News
Former billiard hall listed
June 23 2008
English Heritage has listed the former Temperance Billiards Hall in Lewisham High Street as a building of national significance - news that has been warmly welcomed by the Victorian Society. Played in Britain is preparing a complete study of London's Temperance Billiards Halls for Played in London, due to be published in 2011.
Sporting heritage in National Archaeology Week
June 16 2008
Archaeological discoveries at the Olympic Park site in East London, talks on Britain's Olympic heritage and a display of Tudor archery will all be featured at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth as part of English Heritage's contribution to National Archaeology Week over the weekend of July 12 and 13.
Graveyard sleuths wanted in search for sporting tombstones and memorials
June 04 2008
In the belief that graveyards are as much for the living as for the dead, Dr Mike Huggins, of the University of Cumbria, is asking all friends and supporters of Played in Britain to assist with the compilation of a gazetteer of tombstones and memorials dedicated to sportsmen and women. Can you help? Find out more by clicking the link below...
A Century of Olympic Posters
May 23 2008
A vibrant new exhibition of Olympic Games posters has opened at the Museum of Childhood in London's Bethnal Green to coincide with this summer's Beijing Games. Admission is free and the exhibition runs till September 7.
End of an era as Walthamstow Greyhound track announces
closure in August
May 21 2008
Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium in north east London is to close in August, bringing to an end 75 years of racing history, and putting into jeopardy its glorious neon sign. Its closure means that there will only be two tracks left in Greater London: Wimbledon and Romford. In the late 1930s there were 22.
When the Tyne led the World - an exhibition of rowing
May 16 2008
A new exhibition of interest to Played in Britain regulars has opened in Newcastle's Discovery Museum, highlighting the city's venerable tradition of rowing on the River Tyne. Among the exhibits is a statue of the legendary oarsman Harry Clasper, not seen for many years.
Played in Britain honoured at Parliamentary reception
May 10 2008
Played in Britain's contribution to sporting heritage was yesterday marked by a House of Commons reception, hosted by English Heritage's Chief Executive Simon Thurley (left) and sponsored by Telford MP David Wright. A large gathering of Members of both Houses, together with English Heritage representatives, sponsors and invited guests also heard details of two new research projects forming part of English Heritage's contribution to the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Read the full Played in Britain honoured story and view the photo gallery here.
Buchan a winner with London audience
April 23 2008
Played in Britain's celebration of Charlie Buchan, Gunner, Grenadier and Gentleman, proves a great hit with London football fans and with the Willow Foundation charity.
UNESCO World Heritage status bid for Newmarket
April 15 2008
As the Department for Culture, Media and Sport prepares to invite bids from British sites to attain UNESCO World Heritage status, sport heritage consultant Jason Wood is backing Newmarket, a unique sportscape that has been turning out winners for nearly 400 years. To date, only one other sports related site, Olympia, is on the UNESCO list.
Residents rally for Ripon Baths
April 7 2008
Campaigners are gearing up to save Ripon Baths from being sold by the local council and turned into flats.
Boxing star at Played in Liverpool event
April 5 2008
Carl Wright, former British boxing title contender, will be joining Played in Liverpool author Ray Physick at the Plaza Community Cinema in Waterloo, Liverpool on Monday April 7.
World Marbles Championships
March 26 2008
Watching the fierce competition in a Sussex pub car park, football writer Barney Ronay wonders, have we lost our marbles?
Historic cricket pavilion to be demolished
March 25 2008
The High Court has overturned a conservation order placed on a 19th century pavilion, once home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, leaving developers free to demolish the building.
Played in Britain donates 70 year old football treasure to Sport Relief
March 13 2008
An illuminated 1938 Football League scroll discovered torn and crumpled in the bottom of a cupboard is heading for Sotheby's as Played in Britain editor Simon Inglis urges the nation's sports clubs to guard their heritage.
Another Victorian pool faces closure
March 6 2008
Eight years after they were saved by public protest, Nottingham's Victoria Baths, built in 1896, are once again under threat. Campaigners are already gearing themselves up for concerted action and plan a demonstration for March 18.
Charlie Buchan - Gunner, Grenadier and Gentleman
March 3 2008
Played in Britain in association with Philosophy Football is hosting an evening dedicated to the legendary Charles Buchan, creator of Football Monthly - 'the world's greatest soccer magazine' - on Thursday April 17.
Join Simon Inglis, Tom Watt and Jon Spurling for an evening of nostalgic entertainment and help raise funds for Bob Wilson's Willow Foundation.
Read the full 'Charlie Buchan - Gunner, Grenadier and Gentleman' story.
Celebrating Welsh cricket
February 15 2008
The history of Welsh cricket is to be celebrated through a new project called Tale-Enders - a partnership between Glamorgan Cricket and the University of Glamorgan - which will form the heart of a series of displays at the new Museum of Welsh Cricket in Cardiff.
