Exclusive – A Phoenix Rising, a House of Steel. Celtic Park Redevelopment Photographs

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The Celtic Star

·9 January 2022

Exclusive – A Phoenix Rising, a House of Steel. Celtic Park Redevelopment Photographs

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Work to Demolish the old Celtic Park begins…

RECENTLY on The Celtic Star, Highland Paddy provided some photos of the old Celtic Park, and quite a few memories where shared as a result. I was contracted by former Celtic Director Tom Grant, who was the Stadium manager in the years leading up to Fergus McCann wrestling control of the club from from the old board.

Tom Grant played a significant role in that successful take-over and can certainly be regarded as one of the ‘Good Guys’. He stayed on at Celtic Park after the takeover in a Project Management role and was essentially Fergus’ right hand man in fulfilling his dream of building a 60,000 stadium at Celtic Park. The new Paradise, the one we know and love today.

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Tom Grant, sitting on Fergus McCann’s right hand side at Celtic Park.

We’d like to share with you a remarkable collection of photographs, all taken by Tom, that show the end days of the old Celtic Park – the Celtic End, the Rangers End and of course the Jungle and the gradual transformation to our new stadium.

These days Tom, a former publican, is retired and enjoys his trips to Celtic Park with his pals as a supporter. They sit in the Jock Stein stand, and he must look around occasionally and think back to the days in in mid-1990s when this impressive stadium was built.

So, thanks to Tom Grant, let’s take you on a journey go back to the summer of 1994, to a place that we call Paradise…

Continued on the next page, as the Jungle is Demolished…

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Destruction of the Jungle…

On the previous pagewe looked back to July 1994 at Celtic Park as the old stadium, with the Celtic End, Rangers End and of course the legendary Jungle, started the sad but also exciting process of being demolished.

The former Celtic Director Tom Grant worked alongside Celtic’s saviour Fergus McCann to build the new Paradise and along the way he took many hundreds of photographs of the end days for the old Celtic Park and the emergence of the fabulous stadium we all enjoy today.

As we continue to look through Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, it’s fascinating to see the Jungle come down like that, so many great memories in there for tens of thousands of Celtic fans over the years, but excitement too. The journey to being today’s dominant force in Scottish football was underway and here are the photographs to prove it….

Continued on next page, Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Turf removed as Demolition Work continues

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Turf removed as Demolition Work continues…

Check out today’s photos from the demolition of the old Celtic Park, all are on the next page. Oh and we’ll have another batch of former Celtic Director Tom Grant’s exclusive photographs from the demolition of the old Celtic Park through the building of the new Paradise tomorrow and every day over the next few weeks….

Continued on the next page. Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Holy Ground, Zero…

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Holy Ground, Zero…

Hopefully you are enjoying our exclusive showing of the former Celtic Director and Stadium Manager Tom Grant’s photographs which are providing the Celtic support, via The Celtic Star, with a unique insight into the demolition of three sides of the old Celtic Park – the Celtic End, the Rangers End and of course the legendary Jungle.

The Main Stand though stayed in place and this could become news over the next year or two. Apparently the steelwork in the Main Stand dates back to 1929 and as such is reaching the stage where it is going to have to be replaced. Other than the Fat Cats and the enemy within Celtic Park’s Press Area, the facilities in the Main Stand are very poor indeed.

It may well be that out of necessity that could change sooner rather than later. Of course the time to have done that, looking back, could have been when the Rangers were on their journey through the lower leagues and sections of Celtic Park were closed and covered with big banners. The numbers attending the games at that time could easily have been accommodated in the other three more modern stands for a season while a new Main Stand was built, perhaps reaching up as high as the Jock Stein and Lisbon Lion stands to its side and the North Stand opposite.

What an arena that will be! But that’s all for the future, on this page, we’ll take you back to August 1994 and see The Holy Ground, ZERO…

Enjoying these photographs? Go to the next page to continue viewing the next batch of these unique photographs…

Go to the next page to continue viewing the next batch of these unique photographs…

Continued on the next page, Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, New Dawn in Paradise..

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, New Dawn in Paradise

Former Celtic Director Tom Grant watched on as the old Celtic Park – with the Jungle, Celtic End and Rangers End and of course the playing surface were all removed to make way for the Paradise we know and love today…

Now sit back and marvel in the next batch of Tom Grant’s photos as the last of the old Holy Ground disappears in August 1994 and they get ready to build Fergus’ dream of a 60,000 seat Paradise.

Go to the next page to continue viewing these photographs…

Continue reading on the next page. Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, A Phoenix Rising, a House of Steel…

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, A Phoenix Rising, a House of Steel…

AND SIXTY THOUSAND CELTIC DREAMS…

The Celtic Star is today showcasing the personal collection of photographs taken by the former Celtic Director Tom Grant as he watched on as the old Celtic Park – with the Jungle, Celtic End and Rangers End and of course the playing surface were all removed to make way for the Paradise we know and love today.

