When I was first married, My wife and I had an apartment we lived in for 5 years. We were young, we had few responsibilities, we were exploring the world together. It was a happy time.
A few years back, the whole area was redeveloped to make way for a football stadium. Not only was the apartment demolished - so were the surrounding streets, the shops, and the houses.
I found it an extremely weird feeling to know that the place holding so many of my early experiences no longer existed. It felt like my past had been erased - like my memories had been deleted. I hadn’t appreciated until then, just how much of my identity was tied to specific places.
As Joni Mitchell put it, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone”.
It was Liverpool FC. For the last 30 years, they’ve been quietly buying up residential and commercial property in the Anfield area. Then, about 10 years ago, they announced plans for a major stadium expansion, Not only did they expand the stadium itself, they also expanded adjacent exterior infrastructure such as car parks, access routes, community areas, and shops. To achieve this, they demolished a large part of the surrounding residential area. The final phases of the work were completed last year - but my old flat was demolished some years previously.
Ah, well Everton didn’t expand. Instead, they moved to a whole new stadium built on derelict dockland at Bramley-Moore Dock. Their original stadium, Goodison Park, was retained, and is now home to Everton women’s team, and to community activities.
