Highfield Road stadium was home to Coventry City FC for some 106 years, from 1899 to 2005. It was located on Kings Street in the Hillfields area of Coventry, an area heavily bombed during World War II and later falling into decadence and obtaining a dubious reputation as the city's red light district. In the past decade received significant regeneration funding and it now looks little like it did in the '80s.
Although Highfield Road was not prettiest stadium and was somewhat lacking in facilities by comparison with modern stadiums, it was well-loved by the Sky Blue faithful for its character. The short walk to the ground from the Pool Meadow bus station on match days will be recalled fondly by generations of supporters. Over the years, the East and West Stands gained a reputation as the singing areas of the ground and, it is from the perspective of the West Terrace that "My Only City" recordings were captured.
City now play at the Ricoh Arena in the Rowley's Green area of Coventry, built on the former site of the Foleshill Gasworks. The communities of the East and West Stands to a degree became dissipated around the different seating structure of the Ricoh, but today the stadium finds itself in good voice as home and away supporters alike make use of the excellent acoustics at the ground.
About Highfield Road
My Only City: The Sound of the West Terrace by Duncan Whitley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
