QPR Grounds 1882 - 1917

The early football clubs had trouble finding good grounds for football. It was then as now fierce competition about land: from other football clubs, other sports but above all it was the fast growing London needed land for housing, industries and infrastructure. Often the grounds came to lie on the outskirts of the residential areas on the borderland between the city and the countryside. The field the club could hire was often not very suitable for football matches. It could be rough, slant, irregular but the most common problem it became often waterlogged, especially in the winter.

The 19th century naming of grounds was almost always a description of the location of the ground. How to get there. The most common name is the road that is adjacent to the grounds pavilion or the road that leads to the ground. The name could also been taken from the area, the parish, the estate or a park name, if the ground was located in a park. Slightly uncommon, the name was taken from a house, pub or o pavilion, but it does occur. Sometimes the field had a well-established name who continue to live on, such as “Spotted Dog” in east London.

In my research, I have found the names are often given after the nearest train station. it's quite common for a ground to have several different names at the same time. A well-known modern example is West Ham United's previous ground. It was at the same time called: Upton Park, Green Street and Boleyn Ground.

During the 19th centuary, the names were mostly aimed for the club,it's members and supporters. When the away team wrote notices about a game they often used as a ground name, the name of the station where the away team got off the train. Especially in London it could differ from the station used by home supporters as there are several stations near the ground.

The official name should be the name given in addresses, fixture cards and in the annual Handbook which is a kind of annual official document. But it’s difficult to find out the name. Often these documents only describes which road the grounds pavilion is located to. The addresses for the club used to be the home address for the club secretary.

The name is found in several independent sources: Willesden Chronicle 1892, QPR history 1899, Acton Gazette - Bushranger history 1935. The name used today is different: Welfords Fields. This name is taken from Woods history 1905.

The ground was also named after the nearby railway station Kensal Green, which changed its name to Kensal Rise in 1890 and the name of the football field begins to be called Kensal Rise. All possible combinations have been used: Welford’s Home Farm, Kensal Green Home Farm, Kensal Rise Home Farm and Home Farm only. There are not two or three different fields located in about the same place and with similar name. There is only one field.

The location is adjoining Kensal Green Station (Sporting Life 17/12 1887). It is also south of the station according to Woods 1905.

1888-90 there is two other names used: Queen's Park and Willesden. Queen's Parks is used by the club and refeers to the railway station or the estate. Willesden is used by notice by Acton FC. The ground is in Willesden borough. It's not far away to the Willesden Junction station either. The Acton boys should have got off there.

1892-93 Kensal Rise is a new name for the ground. Kensal Green railway station changed is name 1890 to Kensal Rise.

Brondesbury Park Ground first appears as Willesden Lane in October 1890 and in a 1891 ticket has the address Salusbury Road. At that time Salusbury Road was extended through Brondesbury Park. The upper part of the road changed name to Brondesbury Park ca 1892. The conclusion is that the ground is between those roads. Brondesbury Ground is also called “Park” only. Conclusion: the ground is in the park between the roads and then there are two possible fields as location for the ground.
The west location is more likely: The east location is near the church, which is less likely. In the western location there is also a building that can be the pavilion mentioned in QPR's ticket from 1891.

“Gun Club” is the name of the ground, when the club is advertising after matches in February 1894. It is also called “North Kensington Cricket Ground”, “Wood Lane” and “Wormwood Scrubs”. Above the field is the park Wormwood Scrubs, the shooting club had the shooting ranges there. On general maps, the Gun Club is marked at the location of the shooting ranges, at the height of the current Linford Christie Stadium, but the fields for football and cricket were at Du Cane Road. The North Kensington Cricket Ground is the most likely the field. The Pavillion hotel is also nearby.

Harviest Road, West Kilburn or Kilburn Cricket Ground was a ground first used by Kilburn Cricket Club. The old site was at Ashmore Road until 1893. When the area was built up the Kilburn CC moved to a new site beside the park “Queens Park”. The location is mentioned in club handbook 1896/97 and was described adjoining to the park ”Queens Park”. There is also a newspaper notice placing the ground next to Salusbury Road. It was also called Mortimer Road changed name to Harviest Road which is the name of the road situated at the ground.

Before ca 1898 the ground is called National Athletics Grounds and was used för bigger matches such as semi- final, finals of regional cups. QPR hired the ground at four times. At the last spell the ground was often called just "The Rise".

Below is a rectified map with a layer from 1890 on a layer with a modern satellite image.

Rangers played in Latimer Road one season 1901-1902. They returned to Kensal Rise Athletic Ground next season and moved 1904 to Park Royal. It is in the Park Royal the Green and White hoops are used, probably for the first time. The ground is called Latimer Road but sometimes also St Quintins Park. It's probably from the nearby train station name. Woods writes in 1905 that the ground is at the rear of Latimer Road and St Quintins Avenue. If you look at a map from 1900, it’s the rear and between the two roads.

In their pursuit of grounds, QPR ended up at Park Royal 2 miles from Queens Park. This ground had been laid out by the Royal Agriculture Society and was called the Horse Ring, named probably after it’s role as exhibition stadium for horse activities. QPR came to call it Park Royal after the area. The location is marked on a map by the Brent Historical Society. The name Park Royal comes from the Royal Agriculture Society's Showground, which had opened in 1903. It was at Park Royal that QPR first came to play in hooped shirts. When the Rangers made a decisive change of arenas, they also made major changes to the jerseys as well.

White City was first called the Stadium, Shepherds Bush. The arena was built as part of the Franco-British Exhibition. The seating capacity was as many as 68,000 spectators. The first time the club used the arena was Long Good Friday 2012 during a train strike. Few matches were played and no other entertainment was allowed so the club had expected a large number of spectators but not the huge 62,000 spectators, which is the club's attendances record. More about this in a later blog post.

The field at the end of Loftus Road was during the late 19th centuary a typical area between buildings and agriculture. Nearby was Wormholt Farm, which had leased several fields to football clubs such as Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, Kensington and Westminster.

Old St Stephens was originally from Westminster and 1905 the club changed its name to Shepherd's Bush FC and leased the field at the end of Loftus Road. During the First World War in 1915, the club ceased to exist and QPR leased the ground 1917. When the Central Railway (Central Line) was built for Shepherd's Bush, the field at Loftus Road was used as landfill, and later when the field became a football pitch, the clay layers made the pitch easily waterlogged.

Teagle became the club's second team captain 1893 when he succeeded the club's initiator and first team captain John Mcdonald. Teagle was captain until 1897. He was also occasionally the club's secretary.

When the club wrote its first history in 1899, it was Teagle together with Hiscox, McKenzie and Webb (Ward?) who compiled the facts to the history. Teagle was born and raised in Queens Park, married to a sister of Henry Spurr who was already a player on the schoolyard. Henry Spurr was also the club's chairman when the history was published. This history has high credibility in terms of grounds and the oldest history as it was made by players who played on these grounds.

QPR have played on all the grounds available in north-west London with one exception: Paddington Recretaion Ground. This arena was established as early as 1888 by Paddington borough. Several Paddington clubs have played there, including Paddington FC and Paddington Town FC. But it could have been QPR's ground in the early 20th century. The club placed a bid in 1904? to rent the ground. The club had the highest bid, but the Borough didn't think the area was suitable for a professional club.