New Listings at English Heritage celebrate London’s sporting heritage as Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey said that ‘These new listings are a fine mixture of buildings and structures… Each one of them is worth protecting, not just for their architectural value but also to help preserve the memories of glory, excitement and innocent fun they have provided for so many.’
EH writes:
From an Art Deco diving board in the middle of a Croydon garden centre and a public baths turned boxing hall in Bethnal Green to a pioneering style of grandstand in Finchley, research for the new book Played in London has resulted in five structures being listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of English Heritage.
These structures and buildings, all listed at Grade II and dating from the late nineteenth century to the 1930s, tell very different stories about London’s love for sport both public and private.
Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey said: ‘These new listings are a fine mixture of buildings and structures, providing a fascinating snapshot of how sport in the capital was enjoyed in years gone by. Each one of them is worth protecting, not just for their architectural value but also to help preserve the memories of glory, excitement and innocent fun they have provided for so many.’
Roger Bowdler, English Heritage Designation Director, said: ‘From East End boxing halls to concrete diving boards, these listings highlight the variety and scale of the built reminders of our sporting past. They are testament to the love and sheer enthusiasm Londoners have for sport, both past and present.’
These historic places- some well known, others all but forgotten – provide a rare glimpse into London’s sporting past. York Hall in Bethnal Green was built between 1926 and 1929 as public baths. From the 1960s it became London’s most atmospheric boxing venue, witnessing fights from some of boxing’s greats such as Joe Calzaghe, Chris Eubank and Lennox Lewis. The concrete diving board at Purley Way, built in 1935, is all that remains of one of the most glamorous Art Deco lidos in London. The summer pavilion at Beckenham Tennis Club was built in 1896 for women players who were excluded from the main pavilion. The 1930s squash court at Rivercourt House in Hammersmith, commissioned by novelist Naomi Mitchison, mirrors its riverside location in its design with aquatic embellishments from local artist Gertrude Hermes. While the grandstand at Summers Lane, Finchley, has the oldest surviving cantilevered roof in Britain and also features unique ‘back-to-back’ design serving both football and rugby, a layout unique in Britain.’
These listings mean that all of these unique sporting places will be protected for future generations. The research into these historic places is part of a wider project, culminating in the publication of ‘Played in London’ by Simon Inglis. The book charts the spaces, buildings, and sports that have shaped London’s cultural and urban landscape for over two millennia. Beautifully illustrated with original photographs and detailed maps, and based on over ten years of in-depth research, Played in London explores the legacy of sport in the world’s most iconic city. This is the most ambitious offering yet from Simon Inglis, the UK’s leading sporting heritage expert, who for the first time masterfully investigates the history and continuing heritage of sport across the whole of London.
