Fantastic examples of "traditional" sheds there ........... thanks for that folks. It's a pity so called progress has enforced the demise of these gathering places. Sadly very few left now.

There was something special about gathering with your mates and cheering your team from a covered terrace. In the late 70's-early 80's away days to Ayr, Kilmarnock, Accies, Airdrie, Partick, Dunfermline, Falkirk were always eagerly anticipated. The atmosphere was often intimidating but exciting at the same time. Several thousand vociferous youths supporting their team with real gusto, separated by a line of Cops or segregation fence ------- 90mins of noise.

[SMEE]

 

 

When did clach have these stands?

That was the main stand when I moved into Inverness in 1968, I think they were demolished in the mid seventies when they sold of the land at the old main entrance for flats.

 

It was much nearer to the 90s that the stands were taken down. Clach had the biggest capacity ground in the Highland League back then. Ive read stories of the Clach vs Caley new yrs derby attracting crowds of 12 000!!.

In the old highland league Derbies, Caley fans used to get the stand on the right, which is only partially shown, and the Wine Shed. I know this to be true...as i meandered between the two frequently on Derby days of old. happy happy days :)

Edited September 23, 2013 by SMEE

[Charles Bannerman]

 

 

 

When did clach have these stands?

That was the main stand when I moved into Inverness in 1968, I think they were demolished in the mid seventies when they sold of the land at the old main entrance for flats.

 

It was much nearer to the 90s that the stands were taken down. Clach had the biggest capacity ground in the Highland League back then. Ive read stories of the Clach vs Caley new yrs derby attracting crowds of 12 000!!.

In the old highland league Derbies, Caley fans used to get the stand on the right, which is only partially shown, and the Wine Shed. I know this to be true...as i meandered between the two frequently on Derby days of old. happy happy days :)

 

It's actually a bit complicated. Into the latter 1980s, Clach began to struggle financially, in advance of the complete collapse which prompted the 1990 rescue. However in about 1988, the main stand burned down under circumstances which have never been officially confirmed. Consequently, far be it from me to allege even the most tenuous of cause and effect relationships there!

Incidentally that means that all three Inverness grounds suffered stand fires since Caley's burned down in 1950, taking much of the club's records with it, and Thistle's went up in smoke in the summer of 1995, more than a year after it ceased to be used as a football ground.

Now I simply can't remember whether one or both of the Clach sheds to either side of the main stand survived after the fire. However I do have a fairly clear recollection of being in the one on the left of the photo in that catastrohpic 89-90 season when Clach's record was P34 W0 D3 L31 F26 A151.

But then, as part of the 1990 rescue, the land behind around where the dugouts appear in the above photo was sold off for the flats which are now there, so for a while there was no touchline covered accommodation until the present stand was built in the early/ mid 90s.This also meant that access to Grant Street Park switched from through Pumpgate Street to where it is now.

On the subject of crowd sizes back in the "Horlicks advert era", I do, however, tend to be just a little bit sceptical. Certainly Grant Street had significantly the biggest capacity of the three Inverness grounds and in days gone by crowds did tend to be a good deal larger. But I'm just not too sure about 12,000, which would be almost half the population of Inverness at the time, turning out for local derbies.... even if many of them had also made their way there via Seville!!

Edited September 23, 2013 by Charles Bannerman

[Kingsmills]

My late father, a Clach supporter all his days, who was generally reliable and not given to overstatement spoke of being in a crowd of 13,000 at Grant Street for a friendly match against Rangers circa 1947.

[Caley Mad In Berks]

My late father, a Clach supporter all his days, who was generally reliable and not given to overstatement spoke of being in a crowd of 13,000 at Grant Street for a friendly match against Rangers circa 1947.

 

Even I can't remember that far back!!  But I do remember Caley playing Rangers at the Clach part, in a testimonial for Bobby Bolt, round about 51/52. There were well over 10,000 there that day to see an extremely strong Rangers side, including George Young and Willie Woodburn, win 5-3.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Never feckin mind about attendances as they were less accurate in the olde days than those produced by Cellic and Tinkerville today. The Opening poster will undoubtedly appreciate that the packed houses in Sneck just oozed atmosphere and better than ever experienced in the SPL.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Caley Stand burnt down in ?

