Rayleigh Weir Stadium
| Location | Weir between Rayleigh and Thundersley |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°34'28.6"N 0°36'20.1"E |
| Opened | 1948 |
| Closed | 1974 |
Rayleigh Weir Stadium was a speedway, greyhound racing and stock car stadium in Weir between Rayleigh and Thundersley.
It is not to be confused with the Rayleigh Greyhound Sports Stadium that existed in O’Tooles Meadow on Down Hall Road.
In 1948 the area chosen for a new stadium was a small village called Weir between the small market town of Rayleigh and the district of Thundersley which was largely rural. It would be situated just six miles from Southend on the south side of the Southend Arterial Road, this particular stretch of road is of historical importance to the motoring world as it was the first road to be built in Britain specifically for motor vehicles. It opened on 25 March 1925.
The stadium could be accessed via Claydons Lane or Rat Lane. The Director of Public Prosecutions took Francis McGreavey the builder of the stadium to court in 1949 because it was claimed that the application to construct the two grandstands had been approved in principle but later refused. However the grandstands had been erected in-between which led to the prosecution. McGreavey argued that all material used was from government departments and the local authority had supported the application so he would appeal against the £2,000 fine issued. The appeal saw the fine reduced to £1,000.
Speedway began on 17 July 1948 with open meetings before the Rayleigh Rockets team were set up in 1949 and finished in 1973. The owners wanted to maximize the use of the venue and over the years it also hosted harness horse racing, open air wrestling, cycle speedway, midget cars and firework displays.
The stadium opened to greyhound racing in March 1948 and just five months later a new totalisator was brought into the track. The track had a 450 yard circumference circuit with distances of 275, 510, 725 and 960 yards.
The stadium suffered during 1949 due to entertainment tax; General Manager Frank Whelan publicly slammed the authorities over the tax. Losses of £5,000 on the speedway and £6,600 on greyhound racing led to a closure for a considerable part of 1950. McGreavey with his business partner Fred Rundle filed for bankruptcy leaving the stadium without any direction. Two West Ham directors Mr & Mrs Atkinson reacted by taking up the lease afterwards.
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