Bees United launched the first heritage shirt,with the retail team.
This was the first playing kit worn by our then young club after formation in 1889 with the first club crest reflecting the rowing club history
This was to become a successful and winning decade for the Bees
In time for the 1893/94 season the club crest had changed and the identity of the new club was becoming stronger and it started to assert its new identity in a small town which was beginning to enjoy a different type of sporting success.
This medal (part of the BU Archive) was awarded to Arthur Charlton in 1894 and that is one big thick red stripe already forming part of the Bees code.
It must have been keen to show independence from the Brentford Rowing Club background and grew in confidence from the results the team were gathering including, winning the West London Alliance in 1892/3 and then the Middlesex Junior Cup in the 1893/4 season.
New crest – New kit!
Billy Smith – colorisation Brendan Nevin
What an amazing decade for the new Brentford Football Club!
1894/5 – Winners West Middlesex Cup
1897/8 – Winners: Middlesex Senior & London Senior Cups
1898/99 Promotion to the Southern Lge1900/01 winners Southern Lge Div 2
1902/3 winners London League 2nd Div
The second Bees United heritage shirt
The reason for a change from a solid claret to stripes, which have featured regularly over the years, is not known.
What we can say is, that at the time, whilst hoops were commonplace, stripes were a brand new innovation.
In the late 1880’s new textile capability came into production.
The Rothwell Hosiery Co. from Bolton designed a loom that could produce vertical striped shirts which caught on with the newly formed football clubs.
Brentford FC took advantage of this new technology.
Claret and blue stripes lasted us through the move to Griffin Park in 1904. This was a splendid new ground with a 20,000 capacity in mind, and a provision for an increase to 30,000–40,000. Striped shirts designs were worn by the Bees up till the first world war although claret and blue gave way to blue and yellow in the 1903/04 season.
Watch this space for a yellow and blue heritage shirt but in the meantime our second heritage shirt will be available in the Bees Superstore and online, next week on the 2nd May!
Modelled in claret and blue by Jonathan Burchill
With thanks to
Paul Briers Brendan Nevin Jonathan Burchill Mark Chapman