User:U003F/Bishop: Prenton Park

The name "Prenton Park" was adopted in 1895 as a result of a suggestion in the letters page of the Football Echo. Previously, the ground on the corner of Borough Road and Prenton Road West, currently the site of Temple Road school, had simply been referred to as the "Borough Road Enclosure" although in later years it was variously called "Ravenshaw's Field" and "South Road".

The following passage from the Birkenhead News of November 23rd 1985 makes it clear that Rovers did not move to a new ground called Prenton Park from either Ravenshaw's Field or South Road. There were on the same site all the time and merely renamed the ground. "I notice that the local football papers have eagerly taken up the suggestion that Tranmere Rovers should call their ground Prenton Park in place of the somewhat prosaic Borough Road Enclosure. Already the sporting papers have christened the ground with its new name, though it had not been officially adopted. Last Saturday one read in the football papers that Tranmere Rovers have played Whiston at Prenton Park. The formal christening is all we wait for now."

Though strictly not in Prenton, the name was probably chosen because Prenton was regarded as a more upmarket area than Tranmere! Because the land between Prenton Road West, Borough Road and Temple Road was required for a school and housing. Rovers moved across Prenton Road West and the name Prenton Park went with it. The present Prenton Park was opened by the Mayor of Birkenhead, Councillor George Proudman, on March 9th 1912 and had a main stand on one side, but it was open on the three other sides. Some of the original site has subsequently been sold off for the Petrol Station on Borough Road and the Mersey Clipper public house on Prenton Road West, however there remains a considerable area which has been laid out as car parks for the ground and Bowling Centre. With a modern capacity of 14,200 it is unlikely the record attendance of 24,424, set for the visit of Stoke City in 1972, will ever be broken. The main stand, opened in December 1968, seats 3,800 and has been considerably developed recently with the construction of new offices and executive lounges.

For the record, the playing surface measures 112 yards by 71 yards and was laid on a bed of cinders. It also has a pop-up watering system

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