I have been contacted by someone who is writing a book on Wakefield in the 1950's, and he wants to get the history of Belle Vue correct, but there appear to be conflicting accounts of the early days.

In "A History of Wakefield Trinity Football Club, 1873 - 1960", written and compiled by D W Armitage & J CLindley, it states that "Trinity moved to the present field in 1878-9............"

The club website states: "From Heath Common Trinity moved to a field near the Alexandra Hotel, belle Vue and finally in 1878-9 to the present field at Belle Vue."

In "100 years of rugby" by JC Lindley, brought out in 1973 for the centenary, it states that throughout the 1880's "Trinity leased two fields near the Alexandra Hotel in the Belle Vue district of the city", and goes on to explain that this was to accommodate a number of sporting activities, including lacrosse and cycling, the original club set up to promote sport in the city, and rugby being one of the sports played under the Trinity umbrella.

It then states that "By then Trinity had played at Belle Vue for some time - behind the Alexandra Hotel. But their move to the current arena which still forms their home did not come until late in 1892. In December of that year the club agreed to lease a field adjacent to the St Catherine's School and there they made their headquarters which have remained so throughout the rest of their history."

So there appear to be two different versions. Which is the correct one?

Can anyone help, and where exactly were the Alexandra Hotel and the fields behind it?

the only book I have is the "A History of Wakefield Trinity Football Club, 1873 - 1960", written and compiled by D W Armitage & J CLindley, so I'm not sure how you can solve this problem if you have conflicting evidence, surly the club must know which is right

Called blind faith that, snowie.

factual books going back that far are hard to prove, the history of the club should of been kept in secure hands, I would contact Diane Maskill as she should be able to point you in the right direction.

pm coming to you

I have '100 years of rugby: the history of Wakefield Trinity 1873-1973', which I assume was an update of the earlier book as it is by J. C. Lindley with personal recollections of D. W. Armitage. It suggests as follows:

[i'Trinity's earliest matches were played on Heath Common, then two fields were rented near the Alexandra Hotel at Belle Vue where Trinity remianed for several years. In the early 1880's Trinity left the Parochial Rooms and Holly Lodge became their headquarters and remained so until the turn of the century.'[/i

later in the book it states:

[i'At the annual meeting of the club in May 1884 news was given to members that six months notice had been served on Trinity to quit from the Parochial Rooms (a place built specially, incidentally for the Trinity Young Men's Society) and that the club had taken Holly Lodge, Lord Rodney Yard on a lease.
[/i
Obviously that last bit is more about the headquarters rather than playing field.

I'll have a look further for anything more when I get some time. One of the books by Tony Collins (Rugby's great split I think) mentions early Trinity quite a lot, I'll try there as well.

Contact John Goodchild,he is a respected Wakefield Historian.

As you come along Donny Rd towards BV from the town you pass Howarth timber and the BP garage on the left thats where the buildings start, after a gap halfway along they start again and the Alex was the last building on the corner nearly opposite the Con club.

So that would make the first ground on the opposite side of Donny Road?

The Grounds of Rugby League - Trevor Delany 1991

Founded in 1873 as part of the Holy Trinity Church Young Mens' Society in George Street, Trinity first played on Heath Common, open land not far from Belle Vue. In 1875/6 they moved to Manor Field which was near the present (in 1991) Vicarage Street gasworks, a few hundred yards from the Cathedral. From there Trinity moved to Elm Tree Street, across Doncaster Road from their present ground, near the Alexandra Hotel, where on the 8th December, 1877 they played Leeds St. John's in their first ever Yorkshire Cup-tie. This ground also incorporated a cycling and athletics track. Yorkshire played Middlesex there on 29th March, 1879, and Halifax were the visitors on 5th April, in the Yorkshire Cup, a trophy which Trinity won for the first time the following Saturday.
The present Belle Vue ground was opened two day later, on Easter Monday, 14th April, 1879, when Trinity played their annual charity match against the Manchester club, Birch. Trinity, who had previously played in black and blue horizontal stripes, used the opening of the new ground as an opertunity to introduce their present club colours. These facts were confirmed by Mr Ernest Parker, Trinity's treasurer from 1905 to 1919, who had been present at the opening game.

edited for accuracy

Thanks for that. I'll pass it on.

I wonder why JC Lindley was so certain that it was 1892, because he goes on to describe how the ground behind the Alexandra had stands and a cycle track, whereas the field they leased in 1892, and then bought in 1895, was just grass.

Anyway, I've got this map of the area from 1854. You will see that Agbrigg Road then ran from the Duke of York, and Sugar Lane was just a track. What is now Agbrigg Road was then Sandal Common Road, Barnsley Road was Sheffield Road, and Manygates Lane was Cock and Bottle Lane, named after the Cock and Bottle pub that stood at the end of what is now Castle Road.

A black and blue striped away kit would be a nice nod to history...or, in an Arsenal fashion, the kit we wear for our last season at Belle Vue.

For me, it would be the one they wore for about fifty years, with white shorts, blue jersey, with one red hoop, with the Watersplash strip for the home jersey.

agree totally, for the last season we should go to the a traditional kit for home and away, then take the same design to the new stadium! with bj wearing number 6?

showing your age old lad.

For the very last game at Belle Vue (long way to go yet, not counting mi chickens etc) for me it would be the black/blue stripes (I seem to remember them when I were a lad

). Ask the RFL if we could play without names on the shirts (no disrespect to the lads who would be playing in them) and the the shirts could be auctioned, for perhaps squadbuilder, with one shirt going into the new museum/memory hall.

For instance the shirt belonging to the scorer of the last try at Belle vue.

Yes please

if its against leeds and senior scores you will able to buy this along with his soul on flea bay