I'm doing some research into the ground and i'm struggling to find the dates for certain events. Can anyone help??

Firstly when the stand had its roof blown off in the War and when the stand was renamed the Johnny King Stand? Any ideas?

Any other interesting facts or events concerning the stand is also welcome!

Thank You

Why don,t you phone up the club and ask to speak to tony coombes He could point you in the rite direction or try getting hold of george higham who i think does some work for cammel lairds football club.

It was re-named the Johnny King stand during the 2003/04 season.

From the book: Tranmere Rovers, The Complete Record:

"During the air raid on the night of 13-14 March 1941, a landmine fell on houses immediately across Borough Road demolishing four properties and killing six residents. The blast blew off the centre portion of the 1920 covering of that side of the ground and, when they arrived for training, the players were pressed into service to clear the debris. What remained was declared unsafe and, shortly afterwards, demolished"



Smash, just checking, but your question is referring to the Borough Road side of the ground isn't it, rather than the main stand?

I think that was the only side that was covered - the cow sheds

Surely the cow sheds faced onto Prenton Rd. West.

What was the covered stand on Borough Road called then?

I know that shafts end was steepish terraced standing, car park side was open, I can't remember Prenton Road West end, but I didn't think it was covered?

My memory, from the 1940's, is that it was terracing on the Borough Rd. & Shafts. sides & stands on the car park & Prenton Rd. West sides.
(But hey, what do I know; I was never a follower of football. I did live just 200 yards away though).

This is how i remember the rovers ground, i first went about 1957, shafts end (open terrace) Borough rd (covered terrace) Prenton pub end (covered terrace) Mersey clipper and car park side had a stand that was painted green and was about a house height, in front of that was a standing area called the paddock. In cost, the stands were the most expensive, then the paddock and then the rest of the ground was the same, the cow sheds was the Prenton pub end, that end if my memory serves me right had a series of apex roofs, the Borough Rd side had a flat sloping roof.

I remember the concrete tank traps used as a border around the pitch, used to sit on them to watch the match as a kid. Was there when we drew with Spurs in the cup but we got hammered 6-0 or 6-1 at their ground. Happy days.

Yes, I can confirm apex roofing on Prenton Road West, long roof on Borough Road and open terracing on shafts end.

Car park side had a new stand built late sixties, early seventies, I'm sure it was open before that, but that may have been temporary when they were going to build the new stand.

Spot on!

The Borough Road side was uncovered terracing for a while, after the war damage, until it was re-roofed in 1955. By the 1980s, this roof was itself dilapidated, although new corrugated metal cladding of the rear of the terrace at least smartened the appearance from outside the ground. A TV gantry was also erected above the roof in the 1980s.

One thing I have just found out, from reading The Complete Record Book, was that when the existing Prenton Park was opened in 1912, Rovers brought with them their existing stand from the 1st Prenton Park (which was located where the school is, across Prenton Road West), and this was re-erected on the Borough Road side of the new ground. However, it was destroyed by high winds on New Years Day 1916, and as far as I am aware, that side of the ground was subsequently terracing only, until the whole ground was redeveloped into an all-seater stadium in the 1990s.

dead on bert i first went in 1955 ,later on i used to walk round the pitch selling sweets before kick off and half time,then sometimes clean the bath after.i remember ther used to be sacks of old programmes.still going and enjoying it.love your home town team and stop booing them off this season.les has done great with no money!

Came across this piccy of prenton park a while ago while doing some research myself. Unfortunately it dosen't show the Borough Road Stand.
I'm told the frame and roof of the original cowshed stand was actually once a cowshed. Dismantled, re-jigged and hey presto...The Cowshed End.

An aerial photo from the same era ...

Nice photos!

I'm sure the following link has been posted on here before, but for anyone who has not previously seen it, it is an old newsreel film from an FA Cup game v Chelsea in the early '30s. The camera is positioned within the old main stand, so obviously that side of the ground is out of shot, but clearly visible are The Cowsheds, Borough Road Side & Kop, along with the old changing rooms located on the Borough Road / Prenton Road West corner.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=2696

nice video,my old friend ted always spoke of this match it was his first ever match,he was on the kop on his uncles shoulders.

Note the tram passing from 24 seconds in!

Well spotted.

Yes, I spotted that last night too! The car would have just turned right from Borough Road and was heading up Prenton Road West. Some folk kicking a leather spheroid around, which distracted somewhat.

(I'll get my coat)

I remembered reading something about the wartime bomb and the Borough Road stand in one of last season's programmes. I've dug it out and scanned the relevant page.

It's from the Programme for the game v. Sheffield Wednesday played 15th February 2011. More important than the article though, we won 3-0

Interesting snippet ! Thanks.

There was a full article on the Borough Road Stand in yesterday's match-day programme. I won't put it up unless the OP asks, because I partly suspect he wrote it, given the coincidental timing of the original request and the fact the OPs previous posts have all been about TRFC