Manor Ground, Plumstead

The Manor Ground stood on Plumstead Marshes in south-east London. It began as a muddy field next to the Ridgeway and the Southern Outfall Sewer. The club borrowed Army wagons to hold spectators before any proper stands existed. Royal Arsenal played their first match there in March 1888, winning three-nil against Millwall Rovers. For six years the pitch flooded repeatedly, making play difficult. In 1890 the club moved to the Invicta Ground to escape the waterlogged ground. Woolwich Arsenal returned in 1893 after buying the Manor Ground with share money. They built a main stand and terraces, raising average crowds to six thousand. By 1904 the Spion Kop terrace was added, allowing attendances over twenty thousand for First Division games. The ground’s isolation in an industrial area soon reduced numbers to eleven thousand. Financial struggles led to the club’s sale in 1910 and eventual move to Highbury three years later. Visitors today find an industrial estate on the former site, bounded by Nathan Way, Griffin Manor Way and Hadden Road. Demolition cleared the old stadium in 2016, clearing the way for Lombard Square. The land once echoed with Football League matches and terrace chants. Charlton Athletic took over as the area’s main club after Arsenal left. The marshland setting and sewer line have long since vanished beneath new buildings.