The Rom is a
Grade II listed skatepark in
Hornchurch
Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a l ...
,
East London, England. Built in 1978, and designed by Adrian Rolt of G-Force, it is the most completely preserved purpose-built
skatepark
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairse ...
in England. It is the first skatepark in Europe to achieve listed status and the second such structure worldwide.
History
It was built and opened in August 1978 and is named after the adjacent
River Rom
The River Rom, also known as the River Beam below its confluence with the Ravensbourne, is a tributary of the River Thames in England that flows through east London suburbs surrounding the metropolitan centre of Romford, part of it forming a sec ...
. It was designed by
Adrian Rolt of G-Force.
Rolt is considered the leading skatepark designer of the 1970s. In 1979 John Greenwood took control of the Rom Skatepark and with the help of his business acumen, he has managed to keep the Rom open for skateboarders and BMXers until 2018. In 1979 Andy lomas showed up with a mongoose super goose after years of skating it and started the BMX skatepark revolution.
In 2014 it was given Grade II listed status becoming only the second skateboard park in the world to achieve preservation status after the
Bro Bowl in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
.
The Bro Bowl has subsequently been demolished, 3D scanned and rebuilt in a different location of the same park area meaning that Rom is the only heritage listed full size skatepark in existence.
A film about the history of the park - Rom Boys: 40 Years of Rad is currently on general release on major streaming platforms .
Layout
The skatepark occupies an area of . The central is surfaced in
Shotcrete
Shotcrete, gunite (), or sprayed concrete is concrete or mortar conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface, as a construction technique, first used in 1907 invented by Carl Akeley. It is typically ...
pressurised concrete.
See also
*
Harrow Skate Park
*
Bro Bowl, Florida, USA, first skatepark listed on a national historic registry, in 2013
References
External links
*
Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Havering
Skateboarding spots
Skateparks in the United Kingdom
1978 establishments in England
Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Havering
Hornchurch
Buildings and structures completed in 1978
20th-century architecture in the United Kingdom
Grade II listed sports and recreation buildings
Listed sports venues in England
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