The early faces of the Liverpool Football Ground, Anfield

While we count the days and hours to our first game with the new main stand I thought I would take you on a little history trip down Anfield way. Since our foundation in 1892 the ground has seen many changes and we acknowledge that the ground was built by Everton F.C. in 1884 it is a history that touches two clubs and a whole city.

You can found a complete overview of all newspaper articles regarding the ground by following this link.

What I would like to show you with this article is a few sketches and an old video.

My good friend Tony Onslow (an Everton historian made a sketch of Anfield in 1892 – what he thought it would look like. Tony’s sketch were based on hundreds of notes so it is the most accurate sketch we will see of the ground at the time Everton F.C. left and made room for Liverpool F.C.

This is the Liverpool football ground, Anfield: 1892.

Picture yourself at the back of the Kop, or the Oakfield Road stand as it was known at the time. On your left you see the small stand for the directors and press folks, you look across to the Anfield Road end which at this point in history was the more popular choice of ends for the “dedicated” supporters – while on the right you see the long pavilion covering the Kemlyn Road side.

So, this is what it looked like in September, 1892 when our heroes took to the field for the first time. Note that the playing area was moved in 1906, so the correct image today would place the ground 10 yards more to the left on the picture. Remember how narrow is always was been the stand and the houses in the Kemlyn Road end. It was a challenge from the start.

Did you know that Liverpool F.C. rented 27, Kemlyn Road and used it as dressing-rooms? This was done until dressing rooms were built on the ground in the summer of 1893.

There is a bird-eye sketch from a map of the Everton ground in 1891. Hold your horses – this is what it looked like:

Here is a sketch picturing situations from a match between Everton and West Bromwich at Anfield in 1890.

(Source: Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News: November 1, 1890)

During the summer of 1894 a new “main stand” was built.

A bird-eye view of the ground in the autumn of 1894 would make it look like this:

Here is a sketch of the local derby vs. Everton, at Anfield, in April, 1897.

This is, as far as I know, the earliest photo of Anfield. From ca. 1903 and again we are standing on the Kop looking out over the field of play. The main stand on the left was moved over to the Kemlyn Road side when new Anfield was built in 1906/1908.

Have a look at the Kemlyn Road stand before the start of building New Anfield in 1906.

Here is the sketches of the New Anfield. Work started in May 1906.

When New Anfield was finished it would look like the sketch below which was found in local newspapers in August, 1906.

This is what Anfield looked like before the work on the new ground started in 1906 (view from main stand):

And then the work started. We got another sketch showing New Anfield during its completion. Note the main stand work.

Did you enjoy that little trip? I hope so.

If you want to read more about Anfield and the articles I have added, click this link.

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