The Nest, 1908-1935

[Feedthewolf 4,894]

I saw this old photo of The Nest on the Twitter account @theawayfans. I doubt there's anyone here old enough to remember going there, but maybe people whose parents may have passed down some stories?

According to someone who commented on the post: "The old boy kicking off is Russell Colman - then head of Colman's Mustard and chairman of Norwich City. The occasion was a 'keep fit' effort for unemployed local men." Not sure if anyone can verify that, or maybe even expand upon it?

I know other people have posted things about the ground in the past, but I'd be really interested to see and hear any other photos or stories about our former home.

[Bill 1,788]

It was actually the old Norwich Mercurys first 'Spot the Ball' competition

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,458]

I had a walk along Rosary Road quite recently and it’s really interesting to see the old chalk escarpment and the houses you can see on the pics on top of the cliff  are still there . The new housing development (The Nest of course) is built where the pitch was . Nice bit of history . 

[Midlands Yellow 4,107]

Joking apart did many on here attend matches at the Nest? 

[Feedthewolf 4,894]

25 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

Joking apart did many on here attend matches at the Nest? 

I very much doubt it, as we moved out 86 years ago - not sure who our oldest user is, but I don't think we have any in their 90s do we?

[Myra Hawtree 127]

The Norwich City Historical Trust will have information about the days at The Nest.  I have a photo of my dad at a Cup match there in 1924.  Forget who it was against.  

Definitely Russell Colman kicking off?  Looks a bit like Herbert Chapman.

[Feedthewolf 4,894]

4 minutes ago, Myra Hawtree said:

The Norwich City Historical Trust will have information about the days at The Nest.  I have a photo of my dad at a Cup match there in 1924.  Forget who it was against.  

Definitely Russell Colman kicking off?  Looks a bit like Herbert Chapman.

That's great, thank you for sharing. I wouldn't know if it was Russell Colman, but I agree it does look a bit like Herbert Chapman. Not sure if he'd have been to The Nest, though? Arsenal would've been in Division One when he was manager, and we'd still have been in Division 3(S)...? We didn't play Arsenal in the cup during his tenure as manager, and he was only 45 when he took over at Arsenal, so I think it's unlikely he'd have been there as an opposing manager.

[K Lo 230]

You know a football ground was bad when it was deemed not fit for purpose in the 1930s, decades before Health & Safety existed.

[NewNestCarrow 203]

"The old boy kicking off is Russell Colman - then head of Colman's Mustard and chairman of Norwich City. The occasion was a 'keep fit' effort for unemployed local men." Not sure if anyone can verify that, or maybe even expand upon it?

It looks like Russell J Colman and it is clearly The Nest, but ... 

1. The Norwich Unemployment Welfare Association (photo is from their archives) was founded in 1928 but the NCFC kits (green & yellow vertical stripes) date from 1920-23.

2. Would there be that many spectators at a keep-fit event?

3. The Norwich Records Office catalogue lists it as "...kicking off at a Club football match"  (their capitalization)

4. Russell J Colman was President of NCFC, but never Chairman

 

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,458]

8 hours ago, NewNestCarrow said:

"The old boy kicking off is Russell Colman - then head of Colman's Mustard and chairman of Norwich City. The occasion was a 'keep fit' effort for unemployed local men." Not sure if anyone can verify that, or maybe even expand upon it?

It looks like Russell J Colman and it is clearly The Nest, but ... 

1. The Norwich Unemployment Welfare Association (photo is from their archives) was founded in 1928 but the NCFC kits (green & yellow vertical stripes) date from 1920-23.

2. Would there be that many spectators at a keep-fit event?

3. The Norwich Records Office catalogue lists it as "...kicking off at a Club football match"  (their capitalization)

4. Russell J Colman was President of NCFC, but never Chairman

 

Couple of points . 
 

1 are those kits yellow and green stripes? Neither stripe looks light enough to be yellow? In comparison to the socks ? 
2. presume the gent in the blazer with the badge is the ref? 

