What's In A Name

[Jeff.]

Does anyone know where "White City" as a stadium name derived from. It was quite a popular name with London, Glasgow and Manchester all having White City Stadiums

[Ian]

Does anyone know where "White City" as a stadium name derived from. It was quite a popular name with London, Glasgow and Manchester all having White City Stadiums

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Sorry, I've no idea what the origin is. My mates and I used to refer to the Glasgow one as the "Quite Sh!tty Stadium" though.

[AndyM]

Don't know the derivation, but it reminds me that there's going to be a huge retail complex built on the site of London's White City in the next few years, to rival Bluewater in size so they say. Sure Oxford Street will love that.

[iris123]

Do a search.Think Norbold has answered this question before :PAlthough if i remember,not sure everyone agreed with him

[Chadster]

The London Stadium was built first in the early years of the 20th Century and the others (there was also a White City Stadium in Liverpool) would be named after it as they were opened for Dog racing which only began in this country in the 1920's.

The London Stadium was built as part of a huge Anglo-French Exhibition site. The entrance to this stood until recently next to Shepherds Bush station. This led into a series of Exhibition Halls which streched North and West up to Wood Lane. They were all painted white, hence, I suppose, the name. Most of these buildings sttod until recently but have been demolished to make way for the shopping development. The site is massive; there would have plenty of room for a track there!

 

 

Do a search.Think Norbold has answered this question before :PAlthough if i remember,not sure everyone agreed with him

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[TwoMinuteWarning]

Apart from London, Manchester, and Glasgow, speedway was also raced at White City Cardiff, AND White City Hull (1930)!

[miro]

We've had this before I think.

 

There were several case in the early 20th century of places of sport or amusement parks in the US as well as the UK being named 'White City', I daresay it was a generic name that had some currency at the time.

 

It could be that White City in the context of an exhibition site or outdoor venue could come from Chicago in 1893, I found this:

 

"The White City was the popular nickname for the section of Chicago near the lake which was built for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It was, perhaps, the most popular and successful world’s fair in history, and some of the buildings created for "The White City" survive. An example is the building that now houses the Field Museum in Chicago. The reason for the nickname is that the fair was completely lighted by electricity, and all of the buildings were brightly illuminated at night with flood lights".

 

Like Chadster says, the covered walkways to the London site were still in place a couple of years ago.

Edited September 23, 2006 by miro

[Sotonian]

Apart from London, Manchester, and Glasgow, speedway was also raced at White City Cardiff, AND White City Hull (1930)!

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Also White City Nottingham in the 1930's.

[Graham]

They were all painted white, hence, I suppose, the name

The Blue Peter book from 1985 has an article on the demolition of the London one, and it also mentions the plethora of white-painted buildings in the area at the time. Hence the name.

 

I've always been slightly curious as to why the name was copied at other stadiums around the country in the first half of the 20th century.

 

Graham.

[Tigerblade]

Don't know the derivation, but it reminds me that there's going to be a huge retail complex built on the site of London's White City in the next few years, to rival Bluewater in size so they say.  Sure Oxford Street will love that.   

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They're building it now, it's supposed to be due for completion in 2008, but bearing in mind Multiplex are doing it (the ones who have been doing Wembley), they might just get it done before the 2012 Olympics eh?

[lazyrider]

white wash may be all same owners at one time

[Gresham]

We've had this before I think.

 

There were several case in the early 20th century of places of sport or amusement parks in the US as well as the UK being named 'White City', I daresay it was a generic name that had some currency at the time.

 

It could be that White City in the context of an exhibition site or outdoor venue could come from Chicago in 1893, I found this:

 

"The White City was the popular nickname for the section of Chicago near the lake which was built for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It was, perhaps, the most popular and successful world’s fair in history, and some of the buildings created for "The White City" survive. An example is the building that now houses the Field Museum in Chicago. The reason for the nickname is that the fair was completely lighted by electricity, and all of the buildings were brightly illuminated at night with flood lights".

 

Like Chadster says, the covered walkways to the London site were still in place a couple of years ago.

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Got to laugh,read that as Columbian Explosion at first.Now that really would lead to a White City,if you get my drift,sniff,sniff...