First came the land. Then the name. Then the buildings. Then 130-plus years of memories.
Carisbrook's days are numbered but the old ground, and the special moments that occurred there, will never be forgotten.
It had its beginnings as a block of swampy land owned by the Presbyterian Church Board and claimed as a home ground by the Carisbrook Cricket Club in 1874.
In 1881, the Carisbrook Ground Company was formed and set about fencing and draining the ground, and building a small pavilion and grandstand.
The first major sporting event held at the ground was a cricket match between Otago and Tasmania in 1884 - Otago won by eight wickets.
Rugby made its first appearance in 1886, when Otago played New South Wales.
The Otago Rugby Football Union purchased the Carisbrook lease in 1907 and bought the freehold from the church in 1969.
It retained ownership until selling to the Dunedin City Council in 2009.
Over its life, Carisbrook has hosted many sports and cultural events besides rugby and cricket, its bread and butter: football, athletics, tennis, hockey, marching and baseball; royal visits, opera and band recitals.
The ground has been transformed over the years by new facilities, with a new main stand (1992), corporate complex (1994) and lights (1998) making it, for a brief period, the premier stadium in the country.
But age has wearied the 'Brook, and it effectively received a death sentence when the decision was made to build a covered stadium at Logan Park.
