Walthamstow Stadium

[Sean 3]

On Thursday, 3/4/03, i had the unlucky choice of visiting a stadium that only hosts that dreaded Sport that causes so many problems to our wonderful speedway. i had to go and watch Dogs running after a piece of rag that is supposed to look like a rabbit (sorry rabbit, no offence).

 

Now to say it was probably the most boring night of my life, there was no atmosphere, and i was on work duties! but i did get a look , for the first time, at the inside of a once, but now forgotton, speedway stadium that launched the team into Hackney back in the mid thirties.

 

a look through Norbolds wonderful "Speedway in London" book tells me that The Wolves run in the National League in 1934, just eight meetings, and then re opened after the war in the National League Division 2 between 1949-51.

 

even after all this time, there is still an outline of a track, but it has very long straights, and very tight bends. there is a beautiful glass fronted stand along the home straight, with a fairly decent (in my view) resturant. a smaller stand along the back straight, with outside and inside seating, and plenty of viewing room around the bends. only one thing really stood out as a problem, trackside, the big lampstands around the outside of the speedway circuit, and inside of the dog track.

 

but alas there are far too many houses around the area to give us any chance what so ever of running there. a real shame in my eyes because it is a waste of a great stadium, in the capital, that would rival Wimbledon with its facilities, and i am sure, NO actually absolutley postive, it would be full to the brim with speedway starved fans from inner North and inner East London. but as i have always said...never say never! Wimbledon is surrounded by housing,although no where near as close to the track as at Walthamstow, and they were told that it would never happen again back in 1993, but what happened???

 

a beautiful Stadium, without speedway, what a waste.

 

i'm sure that someone on our Forum (Norbold??) will enlighten us more on this great place.

[Tom Thumb 81]

It is indeed a wonderful stadium, for years I used to look out of my bedroom window and see the illuminated front of the stadium and wondered why nobody ever used it for speedway. Stock cars/bangers used the track in the early seventies I believe (bloke I work with says he raced there.) However much it would be nice to have speedway running back there, I cant see the GRA (stadium owners?) being for the idea, but who knows has anyone asked them?

[London Witch 57]

Another project for Ribbons/Wilkinson on the cards here :?:

It would be a dream come true for me. Good stadium, great facilities, ample room for a perfect size track, not to mention only 3.6 miles from home.

[Sean 3]

Another project for Ribbons/Wilkinson on the cards here :?:

It would be a dream come true for me. Good stadium, great facilities, ample room for a perfect size track, not to mention only 3.6 miles from home.

 

i'm afraid not, well not at least for now...but certainly a listed possibilty!! but then ..how long is that list???

i could go listing sites until i'm blue in the face, and i won't ever cross any off, even if they become superstores, or industrial estates, because those places still have LARGE car parks!! and possibilties are always there, no amount of bricks and mortar and tarmac, can not be removed as easily as they are put there!

"Dream come true" would be a fitting title for any stadium within the M25 at the moment, but things change don't they...nothing is ever impossible!

 

sorry....soap box on a sunday afternoon....i hate sundays.....too close to Monday!

[npw 8]

Surprised you could see anything Sean, the amount you poured down your gullet!!!!!!!!

[Sean 3]

it was a work do! take advantage when you get it..and it ain't often with my company, so we tend to make the best of what we are offered!

[Paul 67]

Yes the "Stow" is indeed a fine stadium. When I was involved with the Hackney Speedway Supporters Club we arranged for our dinner-dance in the Goodwood Suite which is or was in the main stand. We held it on a Friday night and with the lights on in the middle of the centre green it really did look the buisness. One of our beloved promoters at the time was of course Mr Terry Russell, he also was very impressed with the surrounds. Now at the time the I think the owners where the Chandlers, who also had a chain of bookmakers.Now Terry Russell new the Chandlers-suprise suprise- and I beleive he did try to or at least look at putting a speedway team in there. If it was done with the same style as Sittingbourne then, well! I believe the stocks went because they where told to, not sure by who though.

[Tom Thumb 81]

Now at the time the I think the owners where the Chandlers, who also had a chain of bookmakers.

 

Victor Chandlers, new sponsors of the Coventry Bees?

 

I wonder if the speedway bug has caught them good and proper yet?

[Sean 3]

Now at the time the I think the owners where the Chandlers, who also had a chain of bookmakers.

 

Victor Chandlers, new sponsors of the Coventry Bees?

 

I wonder if the speedway bug has caught them good and proper yet?

 

come to think of it, yes, there was a few VC sponsors boards around....hmmmmm

 

now as i said..nothings impossible!!

 

memo to sean........go back to walthamstow and stay sober this time!

[KevH 257]

Walthamstow would indeed be a superb home for Speedway and also relatively easy (in London terms ) to get to. The problem with speedway returning there is not the nearby houses, but the GRA, or so I've been told.

 

I've heard from a learned source that there have been a few attempts to temp the GRA in allowing a shale track to be laid there, but each time they've met with the same answer - "Walthamstow is the Mecca of greyhound racing, and we (the GRA) don't want a speedway track ruining it".

 

Now surely the GRA aren't that flush with cash and any extra income would be welcome, so has anyone got any suggestions for laying a track which wouldn't detract from the "Mecca of dog racing"?

[Sean 3]

as i say above, there would be alot of work needed, not just by the speedway promotor, but by the stadium as the lamp stands that grace the inside of the dog track would need to be removed first, and re located on the outside of the dog track. then the whole track that is tarmaced needs lifting, as for a pit area, well, that would need looking into.

The greyhounds run every night of the week and attracts a lot of people, with links to two other stadiums each night, betting, plus gate income, could be a problem to equal in revenue for a speedway promotor.

 

On the plus side, it would attract a very large crowd, having so many closed tracks like Hackney, Harringey, West Ham, Romford all within easy travelling distances, a very good road network in the area, and excellent public transport links from central London and Essex,

 

and the GRA made a hell of alot of sacrifices at Wimbledon. so its not all doom and gloom, with Victor Chandler now involved in the speedway world, there is still a possibilty.

[KevH 257]

I agree with what you're saying Sean, but would just point out that they didn't exactly come in their thousands to Hackney at the last attempt :-(

[Sean 3]

See your point Kevin, maybe all those speedway fans of the east of town have upped sticks and moved to more favourable speedway areas, like so many of us have.

 

such a shame that it has come to it thou.

[KevH 257]

See your point Kevin, maybe all those speedway fans of the east of town have upped sticks and moved to more favourable speedway areas, like so many of us have.

 

such a shame that it has come to it thou.

 

Your theory could be correct Sean, or maybe they didn't know it was back - the publicity machine did leave a lot to be desired :!:

 

Is Harringay Stadium still there, or has it been bulldozed :?:

[Tom Thumb 81]

Gone, another supermarket. :-( (never made it there)