These foolish things?
- Barrow 125
- Jan 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 15
Barrow, 1994. Names have been changed to protect the guerilla historians.
‘Paul stared in horror as the last contents were flung unceremoniously into the skips. Aging scarves, displays, displayed shirts, match programmes and pictures mingled with the glint of the old silver of trophies and medals from long ago.
The phone call had warned him what to expect. ‘They are chucking out everything under the old Main Stand!’ had brought him down, with other Barrow Soccer diehards, to see where our history was being dumped by Stephen Vaughan’s builders.
‘There’s about five skips already gone,’ said a passing builder unhelpfully, looking on disapprovingly as Paul and friends climbed into the skip for the last time. What had been saved? What could still be carried away to safety?
Of all the priceless objects left behind, this is what we rescue. These artefacts. Memory cues. Useless souvenirs. Nothing you could auction. The scars left from happiness.
Chuck Palanuik (Author- Fight Club)
Historians have always known this- argued for it and fought over it. ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’ is a famous BBC Radio 4 series and accompanying book, using 100 artefacts from the museum's collection to narrate human history from two million years ago to the present, exploring culture, technology, and global connections through items like a stone axe, mummy coffin, and credit card, available as podcasts and in print. Though certainly not without criticism, with artefacts it vividly paints what makes us, us.
Football is redolent with this. None more so, than in Gavin Mortimer’s great book in 2010, called ‘A History of Football in 100 Objects’ which charts the beautiful game with everything from a turnip to a draper’s letter. The first red card and a Buddhist shrine. An old sock and a pair of sunglasses.
These foolish things? The National Football Museum didn’t think so. It’s 2025 exhibition blurb said ‘Our Football Heritage Collection is the largest of its type in the world with over 40,000 objects. We can’t wait to share our favourite 100 objects and their unique stories with a wider audience and celebrate why football matters.’
Cars, carts and shopping trollies had appeared as Darren shared the news. Some to save, others looking for a bargain. Programmes were reverently slipped into bags. Kits and cups were placed carefully in boots. A boardroom’s table was carried off, up past the Tally Ho to the next estate.
That old Main Stand had seen Bryan Arrowsmith lead the team out to do FA Cup battle with giants of the sixties like Leicester and Southampton in front of 16000. It had exulted in promotion with Tony Field’s goal to the old Third Division. It had echoed forlornly to the faithful few voices as we struggled to crowds in the low hundreds against the likes of South Liverpool and erupted in joy to the iconic revival under Ray Wilkie and his mix of North East and local talent spearheaded by the class of Skivington and Lowe, the heart of Gordon and Proctor and the goals of Colin Cowperthwaite.
It was 1994. Only a few years later, Stephen Vaughan’s regime would of course prove the falsest of false dawns- leaving the club steeped in criminality and administration until saved by determined local people banding together at The Forum under the leadership of Brian Keen. Many of whom scrabbled in those skips to recover the heritage.
Near thirty years later, for Barrow’s 125th anniversary, we think it’s time to reclaim and celebrate our own artefacts and through them, the last 125 years since Barrow AFC were formed. They tell the story of who we are and help us think about what we want to be.
What would your personal, favourite artefact be? What are your ‘foolish things’ that remind you of your love affair with the club? How does it show your connection with what Arrigo Sacchi called "the most important of the least important things in life,"
On Saturday January 24th, in the Cross Bar from 10am to the 3pm, we want you to come and see some of these artefacts that make up the history of Barrow AFC. Our own personal ‘Antiques Roadshow’ style event with our Barrow Soccer experts, who are also lucky enough to be sharing artefacts chosen by the likes of our greatest ever Barrovian captain Bryan Arrowsmith from the 1960s, plus some of their own incredible collections, with objects going back as far as the 1930s!
We want you to come and share your own- stories, pictures-objects- memories. There will also be lots of opportunities to input into what you want to see us focus on, where you want a heritage trail to go- and which histories you’d like to share. And the young lad or lass whose scarf was bought for Chelsea away last season is as important as anyone’s too.
So, whether it’s your ‘Barracelona’ T-Shirt, 1960’s scrapbook, Jonah’s socks or a post war scarf, knitted by your Mum, please bring it on Saturday or just come and have a look…celebrate these foolish things together for the 125 and our own, personal Barrow AFC ‘Antiques Roadshow’ on January 24th.
Our story. Our history. Our opportunity.
See you in the Cross Bar!
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