Simon Inglis / Played in Britain
@playedinbritain.bsky.social
Writer/lecturer/campaigner on sporting heritage/architecture + works of Archibald Leitch; erstwhile editor for Played in Britain + SGSA. Villa fan since 1962. Current professional status: 'semi-required'.
Turnstile geeks ahoy! Spotted in Petersfield: @pfieldbookshop.bsky.social a pre-war Ellison's ex-Fratton Park & someone's back garden (do @pompeyhistory.bsky.social know more?) & Petersfield Lido, opened 1962, a postwar Bailey's. Both merely decorative but clearly loved. @groundtastic.bsky.social
Delighted that @historicengland.bsky.social are exhibiting 25 of my football ground pix @swindonlibraries until July 24 in Courtyard Gallery. Thanks to Gary Winter & all contributors who shared memories. Hear more on @bbcwiltshire, @benpraterradio @mjwriter24 @groundtastic.bsky.social
I had a lot of fun and a few teary moments dredging up these memories - thanks to @theodelaney for the invitation. Here's the second and final part: www.theodelaney.com/life-goals-l...
New Life Goals podcast with legendary writer, lecturer and campaigner Simon Inglis - @playedinbritain.bsky.social - out now. (Part two next week). t.co/D2lM57yvLz
What a challenge (and not only to my shaky memory). My eight most memorable goals (mostly, but not all @avfc-official.bsky.social ) accompanied by eight tracks, and a good deal of verbiage on the side. Thanks to TheoDelaney #UTV theodelaney.com/life-goals-l...
Recommend charming @BBCNorfolk series on Arthur Elvin (inc snippets from me). Never bothered who was in #FACupFinal as long as floral arrangements were in order! Revered in speedway & ice hockey circles. He & his wife were the real #Wembley 'twin towers'. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Secret Norfolk - The Man Who Made Wembley - 1. Prisoner of War - BBC Sounds
How a young Arthur Elvin went from odd jobs in Norwich to being a German prisoner of war.
bbc.co.uk
For all you aquatic aesthetes, Splash! @designmuseum is a quirky fun take on swimming lives & styles - Roger Deakin's Speedos, Jelly shoes, Terry Towelling robes, some great short films & a history of cozzies... dare one say, a veritable lucky dip... on till Aug 17.
Delighted to support a member of the Historic Pools of Britain and a case study in our book Great Lengths – Bramley Baths in #Leeds where my mum grew up and I had a happy postgrad year in er... 1978. Note: Edwardian baths are a sadly diminishing liquid asset! www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bramley-ba...
Help Bramley Baths Raise the Roof!
We need to raise £350,000 to give our heritage asset a cash injection through our first Community Share Offer.
crowdfunder.co.uk
#Fulham #COYW #CravenCottage #FulhamFCHistory @playedinbritain.bsky.social Tape for crossbars, men in caps, mud and shoulder barges etc., 🇵🇦🇷🇹 🇮🇮 3/13...
Have these ones on me - Turnstiles from my local Non-League clubs:- Corinthian Casuals (Ellisons) and Hampton & Richmond FC (Stevens & Sons Southwark - many layers of paint though!):-
TOP TEN FINISH? ⚽️ There are now just 10 copies left for sale of #AtTheMatch, the photobook by @wsc.co.uk featuring the work of Paul Thompson, Simon Gill and myself. Get your copy of the compendium of unique #football #photography images here: www.wsc.co.uk/shop/at-the-...
I do love a turnstile block - from #TunbridgeWells this is for entry to the magical highrocks.co.uk/attractions/... Late Victorian, Edwardian?? Couldn't get close to panel to identify maker. Ellisons? Baileys? Stevens? Any takers?
Totally agree - yes I wrote the foreword but I would have endorsed this book anyway - its magnificent! Great choices, great photos, great text. Well played @leongladwellauthor.bsky.social
Paul Burns@bigchiefoutlaw.bsky.social · 2y agoA stunning pornographic book from @leongladwellauthor.bsky.social that warms me in a way no book has since the mighty @playedinbritain.bsky.social (who writes the foreword) wrote The Football Grounds of Europe. Buy it. Treat yourselves.
Mid '80s, charity game behind closed doors at Maine Rd. In front of the Kippax I dribble past #TonyBook - 21 years my senior. Hah! Then 10yds on, from nowhere, somehow he's back, nicking the ball with a knowing grin and an 'alright son!' A true old pro and proper gent! www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
Tony Book: Manchester City legend dies aged 90
Former Manchester City captain Tony Book dies at the age of 90.
bbc.co.uk
Happy 130th Birthday to the @nationaltrust.bsky.social, founded #OnThisDay in 1895. Their iconic and enduring sprig of oak-leaves emblem was designed by Arts & Crafts wood carver Joseph Armitage in 1935, it was subtly modernised by David Gentlemen in 1982, and refreshed by Wolff Olins in 2009.
When you need to design two different book covers but you've only got one photo to use
🚴♂️ Fantastic to see the former Richard Dunn Sports Centre site back in use for the National Cyclo-Cross Trophy at the weekend, to kick-off Bradford 2025. C20 & Ian Chalk Architects have proposed the Grade II building as a national home for skateboarding and wheelsports - here was the perfect taster!
#seaside problems No. 1 - A Squall by Hannah Humphreys c1810 When you're apt to lose your hat and your dignity
Great timing Michael - let's hope mine is still good too! Tomorrow, as I approach my 70th birthday, and in advance of a possible band reunion, I will sit behind a drum kit for the first time in 15 years, six weeks after a back op and achin' all over ... the beat goes on, or maybe not...
Michael Hann@michaelhann.bsky.social · 2y agoI wrote about being a power drummer as you get old … www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
Having come late to this London oral history series – produced by digital:works – I'm telling everyone! So rich in oral and visual content. Worth exploring if London/heritage/history is your bag. Here's one on Brentford FC. digital-works.co.uk/brentford.html
digital:works | Documenting life-stories through creative participation
digital-works.co.uk
Football grounds have gone from an era of neglect to now being considered as modern cathedrals. Simon Inglis has charted this transformation over the past 40 years. Here, he talks about that evolution... www.nytimes.com/athletic/589...
How Premier League stadiums have evolved over the past 40 years
Simon Inglis quite literally wrote the book on British football grounds - now he tells The Athletic how and why they have changed
nytimes.com
Hello BlueSky – Simon Inglis here, Ex-X. Sorry I'm late. Here to engage with my usual diet of stadiums, sporting heritage, Played in Britain, Aston Villa, Archie Leitch, Arts Society, Historic England Archives etc etc... and maybe the occasional personal comment or huff as I near the big 70.
