Vicarage Road

Vicarage Road stands in Watford, Hertfordshire, as the home ground of Championship club Watford. The stadium replaced an earlier ground at Cassio Road in 1922 and has since hosted league matches, cup ties and even international under-21 fixtures. Rugby union side Saracens played here for sixteen seasons until 2013, and Wealdstone briefly shared the ground in the early 1990s. Floodlights were first installed in 1953 and later upgraded, with modern LED arrays added across all stands. A dedicated railway station opened in 1982 to handle match-day crowds and remains open only on event days. The ground’s history is marked by moments of both struggle and triumph. In 2002 the club sold the freehold but, after a fan-led campaign backed by Elton John’s donation, bought it back in 2004. The Vicarage Road Stand was built in 1993 to meet safety rules and now houses away supporters and the club shop. The Rookery Stand, completed in 1995, holds most of the club’s offices and a family area. The Graham Taylor Stand, renamed in 2014, replaced an older structure and features executive boxes and a distinctive wavy roof. The Sir Elton John Stand, opened in 2014, provides changing rooms and a tunnel for players. Visitors find four main stands arranged around the pitch. The Vicarage Road Stand sits behind one goal, the Rookery End behind the other, while the Graham Taylor and Sir Elton John Stands flank the sides. The Rookery End remains the traditional home end, its name echoed in the club’s fan podcast. The Sir Elton John Stand contains the tunnel and changing rooms, and its upper tier offers views across the pitch. On match days the LED floodlights illuminate the ground, and the nearby railway station handles extra traffic.