Hounslow FC were a football club based in West London who played their home games at Denbigh Road. Their history is not easy to find, which is a great shame as they were one of the prominent amateur clubs in the country, regularly attracting 5,000 to their home games in the 1950's. They were runners up at Wembley in the 1962 FA Amateur Cup Final and attracted a recoed crowd of 8,900 in 1954.
The club were known as Hounslow Town until 1966 when the area was swallowed up in the conurbation rather than remaining a seperate place. They spent most of their history in the Athenian and Southern Leagues before merging with Feltham to become Feltham and Hounslow Borough FC in 1990 owing to debts which meant clearing the money but giving up their home ground. Feltham dropped the Hounslow part of their name in 1995. Another club changed its name to Hounslow Borough in 2000 but they were not connected.
The club attempted a failed comeback but is still registered every year with the Middlesex County Football Association, just in case!
My visit
I had been past the ground in 1980 when staying on a family weekend break at Heathrow. The ground was visible and looked of a decent size as you passed on the tube. On a winters day in January 1984, I called in on a days groundhopping in the area. By now the ground was showing signs of age and lack of maintenance.
Entry to the ground was from Denbigh Road. Behind the near goal was two small terraces. Along the far side was fair sized covered terrace with the far end having a reasonable sized open terrace. Large nets hung behind both goals to stop stray shots going into the gardens behind. The other side had a few steps of open terrace which was truncated by a small wooden Main Stand. A clubhouse was in the far corner with club shops a board room and the changing rooms in the near corner.
It was a shame for all connected when the ground went but at least it still hears the noise of cheering and happy voices every playtime as the site is now a primary school.
