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Is this The Valley?

AFKABartram
AFKABartram Posts: 57,827
in General Charlton


Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

Thoughts?
«1

Comments

  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,355
    Where's the Thames?

    Not sure AFKA
  • CharltonAthMuseum
    CharltonAthMuseum Posts: 553
    It's an artist's impression of the Valley.

    Not sure how accurate it is but on the 1921 architects plan the urinal in the foreground is shown

    There should be some army huts where the main/west stand now is 
  • eaststandmike
    eaststandmike Posts: 14,956
    edited March 2023
    Can’t be, there are no pigeons on the pitch 
  • CharltonAthMuseum
    CharltonAthMuseum Posts: 553

  • Arthur_Trudgill
    Arthur_Trudgill Posts: 466
    The club thinks (or at least used to think, as I can only get to this page via Google Lens) it was the Valley, as it is included in this write up:
    https://www.charltonafc.com/news/view/5d7b3ac5b3290/100-years-of-our-home
  • aliwibble
    aliwibble Posts: 26,291
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    Unless the perspective is rather off, I'd have said no. If that's the East on the right, then we should be looking from the South, but you don't get that impression of the change in height going up to The Heights. Also I'm struggling to work out where the railway line is, and what's the church to the right of the big warehouse/factory building?
  • WSA
    WSA Posts: 1,913
    edited March 2023
    I used to live in The Heights and we had a fence at the bottom of the garden with just a sheer drop down the cliff.  The fence in the painting could be accurate, allowing for the artist's perspective.

    An ancient scanned black and white photo from the 1960's seems to show the footprint of the urinals and other hut/building. 


  • letthegoodtimesroll
    letthegoodtimesroll Posts: 10,622
    Doesn’t look like an area of gravel pits and small industry
  • InspectorSands
    InspectorSands Posts: 5,188
    aliwibble said:
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    Unless the perspective is rather off, I'd have said no. If that's the East on the right, then we should be looking from the South, but you don't get that impression of the change in height going up to The Heights. Also I'm struggling to work out where the railway line is, and what's the church to the right of the big warehouse/factory building?
    probably Holy Trinity at the end of Charlton Lane, apparently demolished in the early 1970s: https://www.charltonparks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Holy-Trinity-New-Charlton-Parish-News-July-1907.pdf



  • Raith_C_Chattonell
    Raith_C_Chattonell Posts: 5,682
    Allowing some poetic licence, could that large building in the background be the Siemens factory?


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  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,485
    Where's the pigeons?
  • Scoham
    Scoham Posts: 37,380
    Arthur_Trudgill said:
    The club thinks (or at least used to think, as I can only get to this page via Google Lens) it was the Valley, as it is included in this write up:
    https://www.charltonafc.com/news/view/5d7b3ac5b3290/100-years-of-our-home
    It’s on the OS. Mystery solved. Link works for me.
  • HastingsRed
    HastingsRed Posts: 1,591
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    Same here (saw it on FB) someone said maybe but the scenery is more like 1600.....not to sure myself.
  • charlton4ever
    charlton4ever Posts: 1,718
    100%
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,319
    HastingsRed said:
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    Same here (saw it on FB) someone said maybe but the scenery is more like 1600.....not to sure myself.
    Factory buildings in 1600?
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,319
    Look, there's Maryon Park on the right and all
  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 6,860
    I've seen this multiple times and IIRC it's a recent interpretation of what the ground may have looked like at the outset. Perhaps a combination of decent accuracy based on research and a necessary degree of artistic licence. 
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    Leuth said:
    Look, there's Maryon Park on the right and all
    I'm not providing input. Having once lived in East Greenwich and supported Charlton for decades, it wasn't until I read The Year of the Robin that I knew that Gilberts Pit even existed. 
  • Cardinal Sin
    Cardinal Sin Posts: 5,233
    Complete mock-up. My house in Charlton Lane was built in 1885 along with a large number of others and the 'terraced cottages' across the road had already been there for 25 years. All of these and more would have been present well before a pitch was marked out.
  • WHAddick
    WHAddick Posts: 1,154
    I'm sure someone will be along shortly to comment that some our our more "senior" members where there in 1885...
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  • Lewis Coaches
    Lewis Coaches Posts: 5,408
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    I have seen this picture before . On CL or The official Charlton website.
    The large building in the background is the same building that was seen in a photo from 1968 taken by one of our members which appeared on this site .

    That’s The Valley.
  • Lewis Coaches
    Lewis Coaches Posts: 5,408
    Lewis Coaches said:
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    I have seen this picture before . On CL or The official Charlton website.
    The large building in the background is the same building that was seen in a photo from 1968 taken by one of our members which appeared on this site .

    That’s The Valley.

  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 6,860

  • Oligab
    Oligab Posts: 40
    Obviously the pitch is superimposed but the landscape could be genuine and probably early 1800’s if not earlier , someone should be are to date it ?

  • CAFCTrev
    CAFCTrev Posts: 5,978
    AFKABartram said:


    Saw this on a Facebook page, claiming “The Valley, Charlton Athletic, before any stands or terraces were built, and the giant East Stand was just a mud bank”

    Thoughts?
    Let me guess, the 'lost football grounds and terraces of the United Kingdom' group on FB?
  • Lewis Coaches
    Lewis Coaches Posts: 5,408
    The above picture has appeared in a Charlton programe or book.I am sure of that.
  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 6,860
    Oligab said:
    Obviously the pitch is superimposed but the landscape could be genuine and probably early 1800’s if not earlier , someone should be are to date it ?

    As above I thinks it’s a recent interpretation - no superimposing.
  • Dansk_Red
    Dansk_Red Posts: 5,728
    A link to a map of the area in1900.


    I wonder when they changed the name of Hanging Wood Lane.


  • Dansk_Red
    Dansk_Red Posts: 5,728

  • Lordflashheart
    Lordflashheart Posts: 5,623
    I have this picture - says on bottom ‘The Valley 1921 - Pre Wembley- prospective venue for FA Cup finals (The Athletic News 14th March 1921) - bought it for my Dad must have been late 1980’s for Christmas 

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