Twickenham Stadium, affectionately called Twickers or the Cabbage Patch is located in the suburbs of London in Richmond upon Thames.
Staduim Capacity
The recent increase in seating capacity to 82,000 makes this the 2nd largest stadium in Britain, behind Wembley Stadium which has a capacity of 90,000 (the Millennium Stadium has a capacity of 74,500) and the fifth largest stadium in Europe behind;
· Camp Nou, Barcelona 98,772,
· Wembley, London, 90,000,
· Olimpiysky, Kiev 83,450,
· Croke Park, Dublin 82,300.
The Decision to Purchase the Cabbage Patch
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) took the decision to look into the purchase of their own ground following the sell out tests against New Zealand on 2nd December 1905 which New Zealand won 15-0. It was decided that the RFU should benefit from the revenue. The question was where the ground should be located and how much they could afford for its purchase?
William 'Billy' Williams was a former full back playing for Harlequins, Middlesex and as an international, capped for England as well as being an international referee. As a RFU committee member, he was asked to oversee the purchase of a site for the proposed stadium. When he put forward the idea of Twickenham for the stadium, he received a lot of opposition to his proposal. Some committee members thought it was too far from central London and that as it was situated so close to the River Crane, it would be liable to flooding, apart from the fact that it was too expensive and its purchase would take nearly all of the funds they had available.
However, the land was duly purchased for £5,572 12s 6d. As the ground had previously been used for growing cabbages along with other garden produce, the ground became affectionately known as Billy's Cabbage Patch.
Construction of Twickenham Stadium
In 1908 2 covered stands were built on the East and West side of the pitch, able to accommodate 3,000 spectators each. At the South end a terrace for 7,000 spectators was built and at the North end there was an open mound. And behind the South end there was provision for 200 cars and carriages. The total cost was £8,812 15s.
With the possible threat of flooding at the back of the Committee's mind, the pitch was raised above ground level with drainage and fencing added at a cost of £1,606 9s 4d.
In 1909 an additional £20,000 was spent on roads and entrances in time for the inaugural match on 20th October 1909 between Harlequins and Richmond, which the Harlequins won 14 points to 10. The first international was held on 15th January 1910 between England and Wales with England winning 11-6.
During the First World War the pitch was used as grazing for horses, sheep and cattle and in 1921 a war memorial to commemorate the fallen was unveiled by King George V.
In 1941 the decision was taken to redevelop the open mound at the North end of the stadium. The mound was replaced by terracing with space for workshops underneath. Several redevelopments were to follow which included the change to an all seater stadium with a capacity of 75,000 in 1995. This has since been increased to 82,000 following another major development which was completed in time for the England v New Zealand game in the 2006 international series.
Twickenham, Venue for the Top Names in Rock and Roll
As with all venues, Twickenham has to meet the ever spiralling maintenance costs, in an attempt to increase revenue and to maximise the usage of the stadium rugby is not the only attraction to be held at this venue. The stadium has hosted the annual Jehovah Witness convention for over 50 years, with many attendees being put up by local residents as well as concerts by such major artists as the Rolling Stones, the Police, Rod Stewart and Iron Maiden.
Sources:
- Rugby Football Union
- Twickenham Staduim.com
- Wickipedia
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