Forum | The great fire of Brentford by izlingtonhoop

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The great fire of Brentford 11:29 - May 13 with 1815 views

Had to move thus out of the Bradford thread, so as not to disrespectfully hijack it.

At 11:30 pm on 1 February 1983, a fire broke out in the Braemar Road Stand, possibly due to an electrical fault in the boiler room under the stand.[21] The fire quickly spread through the timber used in the construction of the stand.[6] Groundsman Alec Banks, who lived under the stand, was rescued by then-Brentford player Stan Bowles and his wife Jane.[22] Sixty people were evacuated from homes nearby and an estimated £150,000 worth of damage was caused, including 800 seats, the away dressing room, the gymnasium, the kit store and the laundry.[3][21] It was after the reconstruction that the players' tunnel was moved to the western corner of the Braemar Road Stand, with the players having previously emerged from a tunnel at the halfway line.[3]

Would love to know what Stan was doing in or near Griffin Park after 11:30pm.

The great fire of Brentford on 11:39 - May 13 with 1756 views

stantheman10

Stan was probably putting in extra training!

The great fire of Brentford on 11:41 - May 13 with 1747 views

WokingR

Wasn't the damage estimated more accurately at about £15 ?

The great fire of Brentford on 12:23 - May 13 with 1652 views

bullshootr

"Would love to know what Stan was doing in or near Griffin Park after 11:30pm."

Stan Bowles lived in Brentford for many years.

I believe he lived in one of the roads next to the ground.

I lived over that way for a while and he was known to pop into all the local pubs from time to time. Although I was never lucky enough to see him.

The great fire of Brentford on 13:16 - May 13 with 1506 views

NewBee

Yep, Stan was renting/living in No.36 Braemar Road at the time, a house owned by the club. Later moved to Netley Road I'm told, which is only just across the way from Braemar Road. Certainly was a regular in a couple of the local pubs (and bookies!) for many years.

And afaik he continued to live in Brentford until his health meant he moved back oop North to live with his daughter?

Anyhow, the club sold the house sometime after he moved out, came on the market in 2008:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/21075242#/?channel=RES_BUY

Surely deserving of a blue plaque?

[Post edited 13 May 13:18]

The great fire of Brentford on 15:14 - May 13 with 1269 views

MrSheen

The great fire of Brentford on 13:16 - May 13 by NewBee

[Post edited 13 May 13:18]

In his autobiography, he complains that the fire didn’t reach the house he was in so he could invent an insurance claim.

The great fire of Brentford on 16:47 - May 13 with 1164 views

bullshootr

The great fire of Brentford on 13:16 - May 13 by NewBee

[Post edited 13 May 13:18]

Surely deserving of a blue plaque?

Blue and white plaque :-)

The great fire of Brentford on 17:21 - May 13 with 1089 views

colinallcars

The great fire of Brentford on 16:47 - May 13 by bullshootr
Surely deserving of a blue plaque? Blue and white plaque :-)

Aah, blue plaques, I always look for them. In west London (wide) area we have Ghandi (honestly), Sid James, James Hunt, Noel Coward, Gustav Holst, Alfred Hitchcock, De Havilland, and a lot more beyond my diminishing recall.

The great fire of Brentford on 17:33 - May 13 with 1052 views

KensalT

The great fire of Brentford on 17:21 - May 13 by colinallcars
Aah, blue plaques, I always look for them. In west London (wide) area we have Ghandi (honestly), Sid James, James Hunt, Noel Coward, Gustav Holst, Alfred Hitchcock, De Havilland, and a lot more beyond my diminishing recall.

There's an app for that:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/blue-plaques-of-london/id1114750573?platform=ipad

Or an interactive map if you prefer:

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/TimeAware/index.html?appid=b69ac4493cf64e088f4883c63

The interactive map shows English Heritage blue plaques, so doesn't include Sid James on Gunnersbury Avenue which was from The British Comedy Society:

https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/sid-james-w5

[Post edited 13 May 17:38]

The great fire of Brentford on 17:33 - May 13 with 1044 views

flynnbo

The great fire of Brentford on 17:21 - May 13 by colinallcars
Aah, blue plaques, I always look for them. In west London (wide) area we have Ghandi (honestly), Sid James, James Hunt, Noel Coward, Gustav Holst, Alfred Hitchcock, De Havilland, and a lot more beyond my diminishing recall.

Holst had one in Tooting too and Marc Bolan also. Used to pass the James Hunt one in the mews on the way to the ground. Then there's George Orwell in Portobello Road. Maybe this needs a thread all of its own.

The great fire of Brentford on 19:23 - May 13 with 860 views

MrSheen

The great fire of Brentford on 17:21 - May 13 by colinallcars
Aah, blue plaques, I always look for them. In west London (wide) area we have Ghandi (honestly), Sid James, James Hunt, Noel Coward, Gustav Holst, Alfred Hitchcock, De Havilland, and a lot more beyond my diminishing recall.

I passed Captain Bligh’s the other day, opposite the Imperial War Museum.

The great fire of Brentford on 20:23 - May 13 with 741 views

colinallcars

The great fire of Brentford on 19:23 - May 13 by MrSheen
I passed Captain Bligh’s the other day, opposite the Imperial War Museum.

Perhaps he could tell us the name of the ship in Mutiny On The Bounty - some people don't know.

The great fire of Brentford on 21:56 - May 13 with 627 views

222gers

The great fire of Brentford on 13:16 - May 13 by NewBee

[Post edited 13 May 13:18]

Speaking of clubs owning houses in the adjacent streets, I was always told the Rs owned a lot of nearby houses which they used to house their young players.
They would be worth a mint now. FFP, yer 'avin' a larf.

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