For some they are a second home and others they hold an almost utopian quality as a destination of pilgrimage to watch a beloved team or sport.

Sports grounds have long been at the centre of community and social life in Kent as much as they are in any part of the country.

As with anything, times change and so do the grounds - many of the venues featured here no longer exist or have undergone so much transformation they are barely recognisable from their original forms.

But some stadia have stood the test of time and look barely any different.

Using photos in the KentOnline and the KM Media Group's newspaper archives, we look back at the grounds we know and love through the ages.

From the Priestfield, home to Gillingham FC, to St Lawrence in Canterbury, home to Kent County Cricket Club, and Central Park in Sittingbourne to some possibly forgotten, non-existant and rickety old places in need of some much love and attention.

St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury – Kent County Cricket Club

The ground at the southeastern edge of Canterbury has been home to Kent County Cricket Club for almost 175 years.

First-class cricket has been played there since 1847 and the annual Canterbury Cricket Week is the oldest cricket festival of its kind in the world.

Formerly farmland and on the site of the St Lawrence leper hospital dating back to the 12th century, cricket has been played on the hallowed turf there ever since.

It is arguably one of the most enjoyable places to watch cricket in the country as it remains open and largely undeveloped and features grass banking and small seated sections and stands.

Only in more recent decades has the ground started seeing modern development required to bring facilities up to speed for a professional 21st century sports organisation.

The most famous feature of all is the lime tree located in one corner of the ground which had been planted about 40 years before cricket was played at the ground in 1847.

The tree sat inside the boundary of the playing area with ground rules in place that it would be four runs should the ball touch any part of the tree at any time whether it cleared the ropes or not.

Fungal rot was diagnosed in the 200-year-old tree in the late 1990s and a replacement tree planted in 2004, which is now located outside the playing area.

A cafe opened at the ground in the late 2000s is named the Lime Tree Cafe.

Today it has a capacity of 7,000 but in the past thousands more will have packed into the ground especially for the popular cricket week.

It has hosted several other events other than cricket over the years and been visited by royalty including the Duke and Duchess of Kent, who presided over a parade of the Kent Land Girls and Women's Land Army in July 1945 as a celebration of winning the Second World War.

The East Kent Battalion has been presented with new colours in ceremonies held on the outfield.

Cricket was originally only played at St Lawrence once a year - during the annual Canterbury Cricket Week.

But as the game developed and public recreation grew during the Victorian era with more clubs forming, the St Lawrence Cricket Club formed in 1864 and used the ground more regularly for cricket.

Improvements were made during the 1870s after Kent County Cricket Club officially formed after the East and West Kent Cricket Clubs - Beverley Cricket Club in Canterbury and Maidstone Cricket Club - joined together.

St Lawrence was bought by the new Kent club for £4,500 from the 2nd Earl Sondes, who owned the ground, in 1896.

The painting featured in this article by Albert Chevallier Tayler was commissioned to honour Kent's first County Championship title in 1906 and shows the stands in place with the Cathedral in the background - a view which has changed surprisingly little in the 114 years since.

The Frank Woolley Stand was built next to the pavilion in the 1920s with the Colin Cowdrey Stand - home to the club shop and corporate facilities - added in the 1980s.

Further development has taken place since 2000 with new corporate boxes and public bar added in the Les Ames Stand under the old fashioned scoreboard in one corner.

Next to the new cafe on the other side of the pavilion, flats were built in the mid 2010s on land on the eastern side of the ground to help Kent raise cash.

WG Grace scored the first ever first-class triple century at Canterbury in 1876 for the MCC against Kent.

Canterbury has hosted four men's one-day international matches there but never a Test match.

The first was England v Kenya in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, which England won by nine wickets after bowling Kenya out for 204 - Darren Gough taking 4-34.

England eased to victory with Nasser Hussain top scoring with 88 not out and Graeme Hick 61 not out.

International women's cricket has also been held at St Lawrence with one-day and England Test matches played.

Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham - Gillingham FC

Football stadiums are probably the grounds which change most over time.

The Priestfield Stadium - home to Gillingham FC since the club formed in 1893 - has certainly seen some pretty big developments since it opened.

The Gills - originally named New Brompton FC until being renamed as Gillingham FC in 1913 - have always played at the Priestfield in the club's 127-year history.

As with many football grounds, it started in humble backgrounds with banking and terracing and couple of small covered stands on either side.

A picture from 1908 from the Rainham End shows this quite clearly.

As the club grew, more seating and standing areas were developed. The record attendance for the ground is 23,002 in an FA Cup game with QPR in 1948.

Today, the capacity has dropped significantly to 11,582 with redevelopment and all-seating dropping from almost 20,000 in the late 1990s.

