Herne Hill Velodrome facts for kids
Herne Hill in 2012
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| Former names | London County Grounds |
|---|---|
| Location | Burbage Road Herne Hill London |
| Coordinates | 51°27′4″N 0°5′29″W / 51.45111°N 0.09139°W |
| Owner | Dulwich Estate |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1891 |
The Herne Hill Velodrome is a special velodrome (a track for bicycle racing) located in Herne Hill, south London. It's one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world, first built way back in 1891!
This historic track even hosted the track cycling events during the 1948 Summer Olympics. For a short time during World War I, it was also the home of Crystal Palace Football Club.
From 1987 until 2011, Herne Hill was the only cycling track in London. This changed when the London Velopark opened for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Herne Hill's Amazing History
Herne Hill Velodrome was first called the London County Grounds. It was the track for the London County Cycling and Athletic Club. People started calling it Herne Hill track or velodrome because it was located near Burbage Road in Herne Hill. This area is part of the London Borough of Southwark.
How the Velodrome Started
The velodrome was created by George Lacy Hillier, who was an amateur bike racer, in 1891. Before Herne Hill, the main cycling spot was at Crystal Palace. But that track wasn't very good; it had no sloped turns (banking) and a rough surface.
Bike racers preferred a newer track that opened in Paddington in 1888. George Hillier tried to convince the owners of Crystal Palace to improve their track. When they said no, he looked for a new place south of the River Thames. He found a spot in Herne Hill and leased it from the Dulwich College Trustees.
Work on the new track began in September 1890 and finished early, in March 1891. The very first race was held on April 16, 1891, just for members of the Herne Hill club. The first public race meeting happened on May 23 that same year.
The track was first built with 5-foot high sloped turns, which were made even higher later. The original surface was red shale, which needed to be rolled often. In 1893, it was changed to wooden slats, which made for fast races but also many crashes when it rained. Finally, in 1896, a concrete surface was laid down.
Many cycling records were broken on this track! It became super popular with the Cuca Cup 24-hour races in the late 1800s.
Famous Good Friday Races
Since 1903, Herne Hill has hosted the famous Good Friday cycling meeting. This event was organized by the Southern Counties Cycle Union. Many world champions have raced at these Good Friday meetings. In the 1920s and 1930s, as many as 10,000 people would come to watch!
National and world records were set here. For example, Frank Southall broke many records in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1936, two cyclists, Ernie Mills and Bill Paul, set a world best for a tandem (two-person bike) by riding 30 miles and 793 yards in one hour without help.
Because the velodrome got old and weather sometimes cancelled races, the Good Friday meeting moved to Manchester Velodrome in 2011 and then to London Velopark from 2014. However, there are now plans for new Good Friday meetings at Herne Hill, focusing on school races, disability cycling, women's groups, and races for different age groups.
War, Olympics, and Survival
During World War II, the velodrome was damaged because it was used for a gun battery. Weeds grew tall through cracks in the track. In 1942, work began to fix it up.
The organizers of the 1948 Olympic Games chose Herne Hill as the "only suitable" track for cycling. They said a lot of work was needed to get it ready for the Olympics. The track was repaired, and permanent stands were built for spectators. These were the only permanent buildings the Olympic organizers built for the Games!
Journalists had 12 telephone booths to report the news to the world. A small scoreboard was also put up, which the crowd really liked.
Even though the racing was exciting, some people thought the organization was not great. For example, the final tandem race was held so late that it was dark, and the photo-finish camera didn't work!
After the Olympics, the track continued to host big races with international stars like Jacques Anquetil, Fausto Coppi, Reg Harris, and Tom Simpson in the 1950s and 1960s.
Later, the future of the track became uncertain. A campaign was started in the early 2000s to save it. Many famous cyclists, like Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins (who started racing at Herne Hill when he was 12), Victoria Pendleton, and Ben Swift, supported the campaign. Local celebrities like Jo Brand and James Nesbitt also helped.
What the Velodrome Looks Like
Unlike modern Olympic velodromes, which are usually 250 meters around with very steep sloped turns (about 45°), Herne Hill is a shallower concrete track. It's about 450 meters long, and its steepest sloped turns are 18°.
The grandstand you might see in old photos was the original one from 1891. It has since been taken down and replaced with a new building in 2017. In the 1890s, there was a cinder athletics track inside the cycling track, and even tennis courts within that! Later, the tennis courts became a football or rugby pitch. Today, the center of the track is mostly used for cyclo-cross races.
Other Sports and Uses
The Velodrome was the home of Crystal Palace F.C. from 1914 to 1918. They had to move because their usual stadium was taken over by the Navy for World War I training. Crystal Palace FC usually had crowds of 3,000 to 4,000 fans at Herne Hill.
The FA Amateur Cup final in 1911 was also played at Herne Hill. This was a big football match between Bromley and Bishop Auckland. The Surrey Senior Cup finals in 1906 and 1909 were also held here.
London Welsh Rugby Club also called the Velodrome home for 40 years after World War I. They moved to a new home in Old Deer Park in Richmond in 1957.
Before World War I, the stadium was even used for exciting motorcycle events!
Making Herne Hill Even Better
As part of a project to improve sports facilities after the London Olympics, work began to upgrade the Velodrome in February 2013.
The first part of the upgrade included building a new 250-meter track for younger cyclists. They also added a hard, flat area for warming up and for activities like bike-ability classes, bike polo, and using special bikes (like handbikes). New floodlights were installed so people could train longer during the winter.
A grant of £200,000 from British Cycling helped resurface the main track. Then, £1.5 million was secured from Sport England and the London Marathon Trust to build a brand new pavilion (a building with changing rooms and facilities). This new building started in April 2016 and was finished in 2017. The new pavilion was designed by Mike Taylor, who also designed the London Olympic Velodrome! It was officially opened in March 2017 by Union Cycliste Internationale President Brian Cookson.
