Preston Park Velodrome
The Preston Park Velodrome is believed to be the oldest velodrome in the UK and one of the oldest working examples in the world. Located to the north-eastern corner of Preston Park on the former site of the international gun and polo club, construction began in 1877 when the army began to terrace the site by hand.
Brighton Corporation purchased Preston Park from the Stanford Estate for £50,000 in 1883. Soon after, work began on converting the former club to create a cricket pitch enclosed by a cinder track. In 1885 the British army again began levelling the area by hand, creating large retaining banks to the north-east and south-west of the site. The velodrome was officially opened on 30 May 1887 during an inaugural Whit Monday race meeting.
The cycle track is somewhat unusual by modern standardised oval velodrome designs, comprising an almost entirely flat track with a lopsided plan. The track is 579 metres or 1,900 feet long, making it not only the oldest velodrome in the UK but also the longest.
Despite a brief hiatus during the World Wars, the velodrome was in constant use through the latter years of the 19th century into the mid-20th century. On Bank Holidays and major match days, thousands of spectators would gather on the banks to watch scratch races, handicaps and headline sprints. Indeed, the velodrome proved such a popular attraction a grandstand was added in 1930 and the cinder track replaced with tarmac in 1936.
The 1950s proved to be the velodrome’s golden age with events regularly attracting thousands of spectators and some of Britain’s best riders including Reg Harris, the five times World Sprint Champion and double Olympic Silver Medallist. Over 8,000 people descended on it on the 1952 August Bank Holiday to see Harris race.
However, the popularity of cycling events there began to wane during the latter half of the 20th century. By 2015 the track had fallen into general disrepair and racing was paused after the track was deemed unsafe by British Cycling. This prompted a local fundraising campaign to save it, which involved numerous cycling clubs and prominent figures within the cycling community. In 2016 essential repairs were carried out and a new fence was erected around the track allowing races to resume. To this day the Preston Park velodrome survives not only as an enduring symbol of Brighton’s cycling community but also as a fascinating piece of cycling history.
