Lost

Never mind the lost gardens of Heligan, here are the lost terraces of Bradford (Park Avenue) FC.

As part of the Heritage Open days I had an opportunity to view some of the archaeological and interpretative work that's helping to rediscover what's left of the Park Avenue ground, which sits next to Horton Park. We were able to watch the archaeological scientists from the university doing geophysical surveying, and were given a guided tour of what remains of the stadium, including the overgrown terraces. A number of Avenue supporters also joined the tour and shared their reminiscences of watching football at the ground. The last match was played here in 1973, three years after Avenue lost their league status and just a year before their liquidation. The current Bradford Park Avenue are a phoenix club, established in 1987 and currently play in the Horsfall Stadium elsewhere in the city.

While a short section of terrace has been cleared as part of the project, I found this untidied section to be a bit more atmospheric. Given other developments on the surrounding site, the return of football here seems unlikely, but a reenactment of terrace chanting was planned for the following day, as part of the heritage project which is being done in association with the National Football Museum.