Greyhound Racing and Speedway at Towneley 1927

[mikeS]

Just come across this interesting site on a search.
If you click on the link and scroll down you'll see photos, maps and press cuttings of when Towneley had floodlit dog racing at Towneley drawing crowds of 7,000. https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2018 ... eley-park/

[FCBurnley]

Very cool. Thanks for posting

[Loyalclaret]

Interesting

So near 'big Billy' and the golf course.

[Wile E Coyote]

thats very interesting, I cant enlarge the map. Does anyone know what area of towneley the speedway and dog track would be on now.

[Royboyclaret]

thats very interesting, I cant enlarge the map. Does anyone know what area of towneley the speedway and dog track would be on now.

Wile.....It's all there at the end of the article at the link, the very last sentence.

[Roger1960]

Looking at the maps it was next to the road into the park from todmorden road where the golf course is now opposite unity school the long side of the track running parallel with the road

[Dark Cloud]

There was a thread re this a while back and someone put a link to hugely interesting maps you can get up on line which overlay old buildings etc on new and current maps. It was interesting to see the old Burnley Barracks housing the garrison was exactly where the gym is, opposite The Angel for example. The greyhound track (also speedway for a short while too) appeared to be right where the old Towneley school was I think, but someone may correct me.

[huw.Y.WattfromWare]

There has been a photo up previously of a plane on a dog/athletic? track at Towneley. I’ll see if I canfindit.

[tiger76]

Good find and some great pictures, certainly not a part of the town's history that I was aware of, and you wouldn't have thought Towneley would have once laid claim to the biggest greyhound track in the country.

[scouseclaret]

thats very interesting, I cant enlarge the map. Does anyone know what area of towneley the speedway and dog track would be on now.

Who knew? Looking at that map, rather than being subsumed by the golf course as it says in the brief history at the end, I reckon it was where the car park on Townley Holmes Road is now.

[ClaretPope]

Who knew? Looking at that map, rather than being subsumed by the golf course as it says in the brief history at the end, I reckon it was where the car park on Townley Holmes Road is now.

That’s correct, there were still some ruins of the concrete buildings there in the 1950s - for the local kids to play in.

[BigF]

I remember playing in the concrete remains of this when I was much, (much !!), younger -60 years ago. I think it was where the car park/sports area is now along Towneley Holmes. (Is the sports area/ hard surface etc), still there? Haven't been up there for many years. There was a little stream that ran through these remains and into the River Calder. We used to call that area "Schofields" .

[ChrisG]

There was a thread re this a while back and someone put a link to hugely interesting maps you can get up on line which overlay old buildings etc on new and current maps. It was interesting to see the old Burnley Barracks housing the garrison was exactly where the gym is, opposite The Angel for example. The greyhound track (also speedway for a short while too) appeared to be right where the old Towneley school was I think, but someone may correct me.

Is this the one Dark Cloud? https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/

[Gerry Hattrick]

I remember playing in the concrete remains of this when I was much, (much !!), younger -60 years ago. I think it was where the car park/sports area is now along Towneley Holmes. (Is the sports area/ hard surface etc), still there? Haven't been up there for many years. There was a little stream that ran through these remains and into the River Calder. We used to call that area "Schofields" .

Good memory Biggun.
The kennels for the greyhounds were in the area of the all weather pitches, with the track and main stand running parallel to The Holmes, all as shown on the composite picture attached.
The concrete remains you mention are still there to the left of the northwest curve of the track although that area is now a 'wilderness' and they're hard to see.
Perhaps worth a mention is the Red Gate Farm football pitches which were in the area of the golf course where the track was. I can remember playing on 'em as a kid/young teenager.

[Bfc]

I mentioned on the previous thread, there had been large concrete slabs near to the brook. I also played on the pitch in 1962/63, at corner of the site.
I wouldn’t have believed, there was vandalism in the 1930s. My Grandad was a policeman, in that era and they wouldn’t have wanted a thick ear off him, if he’d caught them.
Great read by the way.

[Peter Loo]

Just come across this interesting site on a search.
If you click on the link and scroll down you'll see photos, maps and press cuttings of when Towneley had floodlit dog racing at Towneley drawing crowds of 7,000. https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2018 ... eley-park/

Thanks for posting Mike a very interesting piece of Burnley history.