Hornby heads for the Borders
February 8 2008
Following the successful launch of Uppies and Downies at Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday, author Hugh Hornby is travelling north to Jedburgh for their Shrovetide handba' game on February 14. He'll be talking about his researches and signing copies of the book at The Belters, in Castlegate, after the handba' finishes, probably around 7.00pm.
Shrove Tuesday launch
January 28 2008
The annual Shrove Tuesday football game in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, marks the launch of Played in Britain's latest book, Uppies and Downies. Author Hugh Hornby will be talking about his researches and signing copies at the Coach & Horses in Ashbourne on February 5 from 11:00am-1:30pm, before the afternoon's action, at a special launch day discount of £14.99.
Hillingdon lido revival under way
January 16 2008
After years of planning, work has at last started on the restoration of the Grade II listed Uxbridge Lido, first opened in 1935 but closed since 1998. The £25 million project includes renovation of the lido (featured in Janet Smith's book Liquid Assets) and the construction of an adjoining 50m indoor pool, the first of its kind in the London area.
Listed pigeon loft under threat
December 31 2007
Pigeon fanciers, local campaigners, MPs and Friends of the Earth have rallied to save Britain's only listed pigeon loft in Ryhope, Sunderland. Built in 1955, the loft is threatened with demolition now that its lease has expired. Former colliery workers have already refused £250,000 compensation to quit the allotment site.
Note: Played in Britain author Lynn Pearson will be surveying pigeon lofts in the north east in Played on Tyne and Wear, due for publication in 2009.
Historic Glasgow playing fields under threat
December 4 2007
Hughenden playing fields, established as a memorial to pupils of the Hillhead High School killed in the war, are at the centre of a row between local residents and the grounds' owners, the Hillhead Sports Club. The planning dispute is typical of the difficulties facing clubs, local authorities and users over the conservation of historic sports grounds.
Note: Played in Britain author Ged O'Brien is currently researching Glasgow's sporting heritage in conjunction with Historic Scotland. The results will be published in Played in Glasgow in 2009.
Played in Britain at Liverpool Conference
December 1 2007
Played in Britain editor Simon Inglis and Played in Liverpool author Ray Physick will be joining Stephen Done, curator of the Liverpool FC museum, as speakers at a session on Public History in Theory and Practice: Art, Archaeology, Film, Sport, at the Public History Conference, to be staged in Liverpool from April 10-12, 2008.
Hall of Fame for Welsh Sport
October 28 2007
Campaigners for a permanent home for the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame are celebrating after the announcement by the minister for heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, that the Welsh Assembly Government will work with the Hall of Fame trustees to source funding.
Iconic 1960s Sports Centre upgrade confirmed
October 17 2007
Plans have been unveiled by the London Development Agency for a £67 million upgrade of Crystal Palace Park, including the construction of a new sports centre and Olympic-size swimming pool that will be buried under grass. The Grade II* listed sports centre, opened in 1964, will be retained but the main swimming pool closed to create a 'dry' sports arena.
Note: the swimming pool at Crystal Palace is one of several iconic post war pools to be featured in Played in Britain's forthcoming study Great Lengths - the indoor swimming pools of Britain, by Dr Ian Gordon, to be published during the summer of 2008.
Sport History group set up on Facebook
September 13 2007
Martin Polley of Southampton University, the author of Played in Britain's forthcoming book The British Olympics - Britain's Olympic heritage 1612-2012 (to be published in 2010), has set up a new Sport History group on Facebook. Martin wants it to become an informal place for networking, publicity, and chat.
Played in Liverpool launched at BBC Merseyside
June 1 2007
In the lead up to Liverpool's tenure as European Capital of Culture, Played in Britain and English Heritage celebrated the launch of Played in Liverpool, the third city study in the series. Written by local academic Ray Physick and sponsored by Liverpool '08, the book was warmly greeted by a large gathering at BBC Merseyside and was introduced by Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of the Liverpool City Council and himself a keen sports fan.
Played in Britain inspires swimming duo
May 27 2007
Inspired by the Played in Britain study, Liquid Assets - the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain, by Janet Smith, two swimmers from Dorset have set out to raise money for Save the Children over the summer by swimming a mile in every outdoor pool in the country.
New Cricket Museum for Cardiff
May 15 2007
Glamorgan Cricket has been awarded a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help set up a museum at its base in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Lancashire Football Ground claims to be world's oldest
May 8 2007
Thanks to recent research by Bolton academic Peter Swain, the Lancashire village of Turton is now claiming to have the oldest football ground in the world still in use today. The research discovered that the ground is nearly 50 years older than previously thought, having staged a Shrove Tuesday match between Tottington and Darwen in 1830.
Super Swimming Stadium model comes home
April 24 2007
Following a tip off from the Played in Britain team, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council made a winning bid at Christie's for a silver model of Morecambe's Super Swimming Stadium, originally presented to a local dignitary when the open air pool, designed by Kenneth Cross and Cecil Sutton, was inaugurated in July 1936.
Note: for the full history of Morecambe's Super Swimming Stadium (which closed in 1975), see Played in Britain's Liquid Assets - the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain, by Janet Smith.
