Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Week 8
Tue 27th September 2016 | General | By Stewart Taylor
Last week our tour took us to East Lancashire and the club we were looking for was AFC Darwen.
To be fair, the photo probably didn’t help to identify the ground at all but, given the role I have in the League Management Committee it simply had to go in. The banner is behind the goal at the turnstile end of the WEC Group Anchor Ground.
I thought that the link was pretty obscure but I know of at least one person who got it. We were asked to find the link between this place and the actress (or do we have to say actor irrespective of gender these days?) Patricia Routledge. Well known for her role as Hyacinth Bouquet in the TV series Keeping up Appearances, she also plays the title role in the TV series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates which was mainly filmed in and around Darwen.
Onward to this week and the quick link is not quite as obtuse as last weeks.
We have noted previously how as major cities developed the countryside around those cities changed considerably. Settlements became villages which then became towns which were, in later years, incorporated into urban sprawls. Where we are this week fits this model perfectly. As the area developed into the multicultural area it is today, football in the area progressed to serve and mirror those changes.
This club can trace its roots back to the first decade of the 20th Century and it’s a not unfamiliar story. Many of our clubs started as church clubs and then gradually changed into what they are now via a number of name changes. In this case, the first name change was forced due to the rules of the Lancashire and Cheshire League which they entered soon after the end of World War 1 – this idea of a forced name change will be re-visited in a later piece in this series.
Over the years the club has won many honours but, for a while, had something of a nomadic existence before taking on the current ground some 20 years ago. Since then progress on the field has been matched by the progress off it as a fine community club has been built by the volunteers.
Last season saw the club achieve their highest level finish in the National League System.
Whilst much work has been done within the club the wider community has not been forgotten. Initiatives to bring in local supporters have been successful in an area which boasts a relatively affluent local population. Indeed, many describe the area as “bohemian” and a virtual stroll down one of the major roads in the area is informative.
Not too far away from the ground lies Burton Road, a road which certainly puts the “fare” into thoroughfare. This road could reasonable be called a foodies delight as we travel from “A Taste of Honey” – a deli focussing on local produce to “The George Charles” – high quality English style pub grub via; “Great Kathmandu” – Nepalese; “Bistro West 156” – classic British; “Nemaste Nepal” – Indian/Nepalese; “Volta” – a “small plates” menu in a variety of styles; “Folk” – family oriented café; “Pinchjo’s”– tapas; “Crazy Wendy’s” – north eastern Thai and “The Rose Garden” – modern classics.
Add to this a range of bars with truly eclectic selections of beers, wines and spirits and this is certainly one of the trendy places in the north-west to see and be seen.
Such an environment sees leading figures in the arts and entertainments live in this area. These include Carole Ann Duffy – the first female Poet Laureate, TV pioneers Sidney Bernstein and Denis Forman, and indie singer-songwriter Damien Gough – perhaps better known to some as Badly Drawn Boy.
Quick link – what links this club with the indie - rock band Dutch Uncles?
Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Week 8
Tue 27th September 2016 | General
By Stewart Taylor
Last week our tour took us to East Lancashire and the club we were looking for was AFC Darwen.
To be fair, the photo probably didn’t help to identify the ground at all but, given the role I have in the League Management Committee it simply had to go in. The banner is behind the goal at the turnstile end of the WEC Group Anchor Ground.
I thought that the link was pretty obscure but I know of at least one person who got it. We were asked to find the link between this place and the actress (or do we have to say actor irrespective of gender these days?) Patricia Routledge. Well known for her role as Hyacinth Bouquet in the TV series Keeping up Appearances, she also plays the title role in the TV series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates which was mainly filmed in and around Darwen.
Onward to this week and the quick link is not quite as obtuse as last weeks.
We have noted previously how as major cities developed the countryside around those cities changed considerably. Settlements became villages which then became towns which were, in later years, incorporated into urban sprawls. Where we are this week fits this model perfectly. As the area developed into the multicultural area it is today, football in the area progressed to serve and mirror those changes.
This club can trace its roots back to the first decade of the 20th Century and it’s a not unfamiliar story. Many of our clubs started as church clubs and then gradually changed into what they are now via a number of name changes. In this case, the first name change was forced due to the rules of the Lancashire and Cheshire League which they entered soon after the end of World War 1 – this idea of a forced name change will be re-visited in a later piece in this series.
Over the years the club has won many honours but, for a while, had something of a nomadic existence before taking on the current ground some 20 years ago. Since then progress on the field has been matched by the progress off it as a fine community club has been built by the volunteers.
Last season saw the club achieve their highest level finish in the National League System.
Whilst much work has been done within the club the wider community has not been forgotten. Initiatives to bring in local supporters have been successful in an area which boasts a relatively affluent local population. Indeed, many describe the area as “bohemian” and a virtual stroll down one of the major roads in the area is informative.
Not too far away from the ground lies Burton Road, a road which certainly puts the “fare” into thoroughfare. This road could reasonable be called a foodies delight as we travel from “A Taste of Honey” – a deli focussing on local produce to “The George Charles” – high quality English style pub grub via; “Great Kathmandu” – Nepalese; “Bistro West 156” – classic British; “Nemaste Nepal” – Indian/Nepalese; “Volta” – a “small plates” menu in a variety of styles; “Folk” – family oriented café; “Pinchjo’s”– tapas; “Crazy Wendy’s” – north eastern Thai and “The Rose Garden” – modern classics.
Add to this a range of bars with truly eclectic selections of beers, wines and spirits and this is certainly one of the trendy places in the north-west to see and be seen.
Such an environment sees leading figures in the arts and entertainments live in this area. These include Carole Ann Duffy – the first female Poet Laureate, TV pioneers Sidney Bernstein and Denis Forman, and indie singer-songwriter Damien Gough – perhaps better known to some as Badly Drawn Boy.
Quick link – what links this club with the indie - rock band Dutch Uncles?
