The new Adelaide Oval has many admirers. ‘Graceful’, ‘charming’, ‘refined’, ‘modest’, ‘an exquisite jewel’ were words and a phrase used to describe the old ground. When it became evident that the old western stands were due for demolition in 2009 I took several hundred photographs (116 of which are reproduced here) to provide a record of a lost place and time.

Critics might argue that the Oval could not be left in a time-warp, that bricks and mortar don’t matter, that real history is what occurs on the ground. However spectator experience stretches further than this to social occasions on the mounds (north and south), in and behind the grandstands, as well as to the parks outside.

People are largely absent because I want the viewer to experience the ground in repose, to reflect, to feel a gentler place. Captions are few because I do not want to direct the viewer to specific objects and places but rather to create an impression of an enchanting whole. The result, I trust, is something like a poetic tribute to a grand old ground.

The book is published in two forms: as an ebook for $4.99 and as a hardback for $90.

E book from au.blurb.com/ebooks/590948

Hard copies from au.blurb.com/b/7714031