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pang for the old floodlights.

sillav nitramsillav nitram
in General Charlton
as I came out of the blackwall tunnel southside I had a pang for the old floodlights.

I used to love the fact that when i saw them on the horizon i knew i was close to my spiritual home. and I loved it even more when it was an evening game and you could see the bright lights and the area bathed in light and all the anticipation that went along with it.

I miss them and that.

Comments

  • limeygentlimeygent
    I remember when the old floodlights were new floodlights, happy days.
  • Bryan_KynsieBryan_Kynsie
    Walking up the covered end steps to see the pitch bathed in that light....happy nights.
  • sillav nitramsillav nitram
    feels like we've lost something, which of course we have.

    I want them back, let's start a campaign.
  • LouisMendLouisMend
    Being a massive loser, I thought the other day about making a Twitter account called proper floodlights to put up photos of floodlights towering over grounds that you can see from far and wide.

    I love going through a new town or city and spotting some big imposing floodlights in the distance!
  • Powell Is PleasantPowell Is Pleasant
    wwaddickson said:

    Being a massive loser, I thought the other day about making a Twitter account called proper floodlights to put up photos of floodlights towering over grounds that you can see from far and wide.

    I love going through a new town or city and spotting some big imposing floodlights in the distance!

    Do it.
    You won't be the only loser on Twitter, I assure you.
  • BedsaddickBedsaddick
    A couple of the original old floodlights went to Biggleswade Town.
  • sillav nitramsillav nitram
    Bedsaddick said:

    A couple of the original old floodlights went to Biggleswade Town.

    let's invade biggleswade!
  • Brendan_O_ConnellBrendan_O_Connell
    wwaddickson said:

    Being a massive loser, I thought the other day about making a Twitter account called proper floodlights to put up photos of floodlights towering over grounds that you can see from far and wide.

    I love going through a new town or city and spotting some big imposing floodlights in the distance!

    You'd get plenty of followers and contributors for that mate (a few on here for a start).
  • killerandflashkillerandflash
    It's one of the curious things about modern life, that the only large grounds with floodlight pylons now are cricket grounds...
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  • sillav nitramsillav nitram
    killerandflash said:

    It's one of the curious things about modern life, that the only large grounds with floodlight pylons now are cricket grounds...

    good point. why were they done away with and not just ours.
  • Six-a-bag-of-nutsSix-a-bag-of-nuts
    It's a fact that back in the day you could approach any town in the country and know exactly where the football ground was located by the appearance of the 4 floodlight pylons.
    It was a good way of navigating to an unfamiliar away ground.
    I miss them too.

    Remember years of commuting from Charing Cross you could see the pylons at Selhurst Park, beyond those at the old Den, to the right of the 2 TV Masts at Crystal Palace Park.
    Thee days all the grounds have the floodlights fixed to the roof of the stands
  • RothkoRothko
    Aren't the 1992 pylons now the ones at Bournemouth?
  • Amos on the wingAmos on the wing
    Rothko said:

    Aren't the 1992 pylons now the ones at Bournemouth?

    No
  • GlassHalfFullGlassHalfFull

    The demise of the floodlight pylon is very sad. I was present for the first match for both lots of CAFC floodlights, in Sep 61 and BTTV 92. Spare a thought for our cousins at Carl Zeiss Jena, though - their lights were over 70m high and the tallest in Europe but they had to be dismantled - according to City Hall the persistent waterlogging of the ground, in a valley floor, rendered the pylon foundations potentially unstable. The club have no lights at all at the moment.
  • BedsaddickBedsaddick
    sillav nitram said:

    Bedsaddick said:

    A couple of the original old floodlights went to Biggleswade Town.

    let's invade biggleswade!
    Long gone now. Biggleswade Town has a new ground. Call the invasion off !
  • RothkoRothko
    Amos on the wing said:

    Rothko said:

    Aren't the 1992 pylons now the ones at Bournemouth?

    No
    Remember reading they ended up down there when the North was completed. Did they just end up as scrap?
  • killerandflashkillerandflash
    sillav nitram said:

    killerandflash said:

    It's one of the curious things about modern life, that the only large grounds with floodlight pylons now are cricket grounds...

    good point. why were they done away with and not just ours.
    It's because modern grounds have such high stand rooves that they no longer need separate pylons to get the floodlights at the right height. Also, with seating in the corners (like our NE and NW sections) pylons would get in the way.
  • HalixHalix
    edited June 2015
    I remember enjoying many a time standing behind, and fully appreciating for 90 minutes, the true beauty of the floodlight pylons at Millwalls Den or Gillinghams Priestfield. Much better than having to watch the football & always well worth the cost of entry.
  • PL54PL54
    Rothko said:

    Aren't the 1992 pylons now the ones at Bournemouth?

    Yes, they refused to come on for us in one game and so got sold to Bournemouth. They got a higher voltage and long-life bulbs, we got a Watt.
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  • man_at_millettsman_at_milletts
    Six-a-bag-of-nuts said:

    It's a fact that back in the day you could approach any town in the country and know exactly where the football ground was located by the appearance of the 4 floodlight pylons.
    It was a good way of navigating to an unfamiliar away ground.
    I miss them too.

    Remember years of commuting from Charing Cross you could see the pylons at Selhurst Park, beyond those at the old Den, to the right of the 2 TV Masts at Crystal Palace Park.
    Thee days all the grounds have the floodlights fixed to the roof of the stands

    I remember commuting to Manchester regularly, with one of my colleagues coming in the opposite direction. We used take a tally of how many football grounds can be spotted from the Euston/Manchester line. I think we got up to about 22 including non-league grounds with floodlights.

  • Paddy7Paddy7
    Agreed - it was always a nice way of navigating in a new town, and sometimes really put the ground / club on the map when glimpsed from afar. Our CAFC ones were particularly cool. One thing I won't miss is standing at Ayresome Park, watching the Boro ones genuinely swaying in the freezing sleet storm that accompanied our fine 3-1 win in the 80's.
  • sillav nitramsillav nitram
    Valley_Stroller said:

    Here's the top half of the one that sat in the North West Corner. The photo was taken on the morning of 21 Sept 1985 before the Stoke City game.
    image

    nice picture.
  • guinnessaddickguinnessaddick
    Valley_Stroller said:

    Here's the top half of the one that sat in the North West Corner. The photo was taken on the morning of 21 Sept 1985 before the Stoke City game.
    image

    It wasn't taken after the game, otherwise there would be someone up there. the crowd below shouting "Have a piss".
  • ricky_ottoricky_otto
    Rothko said:

    Aren't the 1992 pylons now the ones at Bournemouth?

    No
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    killerandflash said:

    A nice shot showing the new (old) floodlights
    image

    European standard those according to Motty....

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