for Falkirk Football Club, Brockville
Construction work on a huge new grandstand at Brockville, the home of Falkirk Football Club, began in June 1928 and was completed by the beginning of September in time for the new season. The stand, designed by J G Callander, gave Falkirk one of the largest facilities outside of a major city in Scotland. The old stand had seating space for 1,200 but the replacement accommodated 3,515 spectators. It cost around £8,000.
The work of erecting the stand took 9 weeks from the first steel pillar being put into place. The tradesmen worked to get the stand ready for the opening Home League match against Partick Thistle. 300,000 bricks were used in the 315ft long stand which had a steel frame covered with galvanised corrugated iron and an asbestos roof. It contained 15 rows of seats along its entire length with 1,350 tip-up chairs. These were divided into seven bays, to each of which there was a separate entrance direct from the road at the rear. The central portion was the reserved area with the tip-up seats. The press box was in the centre towards the rear.
Below the seating was the usual array of rooms – a spacious entrance hall, stripping or dressing rooms for the home and visiting teams with tiled walls and showers and plunge baths finished in terrazzo; a large gymnasium, clothes drying room, trainer’s store, referee’s room with bath adjoining, linemen’s room, cash check office, store, board room, manager’s office, telephone boxes, refreshment room, kitchen, storage and boiler house. The whole fitted with electric lighting and heated on the hot water low pressure system.
Illus: Twelve new Turnstiles in Hope Street.
The new stand ran practically the full length of the west side of the playing field, a little to the rear of the previous stand and this permitted the playing field to be increased in width by 6yds making it 71yds 1ft wide. The standing space on the east side of the field was also increased by 3yds.
Contractors – brick work – J Maxwell & Sons, Falkirk; joiner work – Alexander Cowan, Larbert; plumber work – George Rule, Falkirk; cement work – James K Miller, Falkirk; steel work – Clyde Structural Iron Company, Glasgow; glazier work – D O’ May, Falkirk; electrical work – Thomas J Irvine, Falkirk; steel windows – Doodson & Bain, Manchester; heating – C F Howden, Glasgow; tip-up chairs – J D Bennett Ltd, Glasgow; tile work – R Brown and Sons, Paisley; roof sheeting – Bell’s Polite Co Ltd, Glasgow; concrete fencing – David McNair, Falkirk; terrazzo work – Toffolo Jackson and Co, Glasgow; ground work – F Flaherty, Falkirk.
G.B. Bailey, 2021
Falkirk Local History Society 