Plough Lane

Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London, England, and for nearly eighty years it was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club. The leasehold on the disused marshland at the corner of Plough Lane and Haydons Road was purchased by Wimbledon Football Club in 1912. The pitch was fenced in and the playing surface improved, while a dressing room was built and a stand holding 500 spectators was erected. Wimbledon played their first match at the ground on 7 September 1912, a friendly match against Carshalton Athletic which was drawn 2 to 2. During the 1920s, crowds were regularly taken at between five and eight thousand. The South Stand was added in 1923, purchased from Clapton Orient. By the start of the Second World War the ground's capacity stood at 30,000. The ground was used as the site of an amateur international match, when England took on Wales on 19 January 1935. Damage caused during the Second World War meant that extensive redevelopment was necessary after the club returned in 1944, as the South Stand had been bombed and the incomplete fencing meant the club could not charge for admission. Half-time collections were taken to keep the club operating. The South Stand was restored to its former glory in 1950, and the 1950 to 1951 season saw the capacity back around the 25,000 mark. Glass panels were fitted at each end of both stands two years later. Floodlights were purchased in July 1954, and the North Stand was completely rebuilt before the 1957 to 1958 season. Plough Lane was Wimbledon F.C.'s ground from September 1912 until May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams then used Plough Lane as their home ground until 1998, when the site was sold to Safeway. The stadium remained derelict for several years until it was finally demolished in 2002.

Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London, England, and for nearly eighty years it was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club. The leasehold on the disused marshland at the corner of Plough Lane and Haydons Road was purchased by Wimbledon Football Club in 1912. Wimbledon played their first match at the ground on 7 September 1912, a friendly match against Carshalton Athletic which was drawn 2 to 2. The South Stand was added in 1923, purchased from Clapton Orient. By the start of the Second World War the ground's capacity stood at 30,000. The ground was used as the site of an amateur international match, when England took on Wales on 19 January 1935. Damage caused during the Second World War meant that extensive redevelopment was necessary, as the South Stand had been bombed and the incomplete fencing meant the club could not charge for admission. Half-time collections were taken to keep the club operating. The South Stand was restored to its former glory in 1950. Floodlights were purchased in July 1954, and the North Stand was completely rebuilt before the 1957 to 1958 season. Plough Lane was Wimbledon F.C.'s ground from September 1912 until May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park. Both clubs' reserve teams then used Plough Lane as their home ground until 1998, when the site was sold to Safeway. The stadium remained derelict for several years until it was finally demolished in 2002. The site was eventually developed as a private housing development known as Reynolds Gate, named after former Wimbledon F.C. striker Eddie Reynolds, which was completed in 2008.