The first bicycle racing at the Rink Field was organised by Stoodley and Harmston, the proprietors of the Continental Circus, they held a fete and gala on August Bank Holiday 1877. There was horse and pony racing on a half mile track and within this there was a circular track for cycle races. The sports included a two miles bicycle handicap race with six competitors, but the ground was very bumpy and riders had difficulty in staying upright. The winner was F Jameson from Wisbech, who received a silver watch and F Moyer was in second place for a gold pin. The various entertainments included steam-horse roundabouts, shooting galleries, coconut shies, a unicycle race and Professor Hogini with a trapeze act. The 5th Royal Irish Lancers provided music and there was a fireworks display in the evening. The attendance for the day was reported as 15,000.
There were bicycle races for several more years on the Rink Field, usually on Whit Monday and August Bank Holiday. On September 1st 1880, a large crowd watched the World Champion John Keen ride ten miles around the Rink against the clock. He rode a 52 inch machine and the cramped rink required 13½ laps for each mile. He completed the task in 35min 15sec. Pasha Reklaw**, the ‘Turkish Wonder' amused the crowd after the event.
Peterborough Athletic Club was formed in 1883, the club's President was Earl Fitzwilliam and Lord Burghley and Lord Euston were vice-presidents. The club held their first sports meetings on Whit Monday, the Mayor asked all local tradesmen to close for a half day holiday in support of the sports. There were two bicycle and two tricycle races. The ground was in excellent condition and there was a platform in the middle of the track on which the Engineer Volunteer band played throughout the event. There was a refreshments marquee and a telegraph board.^^
The following year Peterborough AC held their second Whit Monday meeting at the Rink Field, the weather was fine and warm and there were over three thousand spectators. There were two bicycle races amongst the dozen or so athletic events. In the two miles open handicap race WJ Rowe, the Peterborough champion, won the race off 260 yards after a ‘to and fro' race with Tom Diggle of Weston who was off 300 yards, time 7m 9.4s. There was a two miles handicap race for members of Peterborough Athletic Club and once again Rowe was victorious. In the evening, there was a display of Mr Payne's fireworks and the ‘Devils Own' provided the music. This was probably the last bicycle racing to be held in the Boroughbury area.
The Peterborough Land Company purchased 330 acres of land around Boroughbury in 1875 and in the late 1870s and 1880s, the area was systematically parcelled out for housing. This is probably why bicycle racing in the area finished around 1884 and sports meetings moved to Crawthorne Road cricket ground.
** Pasha Reklaw (real name Walker ie Reklaw backwards) was a popular circus performer, juggler, and wire-walker.
^^ Telegraph board
Ref https://www.peterboroughcivicsociety.org.uk/plaques_blue1.php
Road conditions
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003302/19350118/195/0010
1877 Mr Little's field
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003300/18770811/056/0006
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/18840607/068/0006
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003300/18780727/038/0004
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001629/18780525/116/0002
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https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001629/18800731/036/0002
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/18810709/038/0005
Fitzwilliam Hall, PE1 1RX opened 1872 (later Shelton's) now Peterborough Central Library
The Theatre Royal did not start off as a theatre. Originally it was an enormous hall constructed as an indoor roller skating rink. To its south, where the current Central Library now is, was the outdoor roller skating rink. Designed by Hayward & Pye of Colchester, the skating rinks opened in April 1877, but the popularity of roller skating waned, and the indoor rink began to have a secondary use for staging these public events which required a large hall.
Mr Little's Park Road field was the site of the local agricultural show, it was near Fitzwilliam Hall and the skating rink. For sports at the field, a wooden fence was erected to form an enclosure.
Although the existence of a library as a book club for local professionals and clergy can be traced back to the founding of Peterborough Gentlemen's Society in 1730, this building housed the first purpose-built public library in Peterborough. It was the second library to serve the city as a whole. It replaced one which had been been part of the Fitzwilliam Hall/Theatre Royal and fronted Park Road. This Carnegie Library was opened to the public on 4 December 1905 and officially opened on 29 May 1906 by Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish/ American industrialist and philanthropist who had provided the funding. Cheering crowds saw the opening ceremony take place on a specially erected platform with Carnegie being awarded Freeman of the City. A separate platform for ladies was somewhat tactlessly located opposite in the Cattle Market area.
The Fitzwilliam skating rink became the Theatre Royal.
/
Peterborough, Cricket Ground, Crawthorne Road PE1 1SZ 1885-1911 grass 5 ltm
Peterborough Town Cricket Club was formed around 1850 and they played at their Crawthorne Road ground. Northamptonshire CCC played first-class cricket matches there and also matches against International teams from New Zealand and Pakistan.
