Grachan Posted March 21, 2017 Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) Ok, this is hardly a sensational picture, but it's the closest I've found so far to a photo of the original Swindon track in Gorse Hill. It's a Britain from Above picture of Swindon from 1934, with the side of the Autodrome -(which had already closed) tagged in a pixelly area near the top of the photo. You can see that it is very much out of the town at the time and there is a faint possibility of a bend being visible. Anyone got any proper photos of this track at all? This may not be a great picture of it, but it still fascinated me so I thought it worth sharing! https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw059049 Edited March 21, 2017 by grachan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted March 21, 2017 Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 Ok, this is hardly a sensational picture, but it's the closest I've found so far to a photo of the original Swindon track in Gorse Hill. It's a Britain from Above picture of Swindon from 1934, with the side of the Autodrome -(which had already closed) tagged in a pixelly area near the top of the photo. You can see that it is very much out of the town at the time and there is a faint possibility of a bend being visible. Anyone got any proper photos of this track at all? This may not be a great picture of it, but it still fascinated me so I thought it worth sharing! https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw059049 I think there was a picture of Gorse Hill taken the surface was black cinders.And ii believe you could turn left at the Arkells brewery Kingsdown and it was on the land where the Duke of Edinburgh pub is now in Gorse Hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted March 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 It was behind the pub where Tiverton Road is. I'd always assumed it roughly followed the shape of the road as it is now but from this picture I'd say it was at 90 degrees to the pub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted March 21, 2017 Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 It was behind the pub where Tiverton Road is. I'd always assumed it roughly followed the shape of the road as it is now but from this picture I'd say it was at 90 degrees to the pub.There might be a picture in the superb Robert Bamford the history of Swindon Speedway book.? I have it somewhere i will try to dig it out and have a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted March 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 There might be a picture in the superb Robert Bamford the history of Swindon Speedway book.? I have it somewhere i will try to dig it out and have a look. I have that book. There isn't. Best bet would probably to go to the library and look through old Advers from the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Leakey Posted March 23, 2017 Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 Having researched all the 1928 - 30 Adver's held by the Local Studies Dept. at Swindon Central Library - I can confirm there are no images of the Autodrome. All the 1928 meetings are reported, although not all of the riders are named. I don't know if there were any meeting in 1929, if there were, the Adver didn't cover them. The Adver covered a couple of meetings in 1930, when a new promotion took over. The Autodrome was renamed the 'Swindon Speedway Stadium' that year. Again, if there were any other meetings at the track in 1930, then the Adver didn't report on them. I don't know if there were any pics printed in the 'Borough Press' - a Swindon sports paper that ran from 1903 to 1936, but it's possible, as Leslie Newman, who's Father Thomas owned the paper, raced in the first meeting at the Autodrome. (he also raced in local grass tracks and hill climbs, and competed in the 1934, 35, 36 and 37 Isle of Man Senior GPs). Unfortunately I've only ever seen one copy of the Borough Press, a 1927 edition, so it was too early to cover the Autodrome. There must be some images of the place somewhere. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted April 3, 2017 Report Share Posted April 3, 2017 Wasn't there a pub called the Cold harbour nearby?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sotonian Posted April 3, 2017 Report Share Posted April 3, 2017 Wasn't there a pub called the Cold harbour nearby?? Thought that was near the Abbey Stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briggo Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 Sotonian, you are correct. It is just across the road, that is of course if you can navigate the Blunsdon bypass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 Blimey- I know where the Cold Harbour is-I thought the Swindon Autodrome might have been a new name for the Abbey Stadium-do the Robins still race at Abbey-which I fondly recall visiting (good crowds there) in 65 thru 68?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 Blimey- I know where the Cold Harbour is-I thought the Swindon Autodrome might have been a new name for the Abbey Stadium-do the Robins still race at Abbey-which I fondly recall visiting (good crowds there) in 65 thru 68?? Still there at the moment. Not for long though as it due to be redeveloped for housing. A new stadium is supposed to be getting built adjacent to the existing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOS50 Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 A 1928 Swindon Autodrome program sold today at Barber's auction, £520 hammer price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andout Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 23 minutes ago, JOS50 said: A 1928 Swindon Autodrome program sold today at Barber's auction, £520 hammer price. Not surprising at all...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 49 minutes ago, andout said: Not surprising at all...... That would be a normal price for a pristine example ? Or even a bit manky/filled in ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andout Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, iris123 said: That would be a normal price for a pristine example ? Or even a bit manky/filled in ? They are very rare....so any condition would qualify......still the record price paid is £5000 for the first High Beech...the second is just over a £1000 paid for a Celtic Park.....at least my memory tells me that. Oh yes the High Beech needed restoration! Edited October 7, 2020 by andout 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 On 10/7/2020 at 10:10 PM, andout said: They are very rare....so any condition would qualify......still the record price paid is £5000 for the first High Beech...the second is just over a £1000 paid for a Celtic Park.....at least my memory tells me that. Oh yes the High Beech needed restoration! As an example, how many High Beech first meeting programmes are known to exist ? And how many Autodrome programmes are known to exist ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andout Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, iris123 said: As an example, how many High Beech first meeting programmes are known to exist ? And how many Autodrome programmes are known to exist ? Surprisingly there are quite a few of the first Speedway programme.....over the years a couple have come up on eBay and a few more on other auctions.....I have only ever seen three of the Autodrome programme......I mentioned the Celtic Park earlier and I have only seen one of those. Post war, one of the rarest is the Poole, England v Australasia of 1958....the meeting was canceled and the programmes never released and pulped......EXCEPT for those who were subscribers, I know of only six in existence, every one of those six programmes has a crease down the middle given they were folded and mailed. Edited October 9, 2020 by andout 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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