Peter Åhlén has contributed with the full story on Orient's homes during their years in the league

The history of Brisbane Road

 Orient´s present ground was the home of Leyton amateurs who were having some difficulty paying the rent to the council in 1937. Wasting no time, Orient stepped in and took over the ground during the summer. There was one stand seating 475 people, scathingly referred to as "the orange box" and a cover on the West Side for standing spectators. All the banking was cinder. The club's first game there was on 28.08.1937 vs. Cardiff City, watched by 14.598.

At last it looked as if Clapton Orient had a permanent home, but the club's financial problems had not disappeared. After the second World War, when the club changed its name yet again, to Leyton Orient, a fighting fund was needed to save the club. This, and the appointment of a new chairman and manager proved the way for a successful period ahead.

 In 1951 a new perimeter wall was built in place of the pre-war years and in the summer of 1956 after celebrating promotion, a new main stand was erected on the East Side. The stand was bought from Mitcham Greyhound stadium in South London, but initially Orient rebuilt only two-thirds of the structure storing the reminder elsewhere.

 The East Stand was opened for a game vs. Nottingham Forest in October 1956, and nearly ruined the same day by a fire, thankfully spotted in time. The late chairman, Harry Zussman, quoted in Neil Kaufman's and Harry Ravenhill´s history of the club; -" For years we hoped the old stand would catch tire to collect the insurance, and now the new one nearly goes up on it´s first day of use "-.
Brisbane Road's floodlights were first used for a game vs. Brighton in August 1960, and cost £15.000.

The club reached it´s zenith in 1962, winning promotion to Division one for the first time. To accommodate extra seats, the remaining section of the East Stand at the southern end was completed, and the West Terracing opposite improved. But their joy was shortlived, for one season later Orient were back in Division Two, their financial struggles returning as gates dropped. By 1966, Orient (they dropped the prefix Leyton that year since the area had been absorbed into the new Borough of Waltbam Forest) had to pass the bucket around to help raise cash needed to keep the club afloat. More mergers were mooted, with Romford FC and with Basildon.

By 1970, Orient were back in Division Two, and so in 1977, came under jurisdiction of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act. It is interesting that the club found it cheaper to put seats onto the West Terrace, rather than pay for new crush barriers, even though this reduced the capacity of that section from 11.000 to 3,700.

Brisbane Road's highest gate goes back to January 1964 for the Cupvisit ofneighbours West ham United FC (excuse me for using bad language); 34.345 attended. The capacity is now 13.842, according to Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997-98. The record receipts stand at £87.867: 92, also against our "dear neighbours" from the FA-cup3.rd round, January 10, 1987.

As you all know Brisbane Road is going through a lot of changes at themoment and another chapter in this ongoing saga will most certainly be written. If anyone got some information about the current situation, please share the news with the rest of us. One thing is for sure: Brisbane Road will change, as all English grounds. It's inevitable that the football grounds have to change, but personally I'm afraid that some of the charm will be lost inthe process.