An extensive period of reconstruction took place from 1997 with a new Gordon Road stand built first and the main Medway Stand and new Rainham Ends being built shortly after.

Corporate facilities and a banqueting suite were also added in the early 2000s.

The final stand - the Brian Moore End - was pulled down in 2003/04 with hopes to have a new stand built the following year.

However, the project suffered many setbacks as the club grappled with financial uncertainty and talks of relocating never materialising.

Instead a temporary uncovered stand was erected – it still remains in place today and houses away fans.

Brighton and Hove Albion played at the Priestfield between 1997 and 1999.

Mote Park, Maidstone - The Mote Cricket Club and Kent County Cricket Club

Once the second home to Kent County Cricket Club, Mote Park in Maidstone has not hosted the county for more than 15 years.

The last Kent game was played between Gloucestershire and Kent in June 2005.

The Mote hasn't been used since then after the ECB penalised Kent eight points for a poor pitch after beating Gloucestershire by seven wickets with a day to spare.

But the ground boasts a world-record with Australia international Andrew Symonds blasting a 34-ball century in a T20 match in Maidstone for Middlesex against Kent in 2004.

At the time it was the fastest T20 hundred in the world.

Cricket has been played at The Mote since 1854 with its debut first-class game held in 1859 between Kent and the MCC.

More than 200 first-class games have been held at The Mote with limited overs games hosted between 1969 and 2005.

Like St Lawrence, it has never hosted a Test match but international sides have played there including Australia in 1890, South Africa in 1912 and 1951, Canada in 1954 and New Zealand in 1965 and 1969.

Kent has often expressed wishes to return to Maidstone but the condition of the pavilion and wicket has been deemed unsuitable for professional cricket to be played there again.

The Mote Cricket Club still plays there in the Kent Cricket League.

The Crabble, Dover - Dover Athletic FC

Known officially as the Crabble Athletic Ground, the venue in Dover is now home to Dover Athletic Football Club.

But it wasn't always the case.

More than 100 first-class cricket matches were played there by Kent after the sports ground was established in the late 1800s.

Kent last played there in 1976 after 69 years of playing in Dover.

The ground, located in the north of the town, has been home to Dover's football side since 1931.

But Dover FC folded in 1983 with phoenix club Dover Athletic forming in its place.

The ground is capable of holding 5,745 fans in two seated stands and two covered terraces.

The biggest attendance the ground has ever seen was recorded in October 1951 between Dover and Folkestone.

Official figures are not available but it was reported that just under 7,000 fans packed into the ground.

The official record attendance was the FA Cup third round match against Crystal Palace on January 4, 2015 when 5,645 people squeezed into the stadium, to see the Whites lose 4-0.

A redeveloped clubhouse in 2008 saw facilities upgraded.

The ground was established in 1896 when a syndicate of local businessmen joined to build a sports complex - it was completed a year later.

They chose a site known locally as Crabble Meadows in what is now in the village of River on the outskirts of Dover.

Crabble is believed to have taken the name from the old English word crabba hol meaning a hole where crabs were found.

As well as hosting football and cricket, an athletics and cycling track was built.

The Athletic Ground and Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone - Maidstone United FC

Now a relic of the past, Maidstone United FC's first ground in London Road was the Athletic Ground.

Since it was sold in 1988, the club moved to the modern Gallagher Stadium across the River Medway and the site was redeveloped.

It is now the London Road Retail Park with Dunelm and Argos are located.

Another multi-sport venue, the Athletic Ground was home to football for nearly 90 years and greyhound racing for just over a decade.

The first race meeting was held in 1976 but closed in April 1988 before its reputation could really take off as the football club had agreed to sell up and move across town.

The modern Gallagher Stadium is a 4,200 capacity ground which opened in July 2012.

Between 1988 and 1992, Maidstone had played at Dartford's Watling Street stadium after selling the Athletic Ground.

The club reformed in 1992 after going bust and moved back to Maidstone, playing at the old training ground in London Road.

Nomads for years, Maidstone shared with Sittingbourne and Ashford, as they moved up through the leagues.

The club returned to the town and the Gallagher Stadium after years of delays getting it ready and built.

Agreements were in place in 2004, but United still needed to sign a deal with the Ministry of Defence which did not happen until 2006.

Finally, in September 2011, work started on the new stadium and the club's first game was a friendly against Brighton the following July.

Cheriton Road, Folkestone - Folkestone Cricket Club and Folkestone Invicta FC

Despite hosting more than 100 first-class cricket matches, relatively few pictures show cricket at Cheriton Road.

The ground - now known as the Three Hills Sports Park - is still home to Folkestone Cricket Club.

But the old brick pavilion is long gone, having been replaced in 2013 by the multi-million pound structure opposite.

