Saltergate | |
 Main Stand during a match in 2007. | |
 | |
| Full name | Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Location | Saltergate, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 4SX |
| Owner | Chesterfield FC |
| Capacity | 8,504 |
| Field size | 113 x 71 yards |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1871 |
| Closed | 2010 |
| Demolished | 2012 |
| Tenants | |
| Chesterfield (1871–2010) | |
Saltergate, officially the Recreation Ground, was the historic home of Chesterfield Football Club, and was in use from 1871 until the club's relocation in July 2010, a 139-year history that made it one of the oldest football grounds in England at the time of its closure. From the 1920s onward the name 'Saltergate' became predominant in popular references to the ground.[1]
Tightly surrounded by housing, the football stadium was located near Chesterfield's town centre on the thoroughfare of the same name. The ground underwent only limited additional development after a new main stand was opened in 1936.[1][2] Although plans to develop the site were explored, the club's fans ultimately voted in favour of pursuing a new ground in a 2003 ballot,[3] with the site confirmed by a 2006 poll.
The final Chesterfield fixture at Saltergate, a Football League Two game against Bournemouth, was held on 8 May 2010. From the 2010–11 season, the team switched to the new b2net Stadium located in the Whittington Moor area of the town. An October 2010 publication from the club, Saltergate Sunset by Stuart Basson, chronicled the story of the ground.[4]
In January 2012, the football club sold the Saltergate site to Barratt Homes. Its demolition to make way for a new housing development began in April and was completed in July 2012.[5][6][7][8]
Today one of the main shopping streets located in front of the site is named Saltergate.[9]
- ^ a b "The Recreation Ground (Official club site - www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk)". Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ Basson, Stuart (2010) "Saltergate Sunset: The Story of the Recreation Ground, Chesterfield", Chesterfield F.C., p27
- ^ "Fans decide: It's Wheeldon Mill". The Derbyshire Times. 2 July 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Saltergate Sunset signing session 10am to 1pm (Official club site - www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk)". 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "Football ground demolition could begin next spring". The Derbyshire Times. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Demolition of Saltergate begins". The Derbyshire Times. 13 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "End of an era as Saltergate is demolished". The Derbyshire Times. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ^ "Tower is no more". The Star (Sheffied). 14 July 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2024 – via Newsbank.
- ^ "57 AND 59, SALTERGATE, Non Civil Parish - 1088237 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2024.