St Helens Greyhound Racing and Sports Stadium was a
greyhound racing and former
football stadium off Park Road in
Parr,
St Helens,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
Origins
A football ground known as the Primrose Ground was constructed for the
St Helens Town Football Club in 1901. It was located on the east side of the Star Inn Race Ground and on the north side of Park Road and south of the
St Helens Canal and the
London and North Eastern Railway St. Helens branch.
Football
The football team played at the ground from 1901 to 1929.
Greyhound racing
The stadium underwent major renovation in 1932 to accommodate a greyhound track. The first meeting held at the Park Road stadium was on 5 November 1932.
The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the
National Greyhound Racing Club The National Greyhound Racing Club was an organisation that governed Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom.
History
The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) was formed in 1928 and this body would be responsible for regulation, licensing and the ...
).
In the 1960s the track circumference was 410 yards and was owned by the St Helens Greyhound Racing and Sports Stadium Ltd. Race days were Tuesday and Friday evenings at 7.45pm with an 'Inside hare' system and photo finish installed. The main race distance was 487 yards and facilities included two refreshment bars and a licensed bar.
During the 1980s additional race distances of 275, 493 and 680 yards had been introduced. The main races were the St Helens Derby and the majority of races were handicap races. Facilities had improved with a computerised
totalisator
A tote board (or totalisator/totalizator) is a numeric or alphanumeric display used to convey information, typically at a race track (to display the odds or payoffs for each horse) or at a telethon (to display the total amount donated to the chari ...
, renovated kennels, a glass fronted stand and parking for 200 vehicles.
[
]
Closure
The stadium closed on 5 Mar 1993 and the site today is Broadoak Manor nursing home.[ Within days of the last greyhound meeting the stadium was burned down. Within four months a new operation had started at the ]Hoghton Road Stadium
Hoghton Road Stadium was a sports stadium on Hoghton Road, Sutton, a suburb of St. Helens (population approx 100,000), the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside, England.
Brief history
It was the ground u ...
.
References
{{English greyhound tracks
Defunct greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom
Defunct football venues in England