The Rugby ground
Billy Williams' Cabbage Patch
New Stands built
The first Varsity match was played in December 1921, by which time the popularity of Twickenham had soared. Extra accommodation was found in a North Stand built in 1925 by the legendary football stadium architect, Archibald Leitch. By 1931, the famous 'Twickenham Look' had come about. This comprised a huge slab of concrete forming the South Terrace, Leitch's North Stand, and two great double-decker East and West Stands that spoilt the view from Richmond Hill.
A Civil Defence role
At the outbreak of World War Two, Twickenham stadium became a Civil Defence Depot, with special responsibilities as a decontamination centre in the event of a chemical attack on London. The closest the stadium got to being hit by enemy action was in July 1944 when a V1 flying bomb fell in the front garden of a house opposite the West Gate, injuring 16 people.
After the war and for the next three decades, Twickenham lagged behind other large grounds in all areas of development. In 1981 a South Stand was built, followed in the 1990s by new North, East and West stands. The 'concrete horseshoe' was completed in 1995 exactly 100 years after the issue of amateurism split the Rugby Football Union in two and almost destroyed the England game. The year 2005 will mark the centenary of the idea to build England's national stadium, which was realised in Twickenham.