Gorleston recreation ground opened on Whit Monday 1889, with a meeting for sports and old English games. Entries were restricted to residents of Yarmouth, Gorleston, Belton, Bradwell and Burgh Castle. There was no bicycle racing at the event. Gorleston FC played at the ground from 1889.
In 1890, the Town Council purchased the freehold of the ground for £850 and a cinder track for running and cycling, costing £80, was built, measuring just under four laps to the mile. The corners were ‘easy' but un-banked. Members of local clubs were allowed to use the sports facilities for a charge of one shilling annually for each club member.
The first bicycle races at the ground were at a sports meeting on 5th August 1890, where there was a one mile local handicap race and a three miles open handicap race, which was won by GL Morris of Polytechnic CC off scratch. Prizes of £60 were on offer, admission cost sixpence, the Royal Navy Artillery Volunteer Band provided the music and there was a fireworks display by Pain's of London. The Yarmouth Gazette criticised the organisation of the meeting, citing delays due the ammunition for the starting pistol being lost, the checkers losing count of the number of completed laps in the 3 miles bicycle race and the timekeeper failing to record race times.
The summer of 1891 was very busy at the track, there were frequent Thursday evening sports meetings organised by Gorleston CC and Gorleston Harriers, which included bicycle racing. Other meetings were organised by the Amusements Committee, Gorleston Regatta, Winchester House and the Friendly Societies Fete. The last summer meeting was a benefit for the groundsman, Mr Shorten and the finishing area was illuminated with a Wells' light.**
Race meetings continued until 1896, but attendances at the evening meetings declined, with only 400 spectators at the last August meeting in 1896.
There were several sports meetings with bicycle racing in 1897, these included the Jubilee sports, the Amusement Committee sports which attracted 4,000 spectators, and the Regatta sports. In June 1897, the Yarmouth Mercury predicted that the Amusements Committee was against including cycle races in future sports meetings. This turned out to be correct and the Regatta sports on 12th August 1897 saw bicycle racing stop at the recreation ground.
Gorleston CC seemed to fade away after 1900 and a new club called Yarmouth Athletic and Cycle Club was formed on 31st May 1904. After a lapse of seven years, bicycle racing returned to the recreation ground when Yarmouth ACC held their first annual meeting on Thursday 17th August 1905. As well as running races, there were bicycle races over one and two miles and a novices race. Unfortunately, this was a false dawn and there was no more bicycle racing at the ground.
The recreation ground continued to be used for football and school sports. Gorleston FC eventually moved to Emerald Park in 1982, after playing at the recreation ground for nearly one hundred years. Gorleston Recreation Ground still exists.
** Wells' lights were used before electric lighting and were portable paraffin lamps, frequently used on construction sites. Nottingham Forest played an evening match against Notts Rangers in 1889 which was illuminated by 14 Wells lights.