Chapter 2: Carlisle Road (1880-86)

The Origins of Bradford City

By David Pendleton

Chapter Two: Carlisle Road

1880-86

After playing on a series of bare fields for eight years, in the summer of 1880 Manningham rugby club moved into their first permanent home. They rented a field in Whetley Hill which they named ‘Carlisle Road’ after the adjacent thoroughfare.

The ground was situated where Drummond Road school stands today. The land was owned by James Drummond (of the family who ran Drummond Mills on Lumb Lane). However, they rented the field itself from one John S Wilkinson, a furniture broker, who presumably was a tenant of James Drummond.

Though at first little more than an open field, the move to a ‘permanent’ home signalled Manningham’s intention to become a real force in the world of rugby. The first competitive fixture at the new ground came on 9 October 1880. Farsley were soundly beaten ‘in the presence of a large number of spectators’, according to the Bradford Observer. We know little of the facilities at the Carlisle road ground; however, frequent references are made to captains choosing to ‘play with the slope’. A cursory glance down Drummond Road today gives an indication of what an advantage it would have given. The rudimentary nature of the facilities is illustrated by the fact that the players had constructed wooden batons around the field, they were laid so spectators didn’t have to stand on bare earth.

Though Manningham were moving upwards in the rugby world, games were still prone to abandonment due to failing light and adverse weather. Occasionally more mundane matters would halt matches. An example was during a visit to Horton Alexandria in November 1880. The Horton team objected to an early Manningham try. The visiting captain bowed to the objection, but when Horton disputed another, the Manningham captain refused to give ground. The Horton side walked off the field and the game had to be abandoned!

Other trips were much more agreeable. Such as a visit to Harrogate College when the Bradford Observer reported: ‘at the conclusion the visitors were entertained at tea by their opponents’.

At the seasons end the clubs members dined at the Carlisle Hotel to celebrate a successful campaign. They were informed that of 21 games, 16 had been won, 2 drawn and just 3 lost.

The 1881/82 season saw the club enter the prestigious Yorkshire Cup for the first time. Gildersome & Morley were dispatched in the first round; the game was played at Bradford RFCs Park Avenue ground, presumably to accommodate the larger than usual crowd. Manningham travelled to Harrogate in the second round, where, despite twenty minutes of extra time, the sides couldn’t be separated. A midweek replay, again at Park Avenue, attracted ‘a very large assemblage of spectators, in whom the contest seemed to arouse the greatest of enthusiasm’. Once again twenty minutes of extra time had to be played, but this time Manningham won the tie. The third round took Manningham to Kirkstall where they suffered a controversial defeat. The Bradford Observer remarked, ‘a good deal of complaint was heard as to the transgression by Kirkstall of the rules of the game, and as to some of the referees decisions’.

Despite the bitter exit from the Cup, it had been another successful season for the club. The annual meeting, this time at the Junction Hotel, heard that of 27 games played, 19 had been won, 6 drawn and 2 lost.

The Yorkshire Cup was again entered in 1882/83. The first round saw a crowd of 3,000 pack Carlisle Road for the visit of Ossett. Sadly Manningham fell at the first hurdle. In normal competition the rough and tumble nature of the game was illustrated when Manningham’s Fred Richmond was seriously injured at Salterhebble. Such was the severity of his injury when Salterhebble visited Carlisle Road later in the season, the game was played for Richmond’s benefit.

At the seasons conclusion, the clubs annual meeting, again at the Junction Hotel, celebrated 22 victories, 4 draws and 2 defeats. The 70 members present heard of a profit of £41 12s. More significantly the club were now affiliated to the English Rugby Union and as a result a higher grade of opposition could be expected.

The 1883/84 season saw Manningham travelling further afield to find suitable opposition. In November they even hired a special train to convey the team, and supporters, to Hull where 3,000 spectators saw the visitors victorious. Apparently it grew so dark near the end the Bradford Observer noted that ‘it was difficult to distinguish the black jerseyites’.

