Ground: Stonehouse Creek, Kings Road, Plymouth, PL1 3SF
Owned by: Maintained by Plymouth City Council
Number Of Pitches: 3 full size pitches
Teams: DHSOB, Stonehouse Sharks, Devonport Services, DHS for Boys

Many grounds have been converted from a previous use such as parkland, farmland or even refuse sites. However there can be no ground in the Combination that has undergone such a dramatic transformation than Stonehouse Creek, principally the home of Devonport High School Old Boys.

Up The Creek
As the name suggests, the area was part of a tidal waterway which once stretched as far inland as Pennycomequick. The upper reaches of the creek were filled in the late 19th Century, to celebrate Queen Victoria's reign, the resulting park bearing her name. However the lower reaches, where rugby pitches are now laid out, remained a creek until the 1960s. One of its uses was to allow injured service personnel to be transported to the Royal Naval Hospital and the Stoke Military Hospital. The latter eventually became what is now Devonport High School for Boys, one of the city's 3 Grammar Schools. There are still some traces of the area's former existence in the form of a jetty and of course the nearby Stonehouse Bridge.

Stonehouse Creek when still a waterway (Evening Herald & South West Image Bank)

A Rugby Hotbed
The area now contains 3 pitches, also used by the club's affiliated junior section, Stonehouse Sharks, as well as junior teams from Devonport Services and the school themselves. There is a very well-appointed clubhouse and changing rooms, contained within the Stonehouse Creek Social club whilst the Sharks currently use the school changing rooms at the other end of the pitches. There is an ample amount of parking adjacent to the Social Club although on a Sunday morning this also hosts probably the biggest car boot sales in the Plymouth area.

The area itself has become something of a hotbed of Plymouth rugby as the ground lies cheek by jowl with The Rectory, Devonport Services principal home, whilst Plymouth Albion's Brickfields ground is just a few punts away up the hill towards Devonport. As with the previous two grounds we have looked at, the Creek has also been a home to Plymouth Titans Rugby League team.

There was a period when the pitches betrayed their watery past and the odd postponement due to waterlogging was not unusual however this now appears to have become a rare occurence due to improved drainage. The general surroundings have also greatly improved with the pitches being enclosed within a well-lit walkway and cycle path. The school's new all-weather floodlit pitch, part of an ambitious upgrade of its own sporting facilities, overlooks the pitches and adds to the impression of development in the area.

The Creek's Part in DHSOB's Renaissance
DHSOB's move to Stonehouse Creek co-incided with a resurgence in the club's fortunes during the 2000s when, with an intake from Plymouth YMCA, they ran as many as 3 senior sides. They gained promotion to Devon One whilst also winning some Combination silverware along the way. One of the factors in this renaisance must have been the excellent location of the ground with the bonus of being able to launch many a social event from the clubhouse to the nearby Union Street and further into town.

Allied to the thriving junior section, launched during World Cup Year, the pitches have been fully utilised allowing festivals to be run and touring sides to be hosted. Although the current senior playing strength may not be at the same height of the last decade, the club's youth policy should ensure that the future of rugby at Stonehouse creek remains in very good hands.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has their own memories and recollections of this or any other ground (feel free to add comments to this article). Any additional photos are of course very welcome.

(Further photos of the ground can be found by following this link)