Next up you can enjoy another couple of dozen images from the end of 1994. All photographs were taken by Tom Grant. These are the last batch of photos from 1994, we’ll begin to take you on a journey through 1995 as Paradise is re-born…

Continued on the next page…

Continued on the next page. Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Build it and They Will Come…

Now we’ll take you back to the first four months of 1995. The construction workers returned to their work after the Christmas holidays and over started work on building the Paradise we all know and love today.

The transformation from building site to a 60,000 seated stadium beginning to emerge over this period is astonishing really.

After we get to the end of April 1995 you’ll start to see the early photographs – all taken by former Celtic Director Tom Grant, who worked as Fergus McCann’s right hand man in the re-building of Paradise after the successful removal of the old board – of Celtic Park really taking shape.

The Celtic Star’s Exclusive series showcasing the personal collection of photographs taken by Tom Grant as he watched on as the old Celtic Park – with the Jungle, Celtic End and Rangers End and of course the playing surface were all removed to make way for the Paradise we know and love today continues.

Continued on the next page….

Continued on the next page…

Continue reading Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Building Fergus McCann’s Dream Stadium….

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, Building Fergus McCann’s Dream Stadium

FERGUS McCANN gained control of Celtic Football Club on 4 March 1994. “The war is over, the rebels have won” – 4 March, 1994, Fergus McCann paid the banks and took over Celtic, overthrowing a century of the Whyte’s and Kelly’s running the club and so created the modern day Celtic.

Without Fergus it could have ended up so differently for Celtic. God bless Fergus.

David Low, now Chair of the Celtic Trust, was there advising Fergus back in 1994. When he was interviewed on The Celtic Star he talked about all of the events that even 26 years on still seem like yesterday. Snippets like…

• Weisfeld nipped in at the end, before McCann took over. Weisfeld’s step-son, Michael McDonald, is still on the board.

• That Celtic had 5,000 Rangers shares in 1994 and they were quickly sold, this echoing Craig Whyte who found and sold shares in Arsenal when he took over at Ibrox before that club died, going into liquidation in 2012.

It was Fergus who delivered.

• That it was definitely Michael Kelly and Chris White who held out for a wedge, and that Tom Grant, Kevin Kelly and Jack McGinn didn’t; and they still go to Celtic Park unlike the others.

• That the Masterton / Murray relationship had nothing to do with the hardball tactics from the bank towards Celtic.

• Low gave ‘Celts for Change’ their place, he describes them as a “street movement” who wouldn’t have forced change without the ‘money men’.

Celtic have thrived and Rangers have died since Fergus took over 26 years ago today.

He built the 60,000 seater Stadium that he promised – and The Celtic Star is currently showing you the remarkable photographs courtesy of Tom Grant – who worked for Fergus in re-building Paradise…

Maybe Fergus deserves more than this recognition at Celtic Park?

McCann was assisted by Tom Grant who went on to work alongside Fergus in keeping his promise to build a 60,000 all-seater stadium at Celtic Park.

We have been showcasing a collection of photographs given the The Celtic Star by Tom Grant, who wanted the Celtic Support to see them. Grant worked as the project manager on the demolition of the old Celtic Park’s Jungle, Celtic End and Rangers End and was there just about every day as work took place in building the magnificent stadium we know and love today.

All that was down to the vision and the determination of one man – Fergus McCann.

We are taking you through the work that was done from 1994 in the months after the successful take-over. Fergus wasn’t messing about and work was started amazing quickly as soon as the season was over to demolish the old stadium.

Building Fergus McCann’s Dream Stadium…

Moving onto today’s photographs from the building work taking place at Celtic Park in early 1995, starting on the next page…

Continued on the next page…

Continue reading Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, A Brand New Stadium…

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs, A Brand New Stadium…

HERE are the next batch of the photographs taken by former Celtic Director Tom Grant who worked alongside Fergus McCann in the demolition of the old Celtic Park and building the new stadium we all know and love today.

Today we took you on a journey through the second half of 1994 when the old stadium gradually disappeared from sight. The photographs were strangely wonderful. Then we moved into the first four months of 1995 and we continue to show you the work progressing and Fergus McCann’s dream of a 60,000 seated Paradise coming to fruition…

These photographs are from the building work that was taking place at Celtic Park between early January and late April 1995…

Continued on the next page…

Continue reading Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs from 1996, God Bless this Lovely Land…

Tom Grant’s Celtic Park Photographs from 1996, God Bless this Lovely Land

OVER the previous pages we have been taking you through the building work at Celtic Park in the first four months of 1995. The photographs we have been showing you of the reconstruction work and before that the demolition of the old Paradise were supplied to us by the former Celtic Director Tom Grant who wanted to get these images out to let the Celtic Supporters see, share and enjoy. Hopefully we have managed to do that successfully for Tom, who unlike some of the old board, still goes along to Celtic Park for every game.Now we are going to jump forward to mid May 1996 and the new Paradise is really coming together. You’ll love these photographs!…

And so onto today’s photographs, supplied by Tom Grant, and we’re looking at the state of play in the reconstruction work in May 1996. God Bless the Lovely Land…