Cheriton Road is also home to Folkestone Invicta FC, with stands backing onto the cricket ground, and Folkestone Optimists Hockey Club.

Kent spinner James Tredwell, who played for Folkestone, and Ashes winning wicket keeper Geraint Jones were pictured outside the old pavilion as it hosted its final game in 2013.

The Angel Ground, Tonbridge - Tonbridge Angels FC

Another ground-that-is-no-more, the Angel Ground in Tonbridge is now the site of a huge Sainsbury's and shopping complex.

Up until 1980, the ground located in the heart of the town would have been the destination for hundreds of spectators.

But the Vale Road venue was knocked down when the council wanted to develop the shopping centre.

Despite a High Court fight, the battle was lost and the Angels were offered a new ground, Longmead Stadium on the northern side of town.

Like many other grounds, The Angel was home to Kent cricket.

It was badly damaged in the Second World War as it was used by the army to park vehicles and store ammunition.

Kingsmead Stadium, Canterbury - Canterbury City FC and Canterbury Crusaders speedway

Opened in 1958, the stadium next to the River Stour was home to Canterbury City FC and the Canterbury Crusaders speedway team.

With views overlooking the Cathedral it was once a major destination for fans across the city.

The ground was accessed from Kingsmead Road and started hosting speedway matches 10 years after Canterbury's first football game in 1958.

In 1977, the stadium owners faced a legal battle with residents about noise complaints.

The Crusaders folded in October 1987 when the city council refused to renew the lease on the ground for racing.

Greyhound racing also started earlier that year but proved difficult to get going due to problems with the track bedding in.

It had kennel capacity for 82 greyhounds and facilities included three bars, a refreshment room and a 150-seat restaurant.

Racing stopped in 1995 and the stadium was demolished after it closed in 1999. It is now a housing estate.

Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown and Lydden Hill, near Dover - motor racing

Previously home to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch is one of the country's most popular circuits with drivers.

It is as popular today as ever and hosts a range of prestigious racing events in the calendar.

Although F1 has not been hosted since 1986 - when Nigel Mansell wowed crowds to take the chequered flag - stars have appeared at the track on regular occasions.

Testing has taken place at the track by teams since and the Brabham Straight and Paddock Hill Bend are some of the most iconic views in world motorsport.

Mansell returned to the scene of his famous 1986 victory in 1994 with the Williams team as he prepared for his F1 comeback season.

Lydden Hill meanwhile - often known as Kent's second circuit - is a hugely popular venue and hosts World Rally Cross races.

It came to life in 1955 when Bill Chesson from Sittingbourne bought the land and opened a grass track and stock car racing circuit.

Among the future stars to have competed at Lydden include Barry Sheene, Carl Fogarty, James Hunt and Damon Hill.

BBC's Top Gear trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond also filmed at the track in 2015.

Folkestone Racecourse - horse racing

Now a shell of its former glory, Folkestone Racecourse was the premier horse racing venue in Kent.

It hosted dozens of meets every year and the jump course was popular with fans in Kent and riders alike.

The small track couldn't keep pace with its larger competitors elsewhere in the South East and fell into disrepair with racing ending in 2012.

Since then, the track has lain derelict and crumbling.

It is now at the heart of plans by Folkestone and Hythe District Council to develop a 12,000-home garden town called Otterpool Park.

Rochester Stadium - greyhound racing

The former greyhound circuit was built near to Rochester Airport off City Way.

The track opened on June 1, 1936 and was the 55th to gain a licence that year.

It had two grandstands, a stand at the first bend and snack bar on the fourth bend and a tote indicator between the third and fourth.

Although a relatively small track, business peaked in 1946 when turnover hit £1.2m.

The stadium closed in 1979 to much surprise and was sold off to developers.

It is now a housing estate called Cloisterham Park, which is off City Way in Rochester and backs onto the Warren Wood Estate.

Central Park, Sittingbourne - Sittingbourne FC, speedway and greyhound racing

Sittingbourne FC relocated to Central Park in 1990 after developers offered £4.2m for their Bull Ground home in the town centre.

The club invested the sale in the venue and built a ground with a 2,000-seat stand, hospitality boxes, restaurant and bars.

In 1993, after promotions from the Kent League, a record 5,951 packed in to watch a friendly with Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite the multi-million windfall from the sale of the Bull Ground - which is now a Sainsbury's supermarket - the club had overspent by another £1 million.

It plunged the club into financial crisis and was forced to sell the stadium with the local council taking charge and leasing back to the football club.

But the club then could not afford rent and started playing on the training pitch next door before moving to Woodstock Park in 2012.

Kent Kings Speedway still host matches at the track and it remains the county's largest greyhound stadium.

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