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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Chloe Louise

Liverpool FC's Kop end at Anfield and how it got its name

In 1906 Liverpool had just won their second league title and the club was looking to give something back to their loyal fans.

LFC supporters had stood at the end of the ground by Walton Breck Road since 1892 and it was time to create a new stand made of cinder and brick. It was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and was originally referred to as the 'Walton Breck Bank' or 'Oakfield Road Embankment'.

But it was the then sports editor of the Liverpool Post & ECHO who looked at it and said at the time: "This huge wall of earth has been termed 'Spion Kop', and no doubt this apt name will always be used in future in referring to this spot." This name was used in honour of the many Liverpudlians who died in the Battle of Spion Kop in the Boer war between January 23 and January 24, 1900.

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Attempting to capture the strategic hilltop, 322 British lives were lost, 563 were wounded and 300 people were taken as prisoners.

In 1906 the Kop was made of 100 concrete steps measuring 394 feet long, 135 feet wide and 50 feet in height.

It had six double gates to get in and behind the terrace was a steep grass mount with 12-feet-wide stairs leading to the ground. The first game played in front of the famous terrace was a league opener against Stoke City.

Joe Hewitt scored the first winning goal in front of the Kop as fans roared their team on in tropical heat with no shelter. The mighty terrace was later changed in 1994.

It became an all-seater stand following the recommendations of the Taylor Report, with the last game in front of the old standing Kop being a 0-1 home defeat for the Reds to Norwich City on April 30, 1994. The Canaries' Jeremy Goss scored the only goal - the last before the major change.

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