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Speedway. Perry Barr.

Hi Jean,
I'm sorry Hon, I have no idea, perhaps a little before my time.
However I have attached it to an Email and have sent it to some of the Brummies speedway forum, if anybody can help they can ha ha.
As soon as I hear something I'll let you know ok
 
Hi Jean, Winston,
This rider is Bob Lovell and the picture was taken in 1947, the year I was born ha ha, thats how I didnt know him ha ha.
I have that on good authority of Brian Buck....... Mr Brummies Speedway himself! What this man don't know about the Brummies, well lets put it like this he's Speedway through and through. It was thanks to him that the Brummies are back in Brum!
Anything else you need to know just ask ok? Like I said If I don't know someone will lol.:D
 
I have been an ardent follower of Birmingham's Speedway team "The BRUMMIES" for the last 71 years and still thoroughly enjoy my Wednesday night visits to Perry Barr during the summer months. (The racenight is due to change to Mondays from 2024 onwards by the way.)

The first ever speedway meeting to be staged in Birmingham was at the Brummies present home, then known as the Alexander Stadium, on July 14th 1928, and then at weekly intervals at this venue, but for 1929, the year when the first speedway leagues were formed, the operation was transferred across the Walsall Road to the old greyhound stadium which was demolished in 1984 to make way for the One Stop Shopping Precinct which now covers the site.

The 1929 Southern League included two Birmingham teams Perry Barr and Hall Green, but Hall Green resigned after racing only 7 matches, four of which they won, after a dispute with the other clubs over the number of races that they were expected to stage for their patrons, but the stadium continued to stage non-league matches.

Hall Green returned to the league in 1930 and this time it was Perry Barr's turn to resign after only four matches. The speedway and greyhound operation were both controlled by the stadium owners the Frazier Family who it appears, preferred the dogs which were more profitable, to the bikes, but Perry Barr still continued to run non-league meetings.

The two Birmingham clubs only ever met each other once in a league fixture, this being at Perry Barr on May 7th 1930, when Hall Green won 36-18.

Hall Green continued as a league club until the end of the 1938 season when problems with local residents over noise forced the promoter Arthur Westwood to close down the track for speedway.

After the war, speedway resumed at its original home the Alexander Stadium in 1946, and continued until July 31st 1957 when Les Marshall the promoter, pulled the club out of the National League following a bitter dispute with the Speedway Control Board. The sport resurfaced there briefly in 1960 under the promotion of Doug Ellis and P.M. Hart of the insurance and property company, but Birchfield Harriers declined to extend the lease on the stadium, so speedway was lost to the City until 1971 when the old Walsall Road dog track was successfully, re-opened, continuing there until the stadium fell victim to property developers at the end of 1983.

There then followed a disastrous three year spell at The Wheels Park in Bordesley Green, and a 21year wait before being able to re-start back at the place where it all started back in 1928!

I am in the process of compiling a more detailed history of Birmingham Speedway so would appreciate any help from readers of this forum.
 
hi brian have you seen the below thread...start reading from post 1 so that you do not miss any old photos..click on link below

lyn

Birmingham Speedway, Perry Barr

There don't seem to be a lot of sport contributions on this excellent webring, which doesn't worry me much, because I was never very interested. But I do remember going to the motor cycle speedway racing at the old Birchfield Harriers stadium, known as the "Alexandra Ground" in Aldridge Road...
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
I'm glad speedway at Perry Barr continues. I can smell Castrol R as I type this. A fellow scout took us and when we camped at Poole Harbour we went to an away meeting there. There were a lot of Danish riders in the early 1970s I think. Later I worked in Baker Building of Birmingham Polytechnic (now demolished) and our office had a view of the track and dogs on other days.
 
Brian Buck said:
I have been an ardent follower of Birmingham's Speedway team "The BRUMMIES" for the last 71 years and still thoroughly enjoy my Wednesday night visits to Perry Barr during the summer months. (The racenight is due to change to Mondays from 2024 onwards by the way.)

The first ever speedway meeting to be staged in Birmingham was at the Brummies present home, then known as the Alexander Stadium, on July 14th 1928, and then at weekly intervals at this venue, but for 1929, the year when the first speedway leagues were formed, the operation was transferred across the Walsall Road to the old greyhound stadium which was demolished in 1984 to make way for the One Stop Shopping Precinct which now covers the site.

