alansouthcoast
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Mick The Miller - Issue Twenty -16/08/08 - Walthamstow R I PI never thought i would see this, the sad demise of Walthamstow dog track. Its neon sign one of Londons great landmarks will brighten the night sky no more, sad to say the track closes today after 75 or so years of greyhound racing. Built and run by the much maligned Chandler family, the Stow, as it is affectionately known, holds its last meeting tonight. Even today though, there are ten opens on show. Sadly i am too far away to make an evening of it. Its the equivelent of being told, out of the blue, that Cheltenham or Newmarket has been sold for housing, since the Stow is currently the number one track in the UK.
Reading is also due to close, so we will have no dog racing north of the Thames between Romford and Swindon, with Wimbledon and Crayford the only two stadiums still flying the flag, South of the Thames. Dog tracks littered London, from Slough to Hackney or Clapton to Wandsworth, even Brixton had a track, such was the sports appeal to the masses.
There were crowds to die for, that horse racing can only dream of, except for maybe the old days when Derby day was an annual outing for tens of thousands of Londoners. Large crowds were not unusual at the dog tracks, Indeed when White City was built, for the 1908 Olympics, it held 150,000 people, and in 1936 90,000 turned up to watch the Greyhound Derby final. Even the first final after the war attracted a crowd of almsot 60,000. And crowds were not just confined to London, up in Manchester 10,000 folk normally went to the dogs on a weekly basis. White City had a regular crowd of 40,000 souls.
Just after WW2 crowds dropped slightly, but even then 25, 000,000 went to watch the dogs annually, yes you read that correctly, 25 million ! In the late sixties and early seventies a total of 8 dog tracks closed in London alone, either the land sold off for housing or supermarkets. Much of this can be traced back to the gaming act of 1960, when betting shops, bingo halls and casinos were allowed to attract those wanting a punt. One unfair advantage they had over the tracks, was that the tracks paid a higher percentage in tax, which made many uneconomical.
If any of our die hard football fans are reading this, and maybe thinking that football was always more popular than dog racing, then chew on this little gem. In 1966, yes that 1966 ! during the frenzy that was the world cup, there was a match due to be played between Uraguay and France. The problem was that Wembley was also hosting its normal greyhound meeting the same day. Which was moved to the White City, was it the football or the dogs ?..... yep, no contest, the dogs stayed at Wembley.
I am sitting here feeling rather sad, and a touch nostalgic for times gone by, i havent felt this sad regards dog racing for the last 24 years, when they sold the star of all track, the magnificent White City, so next time you are on a housing estate in Clapton or New Cross, or a supermarket in Wandsworth or Harringay, or maybe at the new BBC building or sitting at Stamford Bridge. Then do me a favour and glance down, and spare a thought for our canine friends who have gone before.
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