County Ground

The County Ground stands in Swindon, Wiltshire, on land once owned by the borough council. Swindon Town Football Club has played here since 1896, and the cricket club shares the name because its pitch was used by the football club before the stadium was built. A record crowd of 32,000 watched an FA Cup tie against Arsenal in 1972, though today’s all-seated capacity is 14,753. The ground has changed many times: a covered stand went up in 1932, floodlights arrived in 1951, and a Rolex clock was added in 1963. During the Second World War the War Department used the pitch for prisoner-of-war huts. The ground is worth visiting for its place in football history. Swindon became the first League club to install floodlights in 1951, beating Arsenal by six months. The Rolex clock remains the only one of its kind at any football stadium in the world. The Arkell’s Stand, paid for by a local brewery, still houses the dressing rooms and tunnel. Plans to expand the stadium to 25,000 seats have been discussed for decades, with work expected to finish by 2027. Visitors find a compact stadium with four main stands. The Arkell’s John Trollope Stand on the north side holds 5,800 and contains the tunnel and executive areas. The Stratton Bank at the east end is an open terrace now bolted with seats. The Don Rogers Stand on the west side replaced an old terrace in the 1990s. A Rolex clock and scoreboard sit behind the Stratton Bank, and red and white seats now cover the ground.