Cheriton Road football ground's main stand in its original Harbour Approach Road location (moved in 1919)
It’s been hard to get the exact details on this, but that’s what has made investigating history so intriguing and addictive. The original main stand of the football ground was an old First World War rest camp down at Folkestone harbour, purchased by the football club president, and Hythe MP, Sir Philip Sassoon in 1919. It is the long white building shown in the phot at the left hand side of what is known as the Inner Harbour.
This encapsulates well the make and mend ethos of non-league football. Indeed, elsewhere in the Cheriton Road football ground, the Harvey end terrace roof is supported to this day by wooden poles held in place by old railway lines. These were put in probably in 1932 so have survived well, most likely due to care and attention given to them. It is this love of a stadium that I can really relate to, and means that the facilities can often outlast the clubs that play there or the fans that come and go.
Although the Cheriton Road sports complex could be argued to be in Cheriton, it’s definitely on the periphery of Folkestone. However, this links the football ground to what made Folkestone — the harbour. As a Folkestonian born and bred, my traceable ancestry, which covers at least a few hundred years, all lived near enough within the limits of this photo!