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Cricket, Football, Cycling, Wrestling

Northumberland Baths Cricket Ground

54.978248, -1.607761

Newcastle

Opened:

1839

Closed:

1890s

Redeveloped

Condition:

Home Teams/Clubs:

Last Updated:

23 Jun 2023

Newcastle Eldon CC, Tyne Association FC, Northumberland Cricket Club

HER Description

NEHL - The Northumberland Cricket Ground in Newcastle was the first of its kind in the city, and hosted the county cricket as well as a host of other sporting events. They were there for over 40 years.

They started playing here around 1839. Records state in the 1830s Northumberland CC played at the Town Moor. By 1839, Newspapers note matches were played at the cricket ground "near the Baths in this town". The description implies folk may not yet be aware of the location.

There were few large cricket clubs at this time. Northumberland spent much of their time playing internally or against Durham, Bishopwearmouth or Carlisle.

Northumberland continued playing here until they moved around the 1890s away from the city centre. They played at Osborne Avenue, Jesmond until 2004. The Royal Grammar School now occupy the ground.

The ground was used by multiple other cricket clubs in its early days. Though primarily used by Northumberland CC, Pre-1850s clubs like Newcastle Eldon and Newcastle Clayton CC used the site for their own matches as well as the land at Leazes. These and the Town Moor were the primary sports grounds in Newcastle at this time.

Newcastle's first football club, Tyne Association, also made Bath Road their home ground. They were founded in 1877 and continued until they disbanded in 1888. It was founded by public schoolboys returning home from term-time. As it was the first club, most matches were internal or against Northumberland Rugby Club under a mixed set of rules. They took part in the FA in the 1879-80 season but lost to Blackburn Rovers, and again 6 years later but lost in the first round again to Redcar.

Wrestling also took place here after the closure of the Pottery Lane site, which the railway owned and reclaimed.

Much of the site is now the Northumbria Uni campus.

Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey, 1864

'Sketches of The Coal Mines in Northumberland and Durham' T.H.Hair, published in 1844

An illustration of the Northumberland Baths Cricket Ground

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'Sketches of The Coal Mines in Northumberland and Durham' T.H.Hair, published in 1844

Historic Environment Records

Durham/Northumberland: Keys to the Past

Tyne and Wear: Sitelines

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HER information as described above is reproduced under the basis the resource is free of charge for education use. It is not altered unless there are grammatical errors. 

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