[BroadstairsR 2,213]

Sexy football.

Why did young men in those days, like the chap on the left, look like old men of today? Beef drinks, full-fat milk, cigarettes and a pint or three in the Castle Hotel? Sponsorship was clearly in it's infancy.

The referee on the right looks a cool dude. I'm sure that's a fag he has in his mouth. Shorts with pockets? Does Todd know about these?

The kicker-off looks as if he's just dropped off on his way to have tea with his mother-in-law. I like his hat.

In those days everybody wore 'hets.' The ladies wore 'hets' and the gentlemen wore 'hets.'

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[Feedthewolf 4,894]

11 hours ago, NewNestCarrow said:

"The old boy kicking off is Russell Colman - then head of Colman's Mustard and chairman of Norwich City. The occasion was a 'keep fit' effort for unemployed local men." Not sure if anyone can verify that, or maybe even expand upon it?

It looks like Russell J Colman and it is clearly The Nest, but ... 

1. The Norwich Unemployment Welfare Association (photo is from their archives) was founded in 1928 but the NCFC kits (green & yellow vertical stripes) date from 1920-23.

2. Would there be that many spectators at a keep-fit event?

3. The Norwich Records Office catalogue lists it as "...kicking off at a Club football match"  (their capitalization)

4. Russell J Colman was President of NCFC, but never Chairman

Great stuff, thanks very much for the insight. I don't see many spectators there, could just have been families of the players, and perhaps NUWA had its own kit or borrowed one from somewhere else?

Did your information come from personal knowledge, or is there a resource you use (online or otherwise)?

[ricardo 7,411]

My uncle Reg had a house in Guelph Road that backed onto the ground, you can see the houses in the top of that photo. The blokes that lived there made ladders and watched the game for free over the top of the fence. The club took issue with this and made the fence six feet taller. My uncle Reg and his mates just made their ladders a bit longer.😁

[ricardo 7,411]

If you want to know about the nest, this is a great read.

https://readtheleague.com/the-big-feature/thenest

[Midlands Yellow 4,107]

6 minutes ago, ricardo said:

My uncle Reg had a house in Guelph Road that backed onto the ground, you can see the houses in the top of that photo. The blokes that lived there made ladders and watched the game for free over the top of the fence. The club took issue with this and made the fence six feet taller. My uncle Reg and his mates just made their ladders a bit longer.😁

Just like the illegal streams, nothing changes. 

[Midlands Yellow 4,107]

Newmarket road days. 
 

[NewNestCarrow 203]

3 hours ago, Graham Paddons Beard said:

Couple of points . 
 

1 are those kits yellow and green stripes? Neither stripe looks light enough to be yellow? In comparison to the socks ? 
2. presume the gent in the blazer with the badge is the ref? 

Ref. the attached image; the cig card is from 1922 and Reg Wilkinson is from the 1923 Handbook.

The image on the right (1933-34) shows how b/w messes with our modern day perceptions, as City played in y/g halves in that season but you could never tell from the photo.

Blazer was normal matchday attire for referees.

[Feedthewolf 4,894]

56 minutes ago, ricardo said:

If you want to know about the nest, this is a great read.

https://readtheleague.com/the-big-feature/thenest

This is fantastic, thanks Ricky. Will give it a read in my lunch break! 🙂

[Midlands Yellow 4,107]

1 hour ago, ricardo said:

If you want to know about the nest, this is a great read.

https://readtheleague.com/the-big-feature/thenest

That was excellent, you could almost picture it and smell it. 

[Mella Yella 40]

My Father used to skive off school (Cathedral) on saturdays with the great John Mills, to go watch the games at the Nest. He was expelled from school for throwing pennies down the Tuba of the Salvation Army, from the upstairs window overlooking Tombland. They also put wedges in the Tram track at Tombland to send them the wrong way. True story.