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Cecil Street
Rothwell
Kettering
Northants NN14 6EZ
Telephone: 01536 710694
Nickname: The Bones
DIRECTIONS BY CAR (FROM HASTINGS)
Leave M25 at J27 and take M11 northwards which become A14 just past Cambridge. Stay on A14 past Kettering, then join the A6 and head north on the Kettering Road into Rothwell. Continue into High Street and turn right at roundabout into Bridge Street. Take 3rd left into Tresham Street which joins Cecil Street. Turn left and the ground is on your right.
Rothwell�s ideosyncratic Cecil Street ground has been in use since 1896, and during that time has seen several changes. The notorious sloping pitch for example, which now drops about eight feet from the near goal to the bottom left hand corner, ran at right angles to it�s current position until around WW1.
Major improvements are evidently on the agenda, but at the time of writing (March 2003) nothing has happened. One side of the ground, and the land behind it has evidently been sold off for housing development. This means that the flat-roofed wooden main stand, which stands on the half-way line, is eventually destined for the chop. The stand will be replaced by a wall which will run the length of the ground, with 1-2 steps of terracing and the option to eventually place a low roof over to provide additional covered accommodation. No doubt many ground-hoppers will be sorry to see the demise of the stand. This was built around 1960 (with financial assistance from neighbours Kettering Town FC). Although with the dressing rooms underneath (including an old-style sunken bath), it provides an elevated vantage point, it is impossible to get a clear view of the action due to the presence of one of six floodlight pylons positioned right in front of it. Surely the worst positioned floodlight anywhere in English football!
For those interested in such things, the floodlighting system was purchased in 1982, and came from a building site owned by McAlpine�s near to the town.
A new cantilever stand is to be built on the opposite side of the pitch. This is in fact where the very first stand (built in 1924) at the ground stood, before it was destroyed by a fire in 1959. The new stand will also house new dressing rooms, club offices, boardroom, and a kitchen. The construction of the new structure will herald the end of the covered shelter (�The Scratching Shed�, above) that currently occupies that part of the ground. This was actually one of a pair that originally stood where the current stand is now.
There is fairly basic but effective cover at either end of the ground. The bottom end (see picture at foot of the page) will remain unchanged for now. However, the existing clubhouse will act as the shell for a new social club, fanning out onto the patio area to join covered terracing behind the top goal (right), which will be extended from corner flag to corner flag. The covered terracing will extend around the corner of the top goal to meet the new stand.
Having arrived at Cecil Street last season to find no hot food available (the same was true on this occasion also), I arrived in plenty of time for a decent pint and a meal at the Rowell Charter Inn. Pretty good it was too. Although it looks as though there are a fair number of pubs in the town (pronounced �Rowell� and not �Rothwell� by the way), the Rowell Charter is the first one encounters on entering the town.
As one would expect at this level of the Pyramid, PA announcements were clear and audible, with details of teams, scorers, times, substitutions etc. The music however was deafening!The programme (�1) has improved considerably over the past couple of seasons, and contains a reasonable amount of reading material.
Redevelopment of old grounds is becoming a fact of life these days, but one hopes that the new Cecil Street will retain some of the character that the existing ground undoubtedly has.
Thanks to Mark Southon, Media Relations Officer & Programme Editor, Rothwell Town FC, for information about proposed ground developments at Cecil Street.
