Harrow Skate Park facts for kids
Harrow Skate Park, also known as Harrow Solid Surf, is a famous skate park in the United Kingdom. It's special because it's one of only two skate parks built in the 1970s using a method called shotcrete that are still open today. You can find it next to Byron Park and Harrow Leisure Centre in Wealdstone, which is part of the London Borough of Harrow, England.
Because of its age and unique design, Harrow Skate Park is considered one of the most important skate parks in the UK. People often compare it to other classic 1970s skate parks in the US, like Marina del Rey in Los Angeles and "Pipeline" in Upland, California.
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How Harrow Skate Park Began
Planning for the skate park started in 1976. It was finished and opened to the public on July 15, 1978. The park was designed by Adrian Rolt from G-Force. It was built by Skate Park Construction, with help from Jim Rennie and Rodga Harvey, who were top experts in building skate parks in the UK at that time. The design for its "pool" section was inspired by a similar "keyhole pool" at Skateboard Heaven in Spring Valley, California.
What You Can Find at the Park
Today, Harrow Skate Park has several cool features. These include a concrete half-pipe, a section called "The Pool," and a street area with a concrete bank. There's also a wooden quarter pipe in the street section. (This part used to have metal obstacles, but they were removed for safety). You can also find a "snakerun" and four "moguls," which are like small hills.
Years ago, the "performance bowl" was filled in by the local council and can't be used, even though people have tried to dig it out. The park also had a mini ramp added recently, but sadly, it was destroyed by vandals.
The best part is that the park is free to use! It's open every day from 9:00 AM until it gets dark.
Why the Park is Important
Because Harrow Skate Park is so unique, it's a popular spot for people who love skateboarding, Roller skating, and BMX riding in the UK. They come here to ride the ramps, hang out, and meet friends. Since the 1970s, many professional skaters and BMX riders, like Steve Douglas, started their careers at this park.
A well-known expert on buildings, Professor Iain Borden, has noted how important the park is. He said that in the 1980s, it was used by "the best-known London skaters and 'H-Boyz'," who were regular visitors from Harrow.
The park has faced threats of closing down many times. It was even closed for a few years in the 1980s. But in 2003, the local council spent £60,000 to fix it up, and it reopened. Important people like Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey, who was the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, and Tony McNulty, a Member of Parliament and Minister for London, attended the reopening celebration.
When the Park Was Almost Closed (2007-2008)
In 2007, the Harrow council announced plans that worried many people. They wanted to build new things on the skate park's land as part of a big £36 million project to rebuild Harrow Leisure Centre. This plan would have meant building a smaller leisure centre and selling the existing land to builders. This caused a huge protest from park users and the worldwide skateboarding community, who said the park was "irreplaceable."
The council offered £300,000 to replace the park, but experts said it would cost at least £600,000 to build a new one like it.
Even the world-famous skater Tony Hawk spoke about the possible closure. He said, "If they feel that the park is truly irreplaceable, then they should keep it...I've never been, but I have seen it in magazines and heard about it through the years."
On February 6, 2008, an organization called Sport England criticized the council's plan for the Leisure Centre. They said the plans would harm many existing sports activities and reduce chances for people to play sports in the area.
In October 2008, good news arrived: Harrow Council's plans to knock down the park were stopped! The original idea was to sell land around the Leisure Centre and skate park to pay for a new building and skate park. However, because house prices were falling, the council couldn't get enough money for the project.
A BMX rider at Harrow Skate Park was very happy, saying, "It's brilliant. I'm just absolutely over the moon. I hope it stays there for another few years and they don't say 'we've got a bit of money now, so we can knock it down.'"
Harrow Councillor Marilyn Ashton said the plans were canceled because of the bad housing market. She felt they needed a new leisure centre and assembly hall.
Rio Joseph, who works with youth development at Harrow Skate Park, led the fight against the new leisure centre. He said, "Other people agree or disagree with the plans, but it ain't going to happen, not for a long time."
Many skaters and BMX riders, both past and present, disagreed with Councillor Ashton's plans. They believed she and the council didn't understand how important it would be to destroy one of only two legendary 1970s concrete skate parks left in the UK.
On October 31, 2008, there was a special "Harroween" skate jam to celebrate Harrow Skate Park not being torn down. This was reported in the Harrow Times newspaper on the same day.
How to Get There
The Skate Park is right next to Harrow Leisure Centre and Byron recreation ground. It's also just a short walk from Harrow & Wealdstone station.
