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Hall Green Dog Track

I believe Perry Barr is still a race track. I went to Hall Green a lot with my father in the fifties, he would lift me over the turnstile to get in, with the doorman's agreement.
 
Changing times unfortunately.

My dad used to love going to the dogs, taking me and my brother when we were young and I still remember running around picking up losing tickets. He even owned a dog for a while which won a trophy (possibly the only race it won).
 
My mum worked there as a waitress in the early 1970s. Sadly there are no sporting facilities in Hall Green following the closure of Moor Green football stadium many years ago; also to make way for housing. Sign of the times I guess but sad nonetheless.
 
My mother worked as a tote operator at both Hall Green and Kings Heath for several years during most of the 1950s. She also had two other part time jobs at Lucas Formans Road and at an office in Poplar Road, Kings Heath. My father died whilst I and my younger brother were still at school and she was left with an uninsured mortgage on our house to pay off. All credit to her, she managed it. I never got to visit either track, but several of her betting customers would bet at both tracks as they operated on different days/times.

Maurice
 
I worked on the turnstiles back in the 90s, used to go there after my day job!!! All the other turnstiles were manned by College Students and before long I had set up a 'game' of our own - see who could get a set of pound coins the quickest - made a boring job a lot more interesting!!!
My DH was a runner inside, used to have to wait for him to finish before we could go home. The old place looks a bit neglected at the moment .......
 
Sad times for dog racing. In the heyday there was Perry Barr, Hall Green, Kings Heath, Willenhall, Cradley Heath, and Monmore within range. Now only Perry Barr and Monmore remain, both owned by Ladbrokes, and there are no dog tracks left in London after the recent closure of Wimbledon.

The big bookmakers, such as Ladbrokes, make shed loads of money from Dog Racing; a race virtually every 10 mins from about 10 in the morning to gone 10 at night available via satellite for gambling all over the globe.

Needless to say they don't give enough back to the sport.
 
It's between Fox Hollies Road and the railway line (which is between Hall Green and Spring Road Station). Cateswell Road is halfway between (towards the Stratford Road).
 
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