 

Thank you, Charles, for reminding me of that date because now I know I was 12 years old as I looked out the back upper windows of my former home at 46 Dunain Road and looked across Howden's nursery, wondering what on earth was going on there as the smoke billowed up and over the stand.

 

Bobby Bolt--  Ah! Toothless Bobby , tanned to the max with sweat pouring down his bronzed face. His son, Bobby I think, also played a couple of games for the Caley but never seemed to make it big.

 

And Rangers' Willie Woodburn, probably regarded as one of the dirtiest players in the League at that time. Eventually he was suspended Sine Die (for life) for a particularly vicious foul I suppose. I did see him once playing at Ibrox in the flesh so to speak and, yes, he did go for the man and most seemed to just crumple in a writhing heap because it was usually not expected.

 

Aye, IHE , them were the days .Fond enough memories of a wee boy advancing into his teens and beyond. Left Inverness at about age 18 to do 2 years National Service and never returned to stay there. Never know what's ahead of you, do you?

[Caley Mad In Berks]

Caley Stand burnt down in ?

 

 

 

 

Flames

[Charles Bannerman]

I have to say I think this thread might be getting a bit of a "Seville" feel about it! I have also heard a few anecdotal claims about five figure crowds at Inverness football matches in the immediate post war years. But whilst not doubting the sincerity of those making these claims, which I am sure they genuinely believe, I just find the idea a bit difficult to come to terms with.

I would question the claims of attendances of 10+ - 13000 on a few grounds.

* Did even Grant Street have the capacity to accommodate such crowds, even though they were almost all standing?

* The figures claimed are around half the population of Inverness (men, women and children) at the time.

* To get to figures like that, think of the crowd that packed into Telford Street for the St Johnstone game in 1992, or imagine the Caledonian Stadium pretty full - and double that.

* Did anyone actually count the crowds in these days?

 

I do know that matches back in these days attracted large crowds and, for instance, whuilst researching something else in the Courier came across a claim of 7000 at Grant Street for a Scottish Cup tie - which I would believe. But when it gets to 10+ - 13000 I begin to struggle a bit.

[Charles Bannerman]

Caley Stand burnt down in ?

 

Thank you, Charles, for reminding me of that date because now I know I was 12 years old as I looked out the back upper windows of my former home at 46 Dunain Road and looked across Howden's nursery, wondering what on earth was going on there as the smoke billowed up and over the stand.

 

 

Aye, IHE , them were the days .Fond enough memories of a wee boy advancing into his teens and beyond. Left Inverness at about age 18 to do 2 years National Service and never returned to stay there. Never know what's ahead of you, do you?

Very interesting to hear an eyewitness account of what was a bodyblow for Inverness football back in 1950. And we just have to wonder how much more information Alex Main would have obtained for Caley All The Way had he had access to the club records which also went up in smoke that night.

 

However I think we do know that IHE doesn't have National Service ahead of him!

[KingBeastie]

...even if many of them had also made their way there via Seville!!

Made me chuckle! 

[ForzaCaley]

Willie Woodburn.....how unfortunate.

[Kingsmills]

Seems to me that one off crowds in Inverness in the region of 12,000 for 'glamour' matches in the decades just before and just after WWII are credible when put in context with the record crowds posted by Scottish League clubs, who presumably kept slightly more accurate records, for the same era.

 

Teams like Cowdenbeath, Raith Rovers, Motherwell, Ayr, Albion Rovers and many others all record crowds in excess of half the population of the communities in which they are based. Why would Inverness, starved of football on the national stage as it was, not record similar crowds on the very rare occasions when such as the Old Firm came to call.

[lukemackay]

I played there a few years back not long before it was taken down and the thing was on the verge of collapse. it looked like it anyway. I don't think folk were allowed in it so they had to bring it down in the end.

[Scarlet Pimple]

I wonder who it was then who was arson around on that day Charles? I must admit, many years later I did wonder about  the whole thing.

 

SHH! Whisper it .