The first bicycle racing at the ground was Whit Monday May 25th 1885 when the Peterborough Athletic Club held a sports meeting. Some of the best athletes in the area were competing but the day was marred by heavy rain which made the ground heavy going. There were three bicycle handicap races, the one mile was won by Dan Albone of Biggleswade, the two miles by WJ Rowe of Peterborough Bicycle Club^^ and in the club race H Baldwick off 20 yards just beat scratch man Rowe. The attendance was 2,500, music was provided by the First Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteers and there was dancing in the evening followed by a fireworks display.
The Peterborough BC held there own annual sports meeting later in the year on September 12th using a marked out circular track of five laps to the mile. Rowe and Albone were again the best riders with the former winning the club ten miles championship race.
The Athletic Club's Whit Monday sports became a popular annual fixture, there was an attendance of 5,000 in 1888. In 1886 Peterborough BC held a series of evening meetings which attracted crowds of 1,500 people these meetings were repeated for several years. Peterborough BC also held occasional August Bank Holiday sports meetings.
The New England Bicycle Club** organised an impromptu race meeting at the ground on July 15th 1892 when the planned cricket match was rained off. The club raced at the ground several other times at cricket matches and held their own race meetings there up to 1898. The club seemed to be defunct with ten years.
The Rowe Cycling Club *^ organised an open meeting on August 5th 1899, the attendance was nearly a thousand. The main event was the NCU (Northampton Centre) 25 miles track championship race. The finish was most thrilling, two laps from home Ramsay of Oundle and Rowe of Peterborough were neck-a-neck, passing and re-passing each other until Rowe forged ahead and won by half a wheel. The prizes were donated by the people and tradesmen of the town and the club made a profit on the meeting. The well known trick rider A Pellant entertained the crowd. The club organised evening races at the ground for the next three years.
Both Peterborough Road Bicycle Club and Rowe CC held their race meetings and evening sports at the ground in the early 1900s. The last bicycle racing on the cricket ground was at the Peterborough Athletic Club sports on June 5th 1911, the crowd of nearly 4,000 watched three bicycle races over half, one and three miles.
The cricket club left the ground in 1966 to move to Bretton Gate, the ground is now Stanley Park.
** The New England Bicycle Club formed around 1891 in Peterborough. New England is a district of Peterborough. Thirteen members of the club were found summoned for riding furiously whilst taking part in a 20 miles road race between Warrington and Bourne on June 27th 1895, they were each fined half a crown.
^^ Peterborough Bicycle Club was formed in 1873 and they had their first road race on October4th 1873 with seven competitors. Mr Morley was the captain, Mr Catling secretary and Mr Julian treasurer. The club headquarters in 1879 was at the Bell and Oak Inn. In 1899 Peterborough Bicycle Club and Peterborough Tricycle Club joined together to form Peterborough Cycling Club, they had a membership of 180. Peterborough Cycling Club still exists and is one of the oldest continuously active cycling club in the UK.
*^ Rowe Cycling Club was formed around 1898, the club was managed by several members of the Rowe family and Oliver Rowe was the leading racing cyclist in Peterborough. The Rowe Cycle Company had two shops in Peterborough, on Cowgate and St Leonard's Street.
Refs UK Veteran Cycling Club library, Peterborough Cycling Club
https://www.peterboroughcyclingclub.co.uk/club-history-1874-1974-peterborough-cycling-club-centenary/
Pics
Crawthorne Road Credit wiki
From VCC 1897 program cover AND Club dinner
Albone pic ref Ref https://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/BedfordshireSports/Cycling.aspx
PCC photo
https://www.peterboroughcyclingclub.co.uk/club-history-1874-1974-peterborough-cycling-club-centenary/
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004075/18850428/063/0002
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1892 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004075/18920720/065/0006
1893 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000237/18930728/031/0004
1904 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000237/19040729/031/0004
https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=Peterborough Cycling Club
Peterborough, Ramsey, Hassock Meadow PE26 1BG grass 1886-1904
Ramsey Cricket Club played at Hassock Meadow and sports meetings were held there. Ramsey sports were well known for their bicycle races and were well patronised by people from Peterborough.
The first bicycle races in Ramsey were at the Odd Fellows gala on July 5th 1870. The course was on the road at Wood Lane and there were three bicycle races, the first was "open to all England" **, followed by a local race and finally a scratch race.
The Ramsey Gala was first held on July 25 1872, it followed the formula of the Odd Fellows event and became an annual institution, with athletics and pony racing. On the morning of the gala bicycle races were held on the Great Whyte, a street in Ramsey, the event attracted large crowds.
There were two bicycle races, both over a mile, the first "open to all England" and the second a local race. At the following year's gala there were only two competitors in the bicycle race.
It was not until Easter Monday 1886 that bicycle races on a grass track were held on Hassock Meadow organised by the Ramsey Cricket Club. Along with the running and pony races there were two bicycle races. The Hunts County News reported that the bicycle races "fell very flat, owing to the small number of competitors and to the riders being very unequally matched." In the one mile local race there were two riders and three riders in the two miles open race.
