Claremont Road football ground – home of Hendon FC for 81 years.
The stadium site was sold to a property developer in 2006 who ousted the football club in 2008. By the time these photos were taken in 2009 the ground was home to Romanian squatters. Over the subsequent years they were evicted twice before a final eviction involving the Police and the Borders Agency removed 68 squatters in June 2013. After this final eviction the buildings were demolished. The really stupid thing about it all is that the land is subject to a written promise (covenant) to Middlesex County Council by Hendon UDC (now part of Barnet) that it had dedicated the land ‘for ever’, for public recreation. But then property developers and their crony councillors don’t give a monkey’s about such things do they 😦 Hendon FC are currently playing over at Harrow Borough’s Earlsmead Stadium.
Claremont Road viewed through a turnstile grill
The pitch and East Stand
The south end turnstiles
The West Stand
Read about the Weekly Photo Challenge at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/photo-challenge-abandoned/
Sad to see such wasted grounds.
It is indeed sad Joan and this ground had such a lot of history too. Barnet Council, god bless ’em, are currently trying to get the covenant removed by the Land Registry despite a lot of local opposition.
They should have just let the club continue playing there and adhere to the wishes made in the past.
That would have been a friendly way of doing things but this is property developers and local conservative councils we’re talking about 😦 Thanks for your input Colline.
You have your own record of a moment in history here..
Thank you Sue – yes I do, but history is made every day out there and I don’t doubt you have some of your own too! I’ll pop over and take a look 🙂
so sad how vested interests and filthy lucre seem to win out so often at the moment …. our current government is all about taking from the people and handing to Big Business …
Yes Christine – It seems that greed has really been taking over the worlds capitalist economies more than ever before.
Great selections!
Thank you 🙂
This is one of the saddest abandoned places I’ve ever seen!
The closure of football grounds like this can rip the heart out of a community so it is truly sad. Thanks for passing by and commenting 🙂
When did you take these Martin?
2009 Mike
I especially love that first shot, it manages to be both abandoned and beautiful at the same time.
Thank You Judith 🙂 It’s funny, we must have been thinking of each other at the same time – I was just over at your blog and came back to find you over here 🙂