The Herne Hill Velodrome is a velodrome or track cycling venue in south London. A velodrome is an arena for Track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights Track cycling is a Bicycle racing Sport usually held on specially-built banked tracks or Velodromes (but many events are held at older velodromes where the London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Built in 1891 (making it one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world), it hosted the track cycle racing events in the 1948 Summer Olympics. Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in London Since the demolition of the track at Paddington Recreation Ground in 1987 and pending the construction of a new velodrome in Stratford for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Herne Hill is the only track in London. Paddington is an area of the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Stratford, historically Stratford Langthorne, is a place in the London Borough of Newham in East London.
Originally named the London County Grounds,[1] it takes its modern name from the locality, being situated in a park off Burbage Road, in Herne Hill, part of the London Borough of Southwark. Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. The London Borough of Southwark ( is a London borough in south east London, England.
Unlike a modern Olympic velodrome (which will have an inner circumference of 250m, and banking of about 45°), Herne Hill is a shallow concrete bowl measuring approximately 450m with the steepest banking 30°.
The grandstand which still stands on the site (albeit now boarded up) is the original one dating from 1891. In the 1890's there was a cinder athletics track inside the cycle track, and tennis courts within that. The tennis courts later became the site of the current football/rugby pitch.
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Modern use
A campaign was fought to retain it during the early 2000s following a dispute between the landlord, Dulwich Estate, and the leaseholder, Southwark Council. A supporter of the campaign was Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins, who started racing at Herne Hill when he was 12. Bradley Wiggins, OBE (born 28 April 1980 is a Belgian-born British professional track and Road bicycle racer currently riding for Team [2]
Supporters see the velodrome playing a role in supporting track cyclists from the London area in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.
Herne Hill hosts regular training for local riders, and from 1903 was venue for the Good Friday meeting organised by the Southern Counties Cycle Union. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" World champions have performed at Good Friday meetings, which during the 1920s and 1930s attracted attendances of 10,000. [3] National and world records have been established there - Norwood Paragon's Frank Southall was a notable record-breaker in the late 1920s and early 1930s. William Frank Southall (2 July 1904&ndash1 March 1964 was an English Racing cyclist who won silver medals for Great Britain in the individual
Football connections
In the centre of the track is a football pitch. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Velodrome was home of Crystal Palace F.C. from 1914 until 1918, when the club then moved to The Nest opposite Selhurst Station. Crystal Palace FC is an English football club based in South Norwood, London. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common This page is on the former stadium of Croydon Common FC and Crystal Palace F Crystal Palace were forced by the Admiralty to leave Crystal Palace Football Stadium and move to the Velodrome due to the Crystal Palace being commandeered for WW1 training purposes. The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large Sports centre and athletics track Typically Crystal Palace FC drew crowds of 3,000 - 4,000.
The amateur Football Cup final in 1911, between Bromley and Bishop Auckland, was also at Herne Hill. Bromley Football Club are an English association football club based in the London Borough of Bromley, London, England. Bishop Auckland Football Club are an English football team based in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. [1]
References
- ^ a b http://www.urban75.org/london/velodrome1.html The Herne Hill Velodrome - fighting for survival.
- ^ Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: Looking down from Herne Hill, I can see the future is bright
- ^ http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/features/2003/april-may-june/06_hernehill_p2.shtml British Cycling website feature on Herne Hill
External links
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