The piece of the club’s history is planned to return in the coming months in a temporary position to ensure a return to Tottenham supporters.
The historic White Hart Lane gates are scheduled to return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complex, pending a successful planning application.
Last year, football.london reported that the club was planning to explore plans for a Bill Nicholson statue and the repurposing of the historic White Hart Lane gates at their fans’ advisory board meetings. The minutes of the board’s most recent meeting with Spurs representatives this month at Hotspur Way now include an update on the gates.
While the new location will be slightly out of the way for most Tottenham Hotspur Stadium visitors, it is intended to be a temporary location for the gates until a permanent one is identified, which will contain a statue commemorating the club’s double-winning manager.
Tottenham declared in 2010, before the new stadium was finished, that “the famous Bill Nicholson Gates will provide a fitting home for a statue of the club’s greatest-ever manager at our planned new stadium.” The gates will stay in position between the two listed buildings with historic links to the club—the former White Hart pub and the Red House- which, along with the Grade II historic Warmington House and the Dispensary, will be refurbished and reopened as a tavern and coffee shop. Furthermore, the club can confirm that the monument will be placed in the centre of the gates, resembling the iconic photograph of Bill at the gates and taking pride of place on the south west approach to the stadium.”
At the time, Chairman Daniel Levy stated: “This seemed an appropriate opportunity to make Bill a part of the fabric of the new stadium, maintaining the memories of how important he was at the current stadium and in our club’s legacy. I believe it will be a popular aspect of the new designs, and fans will enjoy walking past Bill and possibly stopping for a snapshot or two.
Despite the stadium’s opening in 2019, the gates were put into storage, and the monument was not mentioned again until subsequent fan advisory board sessions. According to the meeting minutes from December, Rachel Martin, representing the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, brought up the monument.
At least the renowned old gates appear to be on their way back after years of storage, and Spurs fans will be hoping for a statue of their legendary former boss soon after.
Leave a Comment