Belle Vue

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Obscure question of the year for 2010 (yes, this early in the year!!).

 

Can those of you who frequented the old Hyde Rd. track and, perhaps, the adjacent Zoological Gardens and fairground recall if, in the latter, there was ever a ride called the 'Speedway'...?

 

There's reference to it in a Smiths song... If that's any kind of adequate explanation!!

 

 

[DK Rides Again]

Obscure question of the year for 2010 (yes, this early in the year!!).

 

Can those of you who frequented the old Hyde Rd. track and, perhaps, the adjacent Zoological Gardens and fairground recall if, in the latter, there was ever a ride called the 'Speedway'...?

 

There's reference to it in a Smiths song... If that's any kind of adequate explanation!!

 

 

You must be talking about 'Rusholme Ruffians', as opposed to 'Speedway', which doesn't even have the word 'speedway' in the lyrics.

 

I think it's very likely that Hyde Road would've had a 'speedway'; it's a shortlived generic term for that type of roundabout that features fixed, sit on rides and 4 or 5 humps.

 

They started out as 'Noah's Arks', when the rides were animals, then they changed to motorbikes, to exploit the then new sport; they also went through a stage of being called 'Ben Hurs', when the rides were chariots and horses.

 

The waltzer is a direct descendant.

Edited January 3, 2010 by DK Rides Again

[I like Slant]

I believe I can recall this although I am by no means 100% sure it was a long time ago

I remember it as a circular sloping wheel abount 25ft in diameter; the front at ground level and the back maybe 10ft high

You sat round the wheel [i am not sure how possibly in some sort of continuous cars] and the wheel [cars] rotated [i think anticlockwise]

The middle of the wheel was of a solid appearance with a model of a motorcycle and rider; this either stayed still or rotated in the opposie direction; either way you kept passing it going the other way. I dont remember the rider looking much like a speedway rider though maybe artistic licence

 

 

[martinmauger]

Don't recall that ride but do remember the go-karts . I once saw a sort of betting game in an amusement arcade called Speedway featuring small Scalextric-style motorcycles going round an oval track and it had pics of PC and Mort in Belle Vue colours all over it....

[slickmick]

Don't recall that ride but do remember the go-karts . I once saw a sort of betting game in an amusement arcade called Speedway featuring small Scalextric-style motorcycles going round an oval track and it had pics of PC and Mort in Belle Vue colours all over it....

The Speedway was a fair ground ride?

[I like Slant]

I believe I can recall this although I am by no means 100% sure it was a long time ago

I remember it as a circular sloping wheel abount 25ft in diameter; the front at ground level and the back maybe 10ft high

You sat round the wheel [i am not sure how possibly in some sort of continuous cars] and the wheel [cars] rotated [i think anticlockwise]

The middle of the wheel was of a solid appearance with a model of a motorcycle and rider; this either stayed still or rotated in the opposie direction; either way you kept passing it going the other way. I dont remember the rider looking much like a speedway rider though maybe artistic licence

 

There is an interesting site "National Fairground Archive" run by the University of Shefield this catalogues the history of attractions; one category is "[Noah's] Arks which has several subcategories such as "Ben Hurs, "Waltzers" and "Speedway", None of the 3 units shown as being at some time at Belle Vue is in the Speedway subcategory. It is know that these machines have been revamped and rebranded several times, some are 70 years old, so there could have been labelled "Speedway" when at BV.

 

None of these resembles the ride I have described which was probably one BV built one off it was in action earlier than the 3 Arks in the archive

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

You must be talking about 'Rusholme Ruffians', as opposed to 'Speedway', which doesn't even have the word 'speedway' in the lyrics.

 

I am indeed. The song 'Speedway' is a only very thinly disguised attack by Morrissey on his by-then estranged song-writing partner, Johnny Marr - because Marr was a Belle Vue fan and Mozza didn't approve, he uses Speedway as a derogatory term in that song's title. And of course that's a post-Smiths' solo record. The reference to Speedway as a funfair ride is from The Smiths' era...

 

Many thanx to all for the very informative answers... Didn't realise there were so many fairground experts out there!!

[salty]

From memory the lyric goes something like "the last night of the fair and the grease in the hair of the speedway operator".

Suggests Morrissey is talking about a traditional travelling fair rather than the permanent feature at Belle Vue - just a thought.

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

From memory the lyric goes something like "the last night of the fair and the grease in the hair of the speedway operator".

Suggests Morrissey is talking about a traditional travelling fair rather than the permanent feature at Belle Vue - just a thought.

 

Good point!!!

