Stadium Expansion

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by CarlosKickaballs, Jun 4, 2015.

?

Which type of person are you?

  1. A dullard

    31 vote(s)
    35.6%
  2. Stars are like fireworks (the best type of firework, let me tell you) that dont move

    18 vote(s)
    20.7%
  3. Turtles mistaking nightclubs for the moonlight on the sea, concerns me greatly

    38 vote(s)
    43.7%
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  1. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    Such a stupid, ignorant and ill thought out post. Who does indeed ? Only those trying to learn more about the Universe. If more people actually ventured to look into the night sky they might appreciate more their place here and how small they are in the Universe as well as it's awe inspiring grandeur. Not to mention the effect light pollution is having on the natural world not least those species who are keenly attuned to the lunar cycle or use the stars for migration purposes.
     
  2. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Thanks Stevo. Building a wall like like would have been quite an investment for a little third division club back then. I wonder if there was a security problem either on match days or at other times.
     
  3. BigRossLittleRoss

    BigRossLittleRoss First Team

    Looks like they are tarmac-ing the pitch.

    Similar technique the Australian groundsmen use when laying a cricket pitch.
     
  4. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Not sure.. but when i posted a pic on the Watford memories Facebook page showing the fence, people said they would watch the game through holes in the fence and some spoke of gaining entry that way. That might well have been the driving force for putting a wall up.
     
  5. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Donald Trump clearly gets his ideas from the Facebook page then....
     
  6. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Was thinking the same thing as I wrote it.

    Had visions of hundreds of short mustachioed fellas climbing through the fence to watch Watford verses Workington.
     
  7. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    In that case maybe it was put up to prevent people from escaping.
     
    RookeryDad likes this.
  8. Leighton Buzzer

    Leighton Buzzer Reservist

    All to save a Shilling!
     
  9. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Not from 77 til 87 though.

    As Ollie Phillips once wrote.. "When they opened the big exit gates on Vicarage Road more people came in than went out"
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2018
  10. ITK platypus

    ITK platypus Squad Player

    After this season's inevitable relegation, will the club move to de-expand (contract?) the stadium? In the Championship we will struggle to hit attendances above 15,000, I would therefore advocate tearing down the Rookery to save cost. If we stay up however, I would like to see the capacity expanded to 160,000.
     
    CaveManHornet likes this.
  11. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    It wasn't a serious post Smudger old bean ! Whilst I don't get too excited by looking at the stars, I'm a serious amateur wildlife photographer in my free time so the wildlife angle, eg turtles mistaking nightclubs for the moonlight on the sea, concerns me greatly.
     
  12. Cthulhu

    Cthulhu Keyboard Warrior Staff Member

    "Turtles mistaking nightclubs for the moonlight on the sea, concerns me greatly"

    Ill add it as an option to the poll
     
    352 and Bwood_Horn like this.
  13. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Bless you. You've done your bit towards making this world a better place.
     
    Cthulhu likes this.
  14. We hate 48

    We hate 48 Reservist

    True but post GT and specifically 1990/91 season I remember taking my then 2 year old son up there some times to wait for the gates to open so he could walk up and down the gangways ( development for him !) while I watched the last 15/20 minutes. As that was the Colin Lee season we went 12 homes games (9 league) before we won at home to Plymouth in front of 6,000 in December - IIRC people streaming out looked quite puzzled by a man and his little boy walking in
     
  15. Leighton Buzzer

    Leighton Buzzer Reservist

    I knew a bloke that did that once, and I was the one who had to pull the drunken fool out of the water.
     
  16. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

    All we need to do is have a pre-season "friendly" with QPR. Stick them in the section that we want to close down and let them rip up their seats. In effect they will pay us for doing the work contractors would have had to have been paid to do. Win-win.

    Alternatively Announce that we have introduced executive single buttock seats in the GT stand giving twice as much room and more comfort. Make them twice as expensive for half the capacity.
    Sorted.
     
