Wandsworth Stadium
| Location | Wandsworth |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°27'14.6"N 0°11'37.7"W |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Closed | 1966 |
| Tenants | |
| Greyhound racing | |
Wandsworth Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium in Wandsworth.
The stadium was constructed on an area of unused land south of the Wandsworth reservoir between Garratt Lane (formerly South Street) and Buckhold Road. Just to the south was King Georges Park (a public nursery, tennis courts, bowls green, swimming and paddling pools). This tranquil setting was unfortunately ruined by an unsightly storm relief sewage aqueduct that ran straight over and through the middle of it.
Wandsworth stadium cost £100,000 to build and could accommodate 20,000 spectators; either side of the track were two large covered stands that could each seat 7,000 people. The stadium opened in April 1933, accompanied by the HM Scots Guards band.
The local Borough News reported that a former Chelsea player Alex Jackson had bought a greyhound called Jovial Honey and was keen for the Wandsworth management to consider allowing football to be played at the stadium. The stadium was reputed to have created dozens of jobs for Wandsworth residents during a difficult time that was known as the Great Depression in the United Kingdom.
In 1936 rival gangs fought a battle in front of thousands of witnesses and one man was murdered after being stabbed to death. However racing soon returned to normal trading and in 1938 the Eclipse was introduced which would become a prominent competition in the racing calendar. War disrupted regular racing but in August 1942 when the great wartime greyhound Ballynennan Moon appeared at the track. He broke the track record over 440 yards.
During the summer of 1946 greyhound racing experienced an extraordinary high with phenomenal attendances and it was during this period that a company called London Stadiums Ltd brokered a deal to takeover Wandsworth Stadium Ltd, Park Royal Stadium Ltd and Charlton Stadium (1936) Ltd. The three companies that were taken over all received shares in London Stadiums Ltd. All three stadia were served by the Sunbury kennels which were located in a rural setting on Hamworth Road in Sunbury-on-Thames twelve miles from Park Royal Stadium. The kennels sat in fourteen acres and had accommodation for 600 greyhounds; in addition to the kennels there was a veterinary surgery including X-ray, Ultraviolet and Infrared ray apparatus with the kennel staff and veterinary surgeon living on site. The self-contained exercising grounds included over three quarters of a mile of special track for road work.
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