[Grachan]

This might be of interest. Taken from here: http://www.fairground-heritage.org.uk/news...ple-lakins.html

 

In 1937 Orton & Spooner countered when they fulfilled an order (Corrigans) for an Ark with motorcycle mounts, a concept exploiting the current popularity of motorcycle speedway racing. The Speedway, as it became known, was an instant success and Ortons were able to offer a highly original alternative to the Ben Hur machine.

 

As time went on Orton & Spooner were building even more elaborate Speedways, prompting Lakins to fit motorcycles onto their platforms and feature motorcyclists on their extension fronts. Arguably, the most elaborate examples of Ark-type rides ever produced came from this period as Lakin produced two machines in 1937 that were christened the "Coronation Speedways" (although they retained the Ben Hur-themed scenery).

 

And from here: http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/history/rides/history.html

 

It was again Bothmanns who were to introduce what was to become possibly the most popular of all roundabouts of the inter-war years. The first German Noah's Ark was opened at Mitcham in 1930 by William Wilson. Almost immediately both Orton and Spooner and Robert Lakin began to build their own versions. Although both firms tried different constructions, it was the various themes adopted which are best remembered: the early Noah's Ark survived into the mid-1930s when Lakin introduced their famous Ben Hur rides. Horses and Chariots were now featured on the platforms, but Edwin Hall's scenes of the Circus Maximus in Rome, made famous by the 1925 film, were breath-taking. Later horses gave way to Motor Cycles, and so the Speedway theme was introduced. Even royalty was celebrated and a number of Coronation Speedways were built in 1937.

 

 

Photo of something called "Brooklands Speedway here: http://www.fairground-rides.co.uk/profile.php?ID=3356

Edited January 4, 2010 by Grachan

[Grachan]

Another page that might be of interest: http://www.vintagefairgroundrides.org.uk/r...ls&rideid=8

[I like Slant]

Grachans links have improved my memory

 

What I have previously described is a "Moonrocket" as quoted below

 

"The epitome of the new fast thrill ride of the 1930s was the Moonrocket. The first of these rides was imported by Joseph Schipper for John Collins, but the Lakin examples were more popular. The illusion of speed was increased by having the whole centre dome, including a figure of Popeye astride a small rocket, rotate the opposite way to the cars

 

I can even remember that the figure was not a motorcycle and rider but Popeye as descrbed above

 

In defence of my memory I was not very old at the time this ride was operational at BV

 

 

[comet49]

Thought this photo might be of interest, taken by my father in the 60s, I think..

 

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=lorryd&z=e

[RobMcCaffery]

The tragedy of Belle Vue is that Mancunians now travel in their hordes to Blackpool's Pleasure Beach when they used to have it all right on their doorstep.

 

Early start at the speedway, early finish then set them loose in the fairground, and what bliss it was too, even in the declining years of the seventies as I saw it.

 

Rob McCaffery.

[Hellsgranny]

You must be talking about 'Rusholme Ruffians', as opposed to 'Speedway', which doesn't even have the word 'speedway' in the lyrics.

 

I think it's very likely that Hyde Road would've had a 'speedway'; it's a shortlived generic term for that type of roundabout that features fixed, sit on rides and 4 or 5 humps.

 

They started out as 'Noah's Arks', when the rides were animals, then they changed to motorbikes, to exploit the then new sport; they also went through a stage of being called 'Ben Hurs', when the rides were chariots and horses.

 

The waltzer is a direct descendant.

 

 

 

How you describe the ride is pretty much how I remember it.

[AndyM]

The tragedy of Belle Vue is that Mancunians now travel in their hordes to Blackpool's Pleasure Beach when they used to have it all right on their doorstep.

 

Early start at the speedway, early finish then set them loose in the fairground, and what bliss it was too, even in the declining years of the seventies as I saw it.

 

Rob McCaffery.

I remember my dad saying Belle Vue fairground was expensive relative to other entertainments in those days, though I can't remember the figures. Would be interesting to find out how much the rides cost in relation to other attractions.

[speedy bill]

i have very happy memoires of belle vue i started going at the age of ten in 1951,and saw the great jack parker,he was still riding at number one,i think he was about 50 yaers old.he still scored points even then. a young new zealander ron johnston was at 2 he became my favourite till he retired,i never met him untill he visited the new track at kirky lane in the eightys it was the first time he had been back to this country for about twenty years.the late fred rodgers ex norwich and belle vue rider kindly took my photo with ron it made my day.i also saw the start of the late great peter cravens career untill sadly the end.but hyde road on a saturday night still holds magic memorys for me. and yes i also remember slant payling tink maynard ron houlston tony robinson ect from the old bubble bounce second half races,named by the top man jonnie hoskins great times i will never forget.i moved to live in plymouth in 2000 and was over the moon when we got speedway back here but the old hyde road was the best.

Edited January 24, 2010 by bw double