Adams Park - the early years
As a younger fan, I don't know a whole lot about this. I'm currently working my way through the official club history but can anyone point out any other resources (online ideally) on the building of Adams Park and the planning process? What was the thinking behind putting it where it is, where else might it have been located etc. I'm just intrigued, and, among other things, wondering if we might be drawing bigger crowds today had it been better located.
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As a (relatively) younger fan who was too young to remember much about Wycombe Wanderers before the 92/93 season, I'm greatly indebted to the work of a small but dedicated band of lifelong Wanderers who have put together the Chairboys Archive website. I learned a great deal about our history from that time from going through the press clippings from the 80s, and it will no doubt be the best resource you'll find for finding out the long and winding path WWFC took to move out of Loakes Park and into Adams Park.
https://chairboy01.wixsite.com/wwfcarchive7
The archive is taken from the extensive collection of press clippings collected by long-time Wanderers supporter Steve Maguire, who sadly passed away a few years ago. The phrase 'treasure trove' doesn't begin to describe what he left behind, the website that has been made to share it with the world a fitting tribute.
Also there are some excellent photos of the ground in construction in 1989/90 at https://www.flickr.com/photos/93491398@N06/albums/72157650238246077 mixed in with other pictures of subsequent redevelopment of the ground in 1996 and 2001.
@ReadingMarginalista brilliant, thanks for these, will have a good look
I was always told that the ground was built by Andy Robinson and Glyn Creaser and that is good enough for me.
@th100 The move happened before my time also - my period of living in High Wycombe didn't begin until 1995 and I knew nothing about it prior to that - but I understand the intention to move from Loakes Park was first announced publicly in 1965; ref. https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/17353644.wycombe-hospital-history-from-1948-to-1978/
There followed a very long process with multiple potential locations being proposed and refused by the local authority, including the current location in Hillbottom Road, until the local authority refusal for Hillbottom Road was over-ruled by Government. I don't know the details of which locations were proposed when.
that archive site is the greatest thing on the internet by miles
Thank you so much to those who made it and populated it from the bottom of my heart
@Uncle_T , it shows how ridiculous the other options for the ground must have been if they thought bundling us at the end of a one entrance industrial estate was sensible.
Although they weren't to know we would quickly get into the league.
@malone If I understand correctly, at least some of the other locations proposed by the club would have been far more suitable in terms of access and a better prospect for the club itself, but local residents and/or the local authority had their own reasons to oppose them.
I used to live opposite Howard Jones mum and dad. And when we were displaying our Wanderers flags prior to the Trophy final against Kiddy , it attracted one of 'Howies' brothers to come over and inform me, that he helped build the toilets at Adams Park.
maybe someone can incorporate that in the 'New song' banner.
@eric_plant I'll second that Eric, beats even SMBU in its pomp.
‘Pull on the cistern chain. Woo hoo hoo’
@th100 if you want to know more about WWFC past achievements then can I highly recommend you watch the video on iFollow entitled Ten Years of the Ex-Players Association.
For those of us old enough to remember the earlier clips it's a real treat.
I'd post a direct link if I knew how ...
That 9 minute WWEPA video is in this tweet as well:
@ReadingMarginalista is any of the SMBU material still available online? I'm aware that the Twitter handle still exists, but the old website was something else.
@eric_plant I wholly agree with your assessment of the archive site. Truly wonderful stuff.
@YorkExile There are fragments available at https://web.archive.org/web/*/smbu.co.uk
. Some of the earliest snapshots of the site appear to be lost to mists of the blackhole that eventually consumes all superannuated internet content, though there's enough for SMBU fans to get their teeth into.
I know it’s not the quarters but I always did like that kit we had that Middlesbrough year
We wore that kit, give or take a few trim changes from 1966-1990.
@ReadingMarginalista excellent, thank you.
@perfidious_albion it was the trim that season -or the collar - that still resonates with me
POTY