Ayresome Gardens

Ayresome Gardens is a modest public park in western Middlesbrough, laid out on the former footprint of Ayresome Park stadium, which served as Middlesbrough FC's home ground from 1903 until 1995. When the club relocated to the Riverside Stadium, the old ground was demolished and the site converted into green space. Subtle markers embedded in the ground — a ghostly outline of the centre circle and goalposts — are the only physical trace of ninety years of football history. For Middlesbrough supporters it carries quiet sentimental weight; for other visitors it is a neighbourhood park, useful for a short walk through a residential part of the town.