An historically interesting document relating to Rugby Union being an original 1904 auction catalogue that includes the sale of market garden land upo
£750 - £1,000
An historically interesting document relating to Rugby Union being an original 1904 auction catalogue that includes the sale of market garden land upon which Twickenham Stadium would be built shortly after and thereby becoming known affectionately as the ''cabbage patch'', published by the auctioneers Messrs. Chinnock, Galsworthy & Chinnock at The Mart, Tokenhouse Yard, in the City of London, the auction held on 12th April 1904, the rugby connection relating to Lot 7, coloured yellow on the sale catalogue's fold-out plan, and described as: THREE VALUABLE FREEHOLD ENCLOSURES OF MARKET GARDEN LAND, FORMING PART OF ERNCROFT FARM, SITUATE IN THE PARISHES OF TWICKENHAM AND ISLEWORTH, HAVING FRONTAGES TO OAK LANE AND MOGDEN LANE, AND INTERSECTED BY THE RIVER CRANE, in moderate but reasonably stable condition, but with some paper loss and damage due to page turning At the close of the 1905/6 season RFU treasurer William Cail made the momentous decision to initiate the search for a new and permanent home for English Rugby. The task of finding a new headquarters was handed to Billy Williams, an RFU committee member and seasoned property professional. Williams was aware of the market garden land that had been auctioned in 1904, and that is was being offered for rent near to Twickenham. In 1907 a purchase of ten acres was made by the RFU for the princely sum of ?5,500 12s 6d. The rest is history, as they say, and Twickenham was to assume the mantle of the ''Home of Rugby.''