Arguably best known for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club 1878-1992 but also as a venue for first class cricket.
Once considered (no doubt along with many others) to be the finest wicket in Yorkshire, 76 first-class matches were played on the pitch; the first on 28 Aug 1873 when Yorkshire played Nottinghamshire; the last on 17 Aug 1955 when Gloucestershire were the guests.
Yorkshire also played games here against the touring Australian & South African sides & an England XI played the Australians here in 1884. Yorkshire's highest score at Fartown was 579/6 vs Glamorgan in 1925, while they conceded 527 to Middlesex in 1887.
Worcestershire were dismissed for 24 in 1903 while Yorkshire were themselves bowled out for 31 by Essex in 1935
The ground was originally known as the St John's Ground, after Huddersfield St John's Cricket Club. In 1875 the club merged with Huddersfield Athletic Club to form the Huddersfield Cricket & Athletic Club. The name of the stadium was also changed to Fartown Grounds & it was initially used for athletics festivals. Rugby began at the start of the 1878/79 season with the visit of Manchester Rangers on 2nd Nov. & the venue soon became synonymous with Huddersfield RLFC.
Huddersfield's Rugby League Club, the "Giants" are still known as "Fartown" by many supporters & Fartown was the scene of many great games, including the Challenge Cup finals of 1908 & 1910, several cup semi-finals & many international matches. The highest attendance at the stadium to watch a Huddersfield game was 32,912 vs Wigan on 4 March 1950, but a Challenge Cup semi-final on 19 April 1947 attracted a crowd of 35,136.
The 1980s saw the stadium decline as Huddersfield RLFC struggled. The main stand was closed due to storm damage in 1986 & the rugby club moved to Huddersfield Town's Leeds Rd ground in 1992, and on to the McAlpine Stadium in 1994, although they continued to use Fartown as a training base until 2004.
Off the pitch the Fartown rugby ground is gradually being reclaimed by nature but retains an eerie atmosphere; the cricket pitch on the other hand is still a popular place for locals to relax and/or take a little exercise