madeinsheffield
Well-Known Member
While there is not much happening.....
This is an extract from a document from the Sheffield Local History Society, which can be viewed at Sheffield's Central Library.
"The Wednesday football club was formed on 4th September 1867. The football club first played its games at the Olive Grove Sports Ground in Heeley before moving to a new stadium in the Owlerton district of Sheffield.
The first Ordnance Survey maps (1850's) mark a building close to where the stadium now stands as 'Swine Cottage'. They also show another farm on Penistone Road, south of where the North Stand is situated, which was also believed to be a large piggery. Pork farming is thought to have been practised in the area since the early 1800's, and did not cease until around 1900 when the city's rapid expansion put an end to livestock production in the area. At its height the "Owlerton Piggery," as it was known, provided work for some 50 employees.
Initial discussions about a nickname began soon after the Wednesday arrived at Owlerton. In reference to their new home, most club officials were in favour of "The Owls." However, another suggestion was also popular. In view of the area's strong tradition of pork farming, a popular grass-roots alternative was "The Pigs."
Although the name "Owls" prevailed, many working class supporters continued to refer to their team as "t'pigs." A popular song of the time "They may be t'Owls to some, (but they'll always be pigs to me)" was performed in music halls across South Yorkshire. As late as the 1920's, fans used to welcome their team onto the field with the characteristic grunting sound we still associate with the club. This peculiarity was once referred to by BBC commentator Edward Milburn, who famously described Hillsborough as a "sea of grunts" (that is rhyming slang for who currently stand there) moments after The Wednesday won the First Division title in 1932.
This is an extract from a document from the Sheffield Local History Society, which can be viewed at Sheffield's Central Library.
"The Wednesday football club was formed on 4th September 1867. The football club first played its games at the Olive Grove Sports Ground in Heeley before moving to a new stadium in the Owlerton district of Sheffield.
The first Ordnance Survey maps (1850's) mark a building close to where the stadium now stands as 'Swine Cottage'. They also show another farm on Penistone Road, south of where the North Stand is situated, which was also believed to be a large piggery. Pork farming is thought to have been practised in the area since the early 1800's, and did not cease until around 1900 when the city's rapid expansion put an end to livestock production in the area. At its height the "Owlerton Piggery," as it was known, provided work for some 50 employees.
Initial discussions about a nickname began soon after the Wednesday arrived at Owlerton. In reference to their new home, most club officials were in favour of "The Owls." However, another suggestion was also popular. In view of the area's strong tradition of pork farming, a popular grass-roots alternative was "The Pigs."
Although the name "Owls" prevailed, many working class supporters continued to refer to their team as "t'pigs." A popular song of the time "They may be t'Owls to some, (but they'll always be pigs to me)" was performed in music halls across South Yorkshire. As late as the 1920's, fans used to welcome their team onto the field with the characteristic grunting sound we still associate with the club. This peculiarity was once referred to by BBC commentator Edward Milburn, who famously described Hillsborough as a "sea of grunts" (that is rhyming slang for who currently stand there) moments after The Wednesday won the First Division title in 1932.
