Unique piece of Burnley Football Club history fetches £1,300 at Essex auction

A unique piece of Clarets memorabilia that also gives a wonderful insight into life in Burnley in the 1920s has sold for £1,300 in an Essex football memorabilia auction.
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The programme from Burnley’s February 1926 home game against Manchester United provides a unique glimpse into Burnley town life and includes advertisements from The Bull Hotel, Ales from Grimshaw’s Keirby Brewery and Electrical Contractor C.K. Hanbury, Padiham Road.

The Division One Game at Turf Moor saw Manchester United emerge as eventual 1-0 winners. A lively crowd of 17,141 cheered on the Clarets who despite losing went on to finish above United and fifth in the First Division.

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The Clarets team that day included Dawson in goal, McCluggage and Waterfield full backs, Steel, Hill and Hughes playing as half backs and Bruton, Cross, Roberts, Beel and Page played as forwards.

The programme from Burnley’s February 1926 home game against Manchester UnitedThe programme from Burnley’s February 1926 home game against Manchester United
The programme from Burnley’s February 1926 home game against Manchester United
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The 200-year history of the Bull Hotel site

Stacey’s Auctioneers’ football expert, Dave Alexander, said: “I am not surprised the Burnley programme achieved the price it did, not only is it a wonderful artefact that shows life in the town in the 1920’s but with Burnley leading the Championship and looking set for a return to the Premier League, there is a real buzz around Clarets memorabilia at the moment. Collectors and fans are happy to pay higher prices to get hold of anything Burnley related.”

The Bull Hotel, originally a farm, stood at the junction of what is now Manchester Road and St James’s Street before the hotel was demolished soon after 1930. The Burnley Express later occupied the site.

However, the hotel was famous for staging a meeting in May, 1882, that sowed the seeds of what was to become Burnley Football Club.

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