The Yorkshire Cup brought Barnsley to Carlisle Road in round one. Manningham won and were rewarded with another home tie, this time against the delightfully named Batley Mountaineers! Another victory set up a dream tie with cross-town rivals Bradford. The Park Avenue side were one of the giants of the game and hot favourites. The Manningham players took themselves away to Blackpool for a weeks training. The tie attracted a record crowd to Park Avenue. The Bradford Observer said it was in the region of 20,000 - ‘a monster attendance!’ Bradford won the tie and went onto capture the Yorkshire Cup.

It was not all toil for the Manninghamites. Indeed the Bradford Weekly Telegraph noted that the clubs second annual ball, held at the Technical College, attracted 130 couples. The dancing commenced at 9pm and was kept up until 5.30 the following morning!

During the summer of 1884 improvements were made to the grandstand and field in anticipation of large attendances as a result of the clubs continued progress. The opening game of the 1884/85 campaign on 20 September attracted 5,000 spectators to Carlisle Road to witness the defeat of visitors Hull. Manningham unveiled their new claret and amber colours. The shirt was hooped with the claret hoop being twice the width of the amber; the shorts - or knickers as they were termed - were white. Although of later origin (1891), the well-known painting featured in ‘Street Characters of a Victorian City’ (Bradford Libraries 1993) gives a good representation of the new strip. Sadly no reason is given for the adoption of the startling new colours, but it is widely thought that colours came from the Belle Vue based Prince of Wales Own (West Yorkshire) Regiment.

As improvements were made to the Carlisle Road ground events were beginning to cast a shadow over Manningham’s future at the site. The minutes of the Bradford School Board of13 October 1884 recommended that the board ‘take steps to secure land belonging to Messers Drummond and Sleight’s situate between Whetley Hill and Priestman Street on which to erect erect a school’.

Despite the threat the improvements to the ground bore fruit as record receipts of £100 were taken when Batley visited Carlisle Road in October. Further welcome news was received just before Christmas when it was announced that one of the clubs founders JJ Hawcridge had been selected to play for England.

In the Yorkshire Cup Brighouse, Dudley Hill, Selby and Liversedge Old were dispatched - the trip to Selby saw the Midland and Great Northern Railway’s both laying on special trains. Dewsbury were seen off in the semi-final at Huddersfield. The train conveying the players arrived back at Bradford Exchange to a rapturous reception. 300 fans escorted the team back to their new HQ at the Talbot Hotel.

There was good reason for the jubilation. In the four years since the move to Carlisle Road, Manningham had risen from virtually nothing to the Yorkshire Cup final. Suddenly the all conquering Park Avenue based Bradford RFC had a serious rival and one in their back yard! The heritage for the City-Avenue derbies many years later had been born.

Sadly the Yorkshire Cup final was narrowly lost to Batley. However, seven days later Manningham won the Bradford Charity Cup with a dramatic last minute drop goal by Fred Richmond. Over 10,000 saw the final against Cleckheaton.

The club held its annual meeting at the Belle Vue Junior School on 22 May 1885. Concern was voiced regarding the finances; a new stand had been constructed at a cost of £58 6s 8d. However, the club had taken £373 8s 9d at the gate and still had £58 to hand. At the annual dinner, at Leuchters’ Restaurant on Darley Street, Chairman William Lister expressed great satisfaction at the meteoric rise of the club. Indeed the club had even opened its own news and reading room at Thorncliffe Hotel; no other club in Yorkshire could boast such facilities! On the field the side had won 23 games, drawn 6 and lost 4.

The 1885/86 season opened with the team in patchy form. However, it did not dissuade the public as 8,000 packed into Carlisle Road to see Dewsbury defeated on 17 October. For that game several lorries had to be hired to aid viewing, the following month a new stand was opened which could accommodate a further 1500 spectators. The opening was a grand affair with the Manningham Brass Band in attendance to serenade the 7,000 crowd. The team capped the afternoon by comprehensively defeating the visitors Halifax.

In the Yorkshire Cup Pudsey, Liversedge and Hull were overcome en route to a showdown with Bradford. Over 18,000 packed Park Avenue to witness a bruising encounter. Bradford just shaded the contest, but there was little doubt that the gap between the Wool City rivals was closing fast.

