Old Photo's of the MCG
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:19 am
Here are a few old MCG shots. They all random between 1910 & 1990.
Australian Stadiums & Sport
https://www.austadiums.com/forum/
One slight correction. Apart from the 1st (and only coloured) pic from circa 1990, I've dated all of the remainder from between 1927 and #1956. The one exception is the seventh one - in sepia. This photo is dated between 1876 and 1881.hawks wrote:Here are a few old MCG shots. They all random between 1910 & 1990.
And another one, similar to the first picThe fence, Melbourne Cricket Ground.
WHERE
In years gone by, the position of the fence around the perimeter of the oval varied by about a metre from one part of
the ground to another. In some parts, it was a metre closer to the boundary line; in other parts, it was a metre further
back. Since work began on the Ponsford, Northern and Members stands in October 2002, the opportunity has been taken to
create what they describe as a geometrically uniform fence. All new parts of the fence are equidistant from the boundary
line.
EARLY FENCE
According to author Alf Batchelder, whose history of the Melbourne Cricket Club, provisionally titled Pavilions in the Park,
is due to be published in September, MCC members first considered a proposal to erect a fence at the Melbourne Cricket
Ground at their 1882 annual meeting. It was proposed to build the fence in front of the grandstand and the pavilion. The
only objection came from William Hull, who argued that it would be unpopular with the public and the players, who
occasionally would have to climb over the fence to fetch the ball. The plan was approved and an iron fence was built with
pickets close enough to prevent a ball slipping through, yet far enough apart to offer what was described as "a light and
elegant appearance".
MORE FENCE
A year later, in 1883, more than 100 members petitioned the MCC committee to extend the fence around the perimeter of the
entire ground. The members wanted to stop the practice of spectators wandering onto the oval before the day's play. Again,
Hull was the sole dissenter.
BROKEN HULL
According to a report in The Australasian on September 15, 1883, Hull's objection to the fence going up around the oval was
that it would cost £500. He also suggested the fence would stymie the popularity of the game, as spectators would be unable
to wander onto the oval to study the cricketers during practice before the day's play.
Fellow MCC member H.D.E. Taylor countered that players were making complaints about spectators interfering with their
fielding practice. H.F. Boyle pointed out that, in England, members of the public were never allowed inside the fence.
According to the MCC's 1883-84 annual report, the fence was built around the MCG at a cost of just over ££518.
TOP NOTCH
One of the features of the iron fence around the oval was that every second picket was topped by a spike in the shape of
a flowery trident. Strictly, the three-sided shape, which was about the size of a large man's hand-span, was called a
fleur-de-lis design. All the fleur-de-lis spikes were knocked off before the 1956 Olympics, leaving those particular
pickets with a flattened tip. The alternative pickets feature a rounded knob.
OLD AND NEW
Last year, a small section of the original iron fence was auctioned off. Other sections were kept for the museum that is
to be opened when the new Members Stand is completed. The only remaining sections of the 1884 fence that continue to keep
spectators off the field (although not this weekend) are to be found in front of the Great Southern Stand around the
beginnings of the two 50-metre arcs.
The original fence is still there in front of sections M10 to M13 and sections M18 to M27. The remaining sections of fence
in front of the Great Southern Stand are wooden. The fence in front of the Ponsford, Northern and Members stands is new.
Besides those small sections of the iron fence in front of the Great Southern Stand, the oldest structures at the MCG are
the light towers that were switched on in March 1985.
HOARDINGS
By flicking through cricket and football books, it looks as though the first advertising hoardings on the MCG fence were
signs for Benson and Hedges cigarettes seen during the third Test between Australia and England in December 1974. By the
time of the VFL grand final between North Melbourne and Hawthorn in September 1975, hoardings were widespread.
FINAL WORD
"So anxious was the club to have the ground looking neat and orderly that, after 1881, it refused to consider any
applications to place posters on the fence."
- Author Alf Batchelder in his history of the Melbourne Cricket Club, provisionally titled Pavilions in the Park.
Maybe you got mixed up with 'Harrison House', the VFL HQ from #1930 to the early 1970's when replaced by the new 'VFL House'?hot_dogma wrote:I was always under the impression that the stand which SH calls the Grey Smith Stand was the Harrison Stand.
Well there you go.
stanga wrote:My dad took this, just after the siren for the '67 GF! Carna Tiges!
stanga wrote:Taken from close to the top photo, this was not long before the western stand came down, during a Victoria v WA match