St John's Lane was a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

ground in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. It was the home ground of

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

between 1894 and 1904.

History

The ground began to be used in 1894 by Bristol South End (later Bristol City). A 500-seat stand was built on the western touchline and embankments raised at each end of the pitch. As the ground was overlooked by a hill, a system of screening was created that involved raising canvas sheets on tall poles using pulleys whilst the football club were playing.Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) ''The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005'', Yore Publications, p116, Bristol City were elected to the Second Division of

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

in 1901, and the first Football League match at St John's Lane was played on 14 September 1901, with City beating

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

3–0 in front of 7,000 spectators. The record attendance of 17,909 as set on 6 February 1904 for an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

first round match against

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

. At the end of the 1903–04 season Bristol City moved to Ashton Gate. The final League match at St John's Lane was played on 23 April 1904, with 4,000 watching City defeat

Burslem Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley of ...

2–1. St John's Lane remained in use as a sports ground with the sports and social club associated with E. S. & A. Robinson being based there until its closure. It later became the home of Broad Plain Rugby Club, alongside a housing estate that was built on part of the site. The main road through the estate was named Bristol South End.

References

{{Bristol City F.C. Defunct football venues in England Bristol City F.C. Defunct sports venues in Bristol Sports venues completed in 1894 English Football League venues Football venues in Bristol