Off the field the School Board was still expressing an interest in the Carlisle Road ground. At a meeting on 14 December 1885, there was ‘consideration of the site for a school at Whetley Hill. A plot of land belonging to Mr Drummond and a piece of land belonging to Mr Sleight in Newport Street’.

When Brighouse Rangers visited Carlisle Road on 24 April 1886, the majority of the 4,000 crowd must have realised that this was to be the last game at the ground. However, although it was common knowledge that the Bradford School Board desired the land for construction of a new school, the rapidity of subsequent events caught everyone by surprise.

Five days after the Brighouse game the records of the Bradford School Board mention the site of the ground. It noted, ‘the land for the school belongs to Mr Drummond and Mr Sleight, the land belonging to Mr Sleight being the key to the site. Mr Sleight had transferred his rights to Mr Drummond’.

Sleight’s land was a mere 497 sq. yards, but it was the key as it was at the site of the junction of Newport Street and the proposed Drummond Road that was to cut through the site and afford access to the new school.

Events moved rapidly. Manningham’s annual dinner, held at the Alexandria Hotel on 7 May 1886, the chairman William Lister informed the gathering of the need to find a new home. He revealed the committee had a new field in mind, but a large amount of money would have to be raised.

Away from the consternation caused by the loss of Carlisle Road, the season had been another great success for the club. 20 games had been won, 2 drawn and 9 lost. 69,000 spectators had witnessed games at Carlisle Road. Despite the heavy expenditure on the new stand and turnstiles, the club had met all its debts and had a balance in hand.

The clubs annual meeting on 21 May at St Pauls Schoolroom, was informed of the compulsory purchase of Carlisle Road for the erection of a school. However, the committee had identified a field at the bottom of Valley Parade, close to the skating rink, which appeared suitable. The chairman had that very night received a telegram from the fields owners, the Midland Railway Company, offering a seven-year lease. The club had already arranged to buy out the existing tenants and all that was required to complete the transaction was the approval of the members.

The members were warned that the new site required a great deal of levelling, which would be an expensive process. But the rent of the new field was very much less than that of Carlisle Road. A Mr Clarkson, a member of the club, had prepared a scheme for the new ground that would cost £900-1,000. If they had to build a wall, which at present they thought they could do without, the cost would be increased.

After much discussion the proposal was unanimously passed on the motion of Mr Benn, seconded by Mr Ryder - Valley Parade was born.

The site of the Carlisle Road ground was purchased by the School Board from James Drummond on 31 May 1886 for the princely sum of £5250. The School Board seemed sympathetic to Manningham’s plight. On 17 June ‘permission was given for the stands of Manningham Football Club to remain on the ground at Whetley Hill for the present’.

In August with the new season looming and work at Valley Parade still on going, Manningham were granted for training, ‘the use of the Drummond Road School site for two evenings (Tuesday and Thursday) per week’.

Carlisle Road faded into history thereafter. Drummond Road School opened on 3 October 1887 and is still in use to this day. How many children, perhaps dreaming of Valley Parade, whilst kicking a ball around the school play ground, will know that on the very site so much endeavour was undertaken in the famous claret and amber? Such were the achievements of Manningham at Carlisle Road there’s no doubt that, what we today know as Drummond Road, was the birthplace of Bradford City.

Chapter One: Genesis (1872-80)

Chapter Three: Valley Parade's first season (1886-87)

Chapter Four: Death On The Midland Road (1887-9)

Chapter Five: For Club and Country (1889-90)

Chapter Six: Trouble At The Mill (1890-91)

Chapter Seven: Football Begins to Cast Its Shadow (1891-92)

Chapter Eight: Semi-Finalists and League Pioneers (1892-93)

Chapter Nine: Champions! (1893-94)

Chapter Ten: The Last Season of Rugby Union (1894-95)

Chapter Eleven: Champions of the Rugby League (1895-96)

Chapter Twelve: Death of a Hero (1896-97)

Chapter Thirteen: Dark Clouds Gather (1897-98)