    BigRossLittleRoss likes this.
  17. Rontaylor

    Rontaylor Reservist

    In the late 60s the gates were usually opened at half time. I've mentioned before "Tony" who had a flower stall in the old market who always took advantage of this. When he arrived at area between Vic Rd and East Stand he was always greeted much like Norm in Cheers. He always shouted "one more Watford" (even if we were losing 4-0
     
    Stevohorn likes this.
  18. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Been a while since I took a peek around the back of the GT stand to see the progress of the new corporate entrance; still seems some way off completion:

    B.jpg A.jpg
     
  19. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    That's an extremely slow build all in all. Wonder what the rationale is for doing it at that speed?
     
  20. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    Is that a Carillion sign I see in the background?
     
    oxhey67, I Blame Pozzo and UEA_Hornet like this.
  21. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    To reflect current progress on the field? Or to save them putting up the Premier League emblem and having to take it down at the end of the season?!

    Seriously though, pleased with this development. The external of the GT stand was the last part of Vic Road that was a bit of an eyesore.
    Question- have they demolished some of the hospital outbuildings on the right hand side? Or have the pics been taken from a point past the buildings?
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2018
  22. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I was there a couple of weeks ago on a non-matchday and I don't think any hospital buildings on that side have been demolished. The layout is still as per the Googlemaps satellite image.
     
  23. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Zoomed in from the snowy pic last month - don't think any buildings have been demolished although I was on autopilot yesterday and wasn't really paying attention to what was on my right!

    20180114_084853.jpg
     
  24. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Yeah. Your top pic was obviously taken at a point beyond the hospital buildings.

    I wonder if there will ever come a day when we can purchase that old block from the hospital, demolish everything and give that side of the stadium a befitting open external concourse. Or to give us scope to extend the GT.. with the new block buried within :)
     
  25. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Here ive been very artistic this morning..

    gtne2.JPG


    No doubt never happen, as the building of this new entrance block indicates.. but i can dream.
     
  26. Abso

    Abso First Year Pro

    I think but may be wrong that the building next to the GT stand is "Shrodells" and is a listed building?
     
  27. Abso

    Abso First Year Pro

    [​IMG]
    There was once a building behind the GT, but i dont know when it was flattened and turned into more car parking.
    Did there also used to be a strange chimney with 3 extra chimneys bolted to the side of it sticking up just behind the old funny boxes that once were in the SW corner?
     
  28. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Regarding the hospital building behind the GT, you can see it in these 3 pics over the years. It was still there before the Rookery was rebuilt, so I'm guessing it was pulled down sometime after that, or when they built the apartments wrapping round the Rookery:

    Building3.jpg

    As for the chimney with the "bolt-ons" - do you mean this one?
    Chimney.jpg

    If so, then it's still there. Scroll about ten posts up to my picture of the new corporate entrance, and you'll see it looking straight at you:D.

    You can also see it peeking above the apartments in this picture posted on Twitter from yesterday's game:
    DTfocaHW4AE1N_t.jpg large.jpg
     
    WeNorth and Stevohorn like this.
  29. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

  30. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Yes it's the former Shrodells hospital and workhouse building and has grade II listed status. Mind you listed status doesnt make buildings immune to alteration or even demolition.. just makes the process more difficult.


    If anyone interested in listed buildings in the Watford area, you can download information here.. including a write up for each building.
    https://www.watford.gov.uk/downloads/download/89/locally_listed_buildings
     
  31. Derbyhorn

    Derbyhorn Academy Graduate

    That picture shows just how much space there is these days behind the GT stand. Pay a fair price into NHS coffers for the land and this is crying out for a massive extra tier on the GT stand and give over all the existing Upper GT to the corporates. It should be a relatively easy build as it's effectively already at ground level, but if it were to ever happen I fear we would almost certainly lose the iconic roof to a 'value' tin roof.
     
  32. Derbyhorn

    Derbyhorn Academy Graduate

  33. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    A recent history of stadium development in pictorial form going back to 2008, at the most recognisable position outside the ground - captured via Google street view:

    Vicarage Road 2008-2018a.jpg
     
    Muggins_77 and Stevohorn like this.
  34. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    and in the 1950's :)


    Capturehhhhhjjj.JPG
     
    Jossy likes this.
  35. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    And here it is in 6000BC. If you look closely you can make out the old East Stand. Anyway, looks like an inevitable defeat for the Hornets.

    [​IMG]
     
    kVA, Cthulhu and Jossy like this.
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