The 1929 Southern League included two Birmingham teams Perry Barr and Hall Green, but Hall Green resigned after racing only 7 matches, four of which they won, after a dispute with the other clubs over the number of races that they were expected to stage for their patrons, but the stadium continued to stage non-league matches.

Hall Green returned to the league in 1930 and this time it was Perry Barr's turn to resign after only four matches. The speedway and greyhound operation were both controlled by the stadium owners the Frazier Family who it appears, preferred the dogs which were more profitable, to the bikes, but Perry Barr still continued to run non-league meetings.

The two Birmingham clubs only ever met each other once in a league fixture, this being at Perry Barr on May 7th 1930, when Hall Green won 36-18.

Hall Green continued as a league club until the end of the 1938 season when problems with local residents over noise forced the promoter Arthur Westwood to close down the track for speedway.

After the war, speedway resumed at its original home the Alexander Stadium in 1946, and continued until July 31st 1957 when Les Marshall the promoter, pulled the club out of the National League following a bitter dispute with the Speedway Control Board. The sport resurfaced there briefly in 1960 under the promotion of Doug Ellis and P.M. Hart of the insurance and property company, but Birchfield Harriers declined to extend the lease on the stadium, so speedway was lost to the City until 1971 when the old Walsall Road dog track was successfully, re-opened, continuing there until the stadium fell victim to property developers at the end of 1983.

There then followed a disastrous three year spell at The Wheels Park in Bordesley Green, and a 21year wait before being able to re-start back at the place where it all started back in 1928!

I am in the process of compiling a more detailed history of Birmingham Speedway so would appreciate any help from readers of this forum.
Click to expand...

Several on the Forum have access to the Newspaper Archives so if you need any specific info just ask and give a date. Good luck.
 
I heard on Central News last night, that there are concerns that the new Speedway season may be the Brummies last. The lease on the track expires next year and like at Cradley and Wolverhampton, speedway may cease on the site, the same would be the case for greyhound racing too.

Developers want to bulldoze the Perry Barr Stadium and to replace it with 338 apartments and 89 town houses. The scheme would be known as "The Races" and is said to be expected to mirror the apartment complex built across the street, as an athletes village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In what way I wonder? In being still empty months and years, after building work has finished perhaps? How about getting the empty apartments occupied, before building some more?
 
John L said:
I heard on Central News last night, that there are concerns that the new Speedway season may be the Brummies last. The lease on the track expires next year and like at Cradley and Wolverhampton, speedway may cease on the site, the same would be the case for greyhound racing too.

Developers want to bulldoze the Perry Barr Stadium and to replace it with 338 apartments and 89 town houses. The scheme would be known as "The Races" and is said to be expected to mirror the apartment complex built across the street, as an athletes village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In what way I wonder? In being still empty months and years, after building work has finished perhaps? How about getting the empty apartments occupied, before building some more?
Click to expand...
this beggars belief john....that is all i am saying :mad:

lyn
 
The Brummies were beaten by Leicester on Monday in front of a capacity crowd and now the developers will move in. Photographs below (1 - CEO Nigel Tolley thanks spectators after racing, 2 - One of the last few races & 3 - Another soon to be disappearing Birmingham landmark) :rolleyes: :

1756476053780.png 1756476393064.png 1756476507513.png
 
Richard Dye said:
Am I not understanding this: there are residences never occupied from the Commonwealth Games, and the city is building more? With the global population declining!
Click to expand...
You are understanding the situation 100% Richard. It is a bit like the 1989 film "Field of Dreams" and specifically the famous line from it:

1756551844100.png :rolleyes: I wonder whether, if you keep building them, one day they will all get occupied..;)
 
As I understand it, the Commonwealth Games buildings were small flats. The new "village will undoubtedly be larger homes that sell for more and make much (excessive) profit for the developers
 
mikejee said:
As I understand it, the Commonwealth Games buildings were small flats. The new "village will undoubtedly be larger homes that sell for more and make much (excessive) profit for the developers
Click to expand...
You are probably correct! When they (whoever they are) did a poor job of developing the Commonwealth Games residencies! The my should have been designed for conversion. Unfortunately they are spending others £££, and not caring of the waste which it is. In business we have a metric called “asset utilization” the Commonwealth Games residencies are a net O! My apologies but this is SO wasteful as is the speedway track being derelict since 2016!
 
hi richard..its like losing an old friend...no doubt it wont take long to build those flats/appartments which will most likely stay unoccupied for years.. :(

lyn
 
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