Approximately 14 acres in extent of which an eight-acre area was carved out of the hillside, to create a cricket ground in what had been known as Crabble Meadows. This created an amphitheatre with a beech grove, two gate houses flanking the west road entrance and Victorian Sports Pavilion, built 1896 to 1901, of flint and brick with wooden veranda, dormers and weather vane turret. The current football pitch was dug out of the hillside above, behind and to the South of the existing Pavilion in 1930 to 1931 by Dover Corporation using Government grants to give work to the unemployed during the Depression and the first stand built in 1932. Further development followed around the football stadium and to the pitch through to the 1990's. Sports facilities, created, through substantial levelling works, as a commercial venture by local businessmen to encourage the growing popular interest in sports towards the end of the 19th century. When the commercial venture proved to be financially unsuccessful, the local authority purchased the Ground to maintain it as a public amenity in which use it remains. In the early to mid-20th century, Crabble Athletic Ground was used as one of the Kent County Cricket Grounds and was also host to several major civic celebrations."