Eastbourne 1928

[tigerowl]

I'm looking at doing a new file for the Researcher for Eastbourne 1928. I think there was a meeting held at Arlington in September but does anyone have the date or any details. 

Also, were there any subsequent meetings that year?

Thanks for any help.

Matt

[norbold]

I don't think there were any meetings at Arlington in 1928. The Eastbourne Courier announced in its 5 October edition that, "The Eastbourne Motor-Cycle Sports Club have purchased a field at Arlington, with a view to building a dirt track."

It wasn't until 5 August 1929 that the track opened to the public.

[tigerowl]

Perfect, thank you Norbold.

[andout]

I do have a comment in a track listing that states Eastbourne had one meeting in September in 1928.....other than that I have no more info.

[tigerowl]

I think there was something in the Homes of British Speedway but I've never seen any actual evidence.

[steve roberts]

21 minutes ago, tigerowl said:

I think there was something in the Homes of British Speedway but I've never seen any actual evidence.

That's right. It quotes:

"Although one unofficial meeting was held, in September 1928, the track (then known as "The Hyde") was officially opened on 5th August 1929, when Les Ashdown won the Arlington Scratch Race. Just one other meeting was staged that year, on 29th August, when Bert Hele was the winner of the same event".

[tigerowl]

Has anyone any details of the unofficial meeting?

Any info greatly received.

 

[iris123]

Any chance a local newspaper might have something ?

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1928-09-26?NewspaperTitle=Eastbourne%2BGazette&IssueId=BL%2F0001928%2F19280926%2F&County=Sussex%2C England

[Mike.Butler]

I have been looking at Eastbourne's 70th anniversary meeting programme from 3rd October 1999  in which Bob Dugard states Arlington is "The longest running Speedway in the Country and perhaps the world".

Is there any legitimacy to this claim?  

Edited May 13, 2020 by Mike.Butler

[norbold]

8 minutes ago, tigerowl said:

Has anyone any details of the unofficial meeting?

Any info greatly received.

 

I can't see how there could have been an unofficial meeting in September 1928, seeing as the future track was just a field at the time and it wasn't until October that any work started on turning it into a dirt track. What contemporary sources are there for the 1928 meeting?

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by norbold

[andout]

14 minutes ago, norbold said:

I can't see how there could have been an unofficial meeting in September 1928, seeing as the future track was just a field at the time and it wasn't until October that any work started on turning it into a dirt track. What contemporary sources are there for the 1928 meeting?

 

Unfortunately I have never seen anything on the 1928 meeting.....probably another one of those "well lets put something out there and it will be taken as fact". Something like the "inventor" of Speedway.....but lets not start that one all over again! LOL

[tigerowl]

I've not seen anything apart from the mention in the Homes of British Speedway (in the loft at home). I've looked though some of the on-line newspapers but haven't been able to find anything as yet. 

[BL65]

19 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

That's right. It quotes:

"Although one unofficial meeting was held, in September 1928, the track (then known as "The Hyde") 

I believe 'The Hyde' was actually Hide Hollow at Westham, near Pevensey, a considerable distance from Arlington.  There had been talk from early 1928 about the construction of a stadium there, intended initially to be used for greyhound racing.  The parish council was not in favour of this development at that stage.  The Parochial Church Council was very much against it.  I suspect if an unofficial meeting was staged at 'The Hyde' in 1928 it was most probably at Hide Hollow.  This would explain why the purchase, development and opening of Arlington fits with Norbold's information.  Note also the comment by Brian Collins on the Researcher website file for Eastbourne 1929:

'The official opening scheduled for Whit Monday, 20th May 1929, was postponed owing to it being impossible to complete the necessary arrangements for the accommodation of the public (EG 15.5.29)' 

[BL65]

56 minutes ago, tigerowl said:

Has anyone any details of the unofficial meeting?

 

32 minutes ago, andout said:

Unfortunately I have never seen anything on the 1928 meeting.....probably another one of those "well lets put something out there and it will be taken as fact". Something like the "inventor" of Speedway.....but lets not start that one all over again! LOL

 

49 minutes ago, norbold said:

I can't see how there could have been an unofficial meeting in September 1928, seeing as the future track was just a field at the time and it wasn't until October that any work started on turning it into a dirt track. What contemporary sources are there for the 1928 meeting?

Further to my previous post, it appears that an event of sorts took place on 23rd September 1928 in a field next to the Lewes Road, which passes near to Westham.  Perhaps this is the unofficial meeting referred to.

[steve roberts]

2 hours ago, BL65 said:

I believe 'The Hyde' was actually Hide Hollow at Westham, near Pevensey, a considerable distance from Arlington.  There had been talk from early 1928 about the construction of a stadium there, intended initially to be used for greyhound racing.  The parish council was not in favour of this development at that stage.  The Parochial Church Council was very much against it.  I suspect if an unofficial meeting was staged at 'The Hyde' in 1928 it was most probably at Hide Hollow.  This would explain why the purchase, development and opening of Arlington fits with Norbold's information.  Note also the comment by Brian Collins on the Researcher website file for Eastbourne 1929:

'The official opening scheduled for Whit Monday, 20th May 1929, was postponed owing to it being impossible to complete the necessary arrangements for the accommodation of the public (EG 15.5.29)' 

Apparently according to "The Homes of British Speedway"  quote:

"The site of the stadium was once part of a field owned by the Duke of Devonshire, who put it up for auction,. A small holder bought it and sold a piece to the Eastbourne Motor Sports Club for £100".

[BL65]

5 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

Apparently according to "The Homes of British Speedway"  quote:

"The site of the stadium was once part of a field owned by the Duke of Devonshire, who put it up for auction,. A small holder bought it and sold a piece to the Eastbourne Motor Sports Club for £100".

The Duke owned 1,000 acres plus in and around Eastbourne at the time.  

[steve roberts]

10 minutes ago, BL65 said:

The Duke owned 1,000 acres plus in and around Eastbourne at the time.  

The Devonshires also own much of the land around Bolton Abbey (where the charges for the car park are astronomical!) in North Yorkshire...they certainly got around a bit!

[BL65]

29 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

The Devonshires also own much of the land around Bolton Abbey (where the charges for the car park are astronomical!) in North Yorkshire...they certainly got around a bit!

Plus the Duke's residence, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.

[norbold]

Just to add, that when i was researching for my book, "75 Years of Eastbourne Speedway", I spent many happy days at the Colindale Newspaper Library searching through the Eastbourne Gazette and Eastbourne Courier files. I had read Homes of British Speedway, so I started my search for any mentions of speedway or dirt track racing at Arlington at the beginning of August 1928. The first mention I found, was the one I quoted above from 5 October 1928. There was absolutely nothing about speedway or dirt track racing before that. Honest, guv.

 

[tigerowl]

Thanks for all your input everyone. It's really appreciated.