Layer Road

Layer Road was a football stadium in Colchester, Essex. It opened in 1907 for Colchester Town and became home to Colchester United in 1937. The ground held 6,320 spectators when it closed in 2008 after 71 years of service. Its record attendance reached 19,072 for an FA Cup tie against Reading in 1948, though the match was abandoned due to fog. The stadium also hosted an FA Cup match for Sudbury Town in 1996 when their ground was deemed unfit. The ground had an unusual feature at the Layer Road End, where the goal and netting cut back into the stand. A small temporary stand for away fans held 143 people and resembled the chocolate-box stands at The Dell. The final first-team match ended in a 1–0 defeat to Stoke City on 26 April 2008, with Richard Cresswell scoring the last goal. Three days later, the last competitive game saw Colchester beat Peterborough United 3–0 in a reserve league fixture watched by 471 spectators. After its closure, the site was sold for redevelopment in 2011. A bronze statue of former player Peter Wright was unveiled in 2015 at the centre of the new housing development. The statue commemorates Wright, who played 400 matches and scored 93 goals for Colchester between 1951 and 1964. Local artist Mandy Pratt created the statue, which was cast at Butterfly Bronze Foundry in Romford. The new homes include a central open space to preserve the site’s footballing history.