Chester Greyhound Stadium
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| Location | Sealand Road, west Chester, Cheshire |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°11′46″N 2°54′53″W / 53.19611°N 2.91472°W |
| Opened | 3 August 1935 |
| Closed | 10 January 1987 |
Chester Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium on Sealand Road, west Chester, Cheshire. It is not to be confused with Sealand Road football stadium.
Origins and opening
[edit]The stadium was constructed on the north side of Sealand Road almost next door to the football stadium found on its east side.[1]
History
[edit]The first meeting was held on Saturday 3 August 1935, and was opened by Alderman Sheriff W. H.Ebrey. The spectators could choose to view the racing from the County Stand, the Grandstand or Silver ring. The County stand was the most expensive at 2s 6d.[2] The Chester Greyhound Racing Association Ltd owned the stadium and was led by Chairman H. Deverill.[3]
Initially racing was every Monday, Friday and Saturday at 7.45pm with a totalisator available. It closed temporarily from September 1939 until reopening on 14 October 1939 and regularly raced throughout wartime.[4] In 1946 the track remained under the control of the Chester Greyhound Racing Association Ltd.[5]
As the racing continued, it was held on Monday and Saturday night, with the track circumference being 440 yards. Race distances were 530 and 755 yards and races consisted of mainly five dogs and using an 'Inside Sumner' hare system.[6] The racing was independent (unaffiliated to a governing body).
Closure
[edit]The site closed on 10 January 1987[7] and was later demolished to make way for a large retail park. The nearby park and retail park are now called Greyhound Park and Greyhound Retail Park.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "OS Plan 1958-1959". old-maps.co.uk.
- ^ "Chester's New Sport". Chester Chronicle. 3 August 1935. Retrieved 21 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Greyhound Racing at Chester". Chester Chronicle. 10 August 1935. Retrieved 21 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Chester Greyhound Racing with Electric Totalisator, Friday 6 January". Liverpool Evening Express. 1939.
- ^ Particulars of Licensed tracks, table 1 Licensed Dog Racecourses. Licensing Authorities. 1946.
- ^ Furby, R (1968). Independent Greyhound Racing. New Dominion House. p. 11.
- ^ "Closures and openings over the past 10 years, July 1993, page 18". Greyhound Star. 1993.
- ^ Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. p. 413. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.