Notwithstanding this poor start, the Easter Monday sports became and annual event at Ramsey, which was usually a sleepy country town. The sports were very well attended and made a good profit, at the 1889 sports there were 17 events including the one and two miles bicycle races. Music was provided by St Marks Band from Peterborough and in the evening there was a Cinderella dance^^ held at the Abbey Rooms.
Ramsey Cycling Club was formed around 1891 and in the sports that year, five members of the club competed in the bicycle races. There were 23 competitors in the one mile race, pneumatic machines were penalised 60 yards and cushion tyres 30 yards. The one mile race attracted an entry of nineteen. There an attendance of nearly 3,000 despite the poor weather.
In the early 1890s Ramsey CC held their club sports at the ground. The annual club meeting on September 12th 1895 had four events, the principal one being the five miles club championship.
Ramsey sports continued successfully until the Easter Monday meeting in 1904 and the seemed to disappear from the calendar. Hassock Meadow is still a cricket ground and Ramsey Cricket Club (The Rams) still play there.
** ‘Open to all England' was sometimes added to advertisements for bicycle races, particularly in the 1870s. This was an affectation to promote the race.
^^ A dance that ends at midnight.
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001629/18720727/036/0003
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003300/18730719/045/0005
1889 Easter Monday
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/18910404/064/0007
1891
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/18910404/064/0007
1898
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000421/18980415/110/0006
1900
1905 Easter Monday Ramsey Athletic Sports
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003301/1905040/0004
Peterborough, Britannia Inn Eastgate 1878 grass
Britannia Inn on Eastgate in Peterborough was a historic local public house, they had a field behind the inn which was used for sports, the entrance to the field was near the top of Gravel Walk. The publican of the Britannia was Edward Davis who organised some sporting events on the field, particularly quoits matches.
On Whit Monday 1878 the Britannia Inn held a sports meeting on their field, unfortunately there was another great attraction in Peterborough on the same day, this was a gala at Boroughbury, which reduced the attendance at the Britannia. The sports were pony and bicycle racing, also foot racing and pole jumping. The course was fenced around the field and the spectators were in the middle of the ring.
The principal and most exciting events were pole vaulting and bicycle racing. The long pole jump carried was won by F Jackson and G Callow cleared 9ft 8in in the high pole jump. There were two bicycle races, the amateur handicap race over ¾ mile (four laps) was won by E Clark for £1 10s. The subscription Cup race, value 5 guineas, over about two miles, went to E Jamson. Admission cost six pence, children half price. The band of the 1st Northamptonshire Engineer Volunteer Corps played throughout the afternoon.
This was probably the only bicycle racing at the Britannia, quoits matches continued there for many years, but athletics and bicycle racing on the ground undoubtedly suffer3d because of the successful galas at Boroughbury.
The Britannia Inn continued as a public house until 1957, when it served as the city's first post-war Polish Club. The building was ultimately demolished during the major Eastgate redevelopment schemes of the 1970s.
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001629/18780601/054/0002
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001629/18780615/060/0004
—Long List —
Peterborough, Crowland, Snowden Field PE6 0EG
Abbey School fete on 1870-1890
1878
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003300/18780615/079/0007
1879
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003300/18790621/078/0008
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Peterborough, Melbourne Road, Franklin's Gardens NN5 5BG grass 5ltm 1869-
Franklin's Gardens were originally known as Melbourne Gardens, they were created by John Collier and opened in 1864. John Franklin bought the Gardens in 1886 and re-named them Franklin's Gardens. Franklin owned the local Franklin Hotel on Guildhall Road.
The first bicycle racing at the Gardens was at the Northampton Gymnastic Club sports meeting on June 8th 1869. There was a very large attendance and a stand was erected and the Northamptonshire and Rutland Militia Band provided the music. Along with the running and athletics contests, the was a one mile bicycle race for a silver cup, valued at £2 5s. Five men started on the grass course, marked out at five laps to the mile. Cooper from Coventry, recovered after a fall and won in 4min 10sec. The race aroused much interest because it was the first time that bicycle had been seen in the town. There were gymnastic displays and steam roundabouts, and in the Gardens were illuminated and there was dancing on the grass.
10th sports at Aug Bank Holiday 1876
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003300/18760729/181/0005
In 1888, the Gardens were sold for £17,000 to the Northampton Brewery Company, which started making extensive improvements. New features included a running track, bicycle track, cricket ground, swimming pool, bear pit, a large ornamental lake, an improved monkey house, and a larger zoological garden.
1920 Franklin's Gardens Sports and Pleasure Co Ltd.
A rugby stadium was built at Franklin's gardens in 2001 which is the home stadium of Northampton Saints and Loughborough Lightning.