Walthamstow

[Squirelnutkins]

A Friend of my Fiancee's reckons he used to go to a track at Walthamstow Stadium years ago... Can anyone confirm that there was a track their? Is there any pictures? When did ut shut down?

[iris123]

Last meeting was in 1951.Just how old is your fiancee?Not as old as his friend i guess

[norbold]

Walthamstow operated in 1934 and then from 1949 - 1951. The stadium is still open for greyhound racing.

 

P.S. The best I can do for a photo is the modern one on this page: Here

 

P.P.S. I have a number of photographs of the riders who rode for Walthamstow 1949-51 or you could look at a good book called Speedway in London, which contains a brief history of the track.

Edited January 24, 2006 by norbold

[Guest speedyguy]

Walthamstow operated in 1934 and then from 1949 - 1951. The stadium is still open for greyhound racing.

 

P.S. The best I can do for a photo is the modern one on this page: Here

 

P.P.S. I have a number of photographs of the riders who rode for Walthamstow 1949-51 or you could look at a good book called Speedway in London, which contains a brief history of the track. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes it later became a stock car track - the outline of it can still be seen. Presumably this is the tarred over speedway track. I rembember going to Walthamstow to see Southampton race there - I wanted to see Phil Bishop and Steve Langton race.

One of the post-war Walthamstow riders was Allen Briggs, who was later the top stock car driver there. He owns/owned a car dealership in the area. Quite a character. I met him at Arena Essex a few years ago and he told me how he used to ride in post-war novice meetings at High beech - around 1949. Probably the last time the bikes raced there.

[AndyM]

Not surprised they didn't keep it going in the days when there were a lot of tracks in North London, but it would make a great venue now - though I don't suppose Ronnie Russell would be too thrilled about it! Trouble is, like many venues it's bang in the middle of housing, so speedway's not likely to return to Walthamstow, sad to say.

[KevH]

Trouble is, like many venues it's bang in the middle of housing, so speedway's not likely to return to Walthamstow, sad to say.

 

Unfortunately, you're probably right, although the irony is the stadium is situated within a stone's throw of the North Circular Road, which I'm sure generates more noise than speedway would.

[Guest speedyguy]

Not surprised they didn't keep it going in the days when there were a lot of tracks in North London, but it would make a great venue now - though I don't suppose Ronnie Russell would be too thrilled about it!  Trouble is, like many venues it's bang in the middle of housing, so speedway's not likely to return to Walthamstow, sad to say.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Walthamstow were in the old National League Division Two. They dropped out of speedway when their bid to be promoted to Division One was opposed by West Ham and Harringay as being too near them. The Walthamstow attendances were good at the time they quit.

[AndyM]

My point entirely - too many clubs around them. Apart from Arena and Rye House, there's no-one in the vicinity, and a substantial portion of London as a potential market. It's a major shame that London proper can't support a speedway team.

[Squirelnutkins]

Just how old is your fiancee?Not as old as his friend i guess  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, my Fiancee is not as old as his friend!

[Guest cheetahhawk]

Unfortunately, you're probably right, although the irony is the stadium is situated within a stone's throw of the North Circular Road, which I'm sure generates more noise than speedway would.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Another thing Kev is that Walthamstow stadium is near to the area of the Victoria line(LU) and I think I remember reading somewhere,a long time back that the people who lived in that area at one stage were complaining that they were getting disturbed by the noise and rumbling from the Victoria line.

Why don't I feel any sympathy for them ?

[25yearfan]

All the talk over the last year or so is of the grand old stadiumn being sold of to developers by the family that owns it.

 

The old speedway track though tarmaced over with a big podium like brick structure built on it on the home straight still reains to this day nearly 55 years since speedway was last staged there. - I'd imagine it wouldn't be a massive job to reinstate a speedway circuit.

 

I think it would be a good speedway venue (Terry Russell EL exercise though I'm sure he must of lookd at it) but it would be a big gamble for a wealthy person to 'bite the bullet'.

 

And of course how long is it actually going to remain as a stadium?

