Winton Rovers' grandstand was severely damaged by fire in 1941.
WINTON ROVERS STAND
BURNT OUT
On
Saturday evening (20 December 1941) shortly after nine o'clock it was observed
that Winton Rovers' grandstand was on fire.
The
flames lit up the sky and were seen for miles around.
The
Ardrossan and District Fire Brigade was called out and they led hoses from Hill
Place and Winton Street.
The
stand burned for over two hours.
A
large number of people gathered in the vicinity.
By
the time it was got under control, all that was left standing was a few feet of
the left wing; the pavilion and committee rooms being completely destroyed.
The
cause of the fire is unknown.
It
is well-known that the field is now mostly used by the Forces since Winton
Rovers closed down for the duration and it has been taken over as a recreation
ground. The
stand was built round about 1912 and was paid for out of the money raised by a
bazaar held in the Drill Hall in 1913.
It
was the property of the Winton Rovers Football Club but was placed under the
care of a trust. Although
it is generally thought by the public that the trustees were the owners that is
not correct as they were only appointed trustees to look after the stand.
In
fact, few of the trustees were among those who gave financial support to the
building of the stand.
When
the stand was first built, there were no committee-rooms so in 1921 or
thereabouts, the committee-rooms were built above the pavilion.
Mr
James Barbour built the stand and Mr William McLean built the committee rooms.
On
Sunday, hundreds of sightseers visited the scene of the fire -
and so ends the life of a stand that was more
discussed than any other in the football world.
Kilmarnock Herald and North Ayrshire Gazette, 26
December
1941