Post by Waverley on Jun 6, 2007 8:01:11 GMT 1
;D
Archie who I hear you ask...
Archibald Leitch, son of a Glasgow blacksmith, was the fourth of six children all living in a crowded Glasgow tenement, a fervent Rangers fan and one of football's great unsung heroes. Strangely enough he was born in the Camlachie district of Glasgow in 1865, dominated by the Parkhead Forge, more in Celtic territory than Rangers' - but probably religion decided he would become first a Rangers fan and then their soccer stadium designer in chief.On his walk to school every morning he passed Glasgow Green where in 1872 a group of lads calling themselves The Rangers had formed a football club.
Leitch was to be responsible for building several football stadiums in Scotland , including his beloved Ibrox, and a dozen or so Football League grounds including the original Old Trafford , Villa Park , Goodison and Craven Cottage to name a few. He was also responsible for the terracing crash barriers that was a feature of British sports grounds for over half a century.
Leitch died in 1939 but curiously the era of his immense influence seems sandwiched by two soccer disasters - the 1902 tragedy at the Scotland-England international at Leitch's first ground the 80,000 capacity Ibrox Park in which 26 ultimately died and at least 516 were injured when a section of terrace gave way. He learned from his early mistakes and many safety ideas called for in a report after the 1971 disaster - at Ibrox! - were incorporated in Leitch's designs, many made before the First World War.
On his letterheads, Leitch always described himself as a consulting engineer and factory architect, without mentioning the soccer connection.When England hosted the World Cup in 1966 six of the eight grounds used had been worked on by the Scotsman Leitch. After Hillsborough 1989 only a dozen of his buildings survive but generations of fans in this country, totalling many millions, have watched the game for any number of his stands and terraces.
www.playedinbritain.co.uk/books/archie-2.html
Archie who I hear you ask...
Archibald Leitch, son of a Glasgow blacksmith, was the fourth of six children all living in a crowded Glasgow tenement, a fervent Rangers fan and one of football's great unsung heroes. Strangely enough he was born in the Camlachie district of Glasgow in 1865, dominated by the Parkhead Forge, more in Celtic territory than Rangers' - but probably religion decided he would become first a Rangers fan and then their soccer stadium designer in chief.On his walk to school every morning he passed Glasgow Green where in 1872 a group of lads calling themselves The Rangers had formed a football club.
Leitch was to be responsible for building several football stadiums in Scotland , including his beloved Ibrox, and a dozen or so Football League grounds including the original Old Trafford , Villa Park , Goodison and Craven Cottage to name a few. He was also responsible for the terracing crash barriers that was a feature of British sports grounds for over half a century.
Leitch died in 1939 but curiously the era of his immense influence seems sandwiched by two soccer disasters - the 1902 tragedy at the Scotland-England international at Leitch's first ground the 80,000 capacity Ibrox Park in which 26 ultimately died and at least 516 were injured when a section of terrace gave way. He learned from his early mistakes and many safety ideas called for in a report after the 1971 disaster - at Ibrox! - were incorporated in Leitch's designs, many made before the First World War.
On his letterheads, Leitch always described himself as a consulting engineer and factory architect, without mentioning the soccer connection.When England hosted the World Cup in 1966 six of the eight grounds used had been worked on by the Scotsman Leitch. After Hillsborough 1989 only a dozen of his buildings survive but generations of fans in this country, totalling many millions, have watched the game for any number of his stands and terraces.
www.playedinbritain.co.uk/books/archie-2.html