Homerton

Victoria Park Athletics Arena

Facilities

Additional Information

The track was built in the early 1920s and was originally 4 lanes. A 5th lane was added somewhat later. It was converted from 440y to 400m in the early 1970s. Victoria Park Harriers started using it from 1926 but stopped using it in 2000 as the facilties at nearby Mile End are far better. Essex Ladies AC also used to use it. The track often saw crowds of over 2000 for meetings after the war but it is now only used for casual training. Albert Cooper set a world record for the 3000m walk on the track on 19th Aug 1933 although it was never ratified. The track surface is redgra and in fair condition although it is poorly maintained. The track usually gets fresh white lines in the summer and then looks great from a distance but the park staff drive vans over it and children ride their bikes on it which leaves a rutted surface that bakes hard in the summer and is then very unforgiving. There was an attended pavilion next to the track but it was partly destroyed by an arson attack in January 2002 and will have to be demolished. It was built close to the DT circle and so prevents any throwing from it now. As there was never a cage around it, hammer throwing did not use to take place at the track. The JT runway was marked out on grass just outside the track down the back straight, faced towards the pavilion and the throwing line was approximately 150 feet west of the tree which is about halfway down the straight. The PV runway was to the side of the JT runway but pointed away from the pavilion. The unsurfaced side of the runway with a central pit used to be for LJ or TJ. The S/C water jump barrier was removed in May 2000. There is no athletics equipment at the track. As of Feb 2003, there is a rumour that the track maybe converted into mini-football pitches for U11s in the near future.

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