[Guest speedyguy]

Another thing Kev is that Walthamstow stadium is near to the area of  the Victoria line(LU) and I think I remember reading somewhere,a long time back that the people who lived in that area at one stage were complaining that they were getting disturbed by the noise and rumbling from the Victoria line.

Why don't I feel any sympathy for them ? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Why? Don't you think people deserve peace and quiet? Have you ever lived near a rail line where trains pass from around 5.30am to one a.m next day about every 10 minutes.

[Deano]

Then ya don't buy a house next to a railway line...... It seems quite ironic too we have houses by Birmingham Airport, the airport has been there for many, many, many years. But the people move into the area (because it's cheap) and complain about the noise. Doh!

[Ron Butler]

Another thing Kev is that Walthamstow stadium is near to the area of  the Victoria line(LU) and I think I remember reading somewhere,a long time back that the people who lived in that area at one stage were complaining that they were getting disturbed by the noise and rumbling from the Victoria line.

Why don't I feel any sympathy for them ? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

'rumbling from the Victoria Line' Linda! As a young soldier in 1952 I was posted to Egypt. The journey started from Chester and then via Crookham [Hants] to London and, the next day, to Blackbushe Airport for a latterday flight unto Egypt aboard an old Avro York aircraft with wooden seats.

 

Our overnight stay in the capital was in a former air-raid shelter below Goodge Street tube station. Late into the night we could hear the trains rumbling into and out of the station. It seemed to us young lads that we had plumbed the very depths of hell, but next day we soared up into the heights of the heavens.

 

An adventure for a lad if eighteen but not one that a man of seventy-three would like to repeat!

[Guest cheetahhawk]

Why? Don't you think people deserve peace and quiet? Have you ever lived near a rail line where trains pass from around 5.30am to one a.m next day about every 10 minutes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes,as a matter of fact I live near to a railway line right now and I don't complain about the noise as the railway was there before I moved there.

I also used to live in North London right near to Turnpike Lane tube station and sometimes we could hear the noise and rumbling from the trains so I do know what it is like.My hubby used to live in Leyton right near to the railway line that used to go down to Southend and that was in the days of steam trains so we do know what railway noise is like. Also when both me and hubby were at school way back in the 60's our schools backed onto railway lines,never bothered us then.

What I was saying was referring to people who complained about speedway noise who then went onto complain about railway noise.

My Aunt and Uncle now live on the Old Kent Road and let me assure you there is more noise along that road 24/7,365 days than you would ever get from any speedway track.

[25yearfan]

Yeah all these noise issues about speedway really winds me up!

 

Can't see where one 2 hour speedway meeting a week 25 times a year during March to October is really a problem for anyone.

 

I live near a reasonably well attended football club. Yes in my garden I can hear the crowd, PA and see the floodlights, but it isn't a problem. Inside my house I can't hear anything!

Now I'm sure my nearest football club stages more football events than any speedwaay track would in a year. What with first team, reserve team, youth team, County cup finals, county games etc!

 

I think that Walthamstow could still be made into a good EL venue.

 

Walthamstow Hawks would be a good name what with the link with the nearby old Hackney outfit.

 

Does anyone know about the rumours about Walthamstow stadium being sold of for redevelopment!

[Tom Thumb]

Does anyone know about the rumours about Walthamstow stadium being sold of for redevelopment!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Towards end of last year I heard rumours that the Stadium had been sold for housing but in local paper several weeks back Mr Chandler (think that what his name was) one of the directors of the stadium, said he had heard the rumours and if they were true it had been sold without any of the directors knowing!

 

So probably being sold next week!!

[Richspeedway]

My point entirely - too many clubs around them.  Apart from Arena and Rye House, there's no-one in the vicinity, and a substantial portion of London as a potential market.  It's a major shame that London proper can't support a speedway team.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Yeah Andy it would be great to see a couple of london teams back (nothing against Arena and Rye House) but Wimbledon might be back but another couple would be great. Seems strange when I get the history magazines and London had so many in the 40's-50's compared to now.