Wakefield - Belle Vue
Doncaster Road : WF1 5HS
Wakefield - Belle Vue : Map credit National Library of Scotland Wakefield - Belle Vue : Image credit Wakefield Libraries Pinterest The Great West Riding Agricultural Show moved to Belle Isle Fields, Sandal Road, and on September 3rd 1870 a velocipede race was included in the sports. About this time, Wakefield Trinity rugby club moved to play in a field at Belle Vue, this may have been Belle Isle Fields or the site of their permanent Belle Vue stadium. The Wakefield horse and dog show on 4th August 1883 held a two miles bicycle handicap race on the Trinity Football Ground at Belle Vue. The Wakefield Cycling Club held a members one mile handicap race at the Wakefield Trinity athletic festival in 1884. In the two miles open race Richard Mecredy, the Dublin crack won off 265 yards. Mecredy went on to win every race that he entered in 1890, including all four NCU championships.

The Wakefield Trinity Athletic Company was set up in 1897 and raised capital of £4,000, their prospectus stated that they would purchase the ‘Wakefield Trinity Football Field' and build a new football field and a banked cinder cycle track, 4 laps to the mile. The new athletic ground at Belle Vue was built and the first bicycle race there was the Wakefield Trinity Football and Athletic Club festival which took place on 6th August 1898 and included ½, 1 and 2 miles handicap events.

Wakefield Trinity Cycling and Athletic Club held their annual athletic sports there in 1898. In the 1899 sports there were five bicycle races, including a tandem event.

The Wakefield annual athletics festival at Belle Vue was held on August Bank Holidays and the 1902 festival included four bicycle races, one of which was the half mile championship of the NCU (West Riding). The annual sports festival seems to have stopped around 1905.

The stadium at Belle Vue still exists and Wakefield Trinity still play there, despite several abortive plans for them to move to a new ground.


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Photos : Wakefield Libraries Pinterest
Maps    : National Library of Scotland