Manchester - Hyde Kingston House
Manchester Road Hyde : SK14 2DE Manchester - Hyde Kingston House : Map credit National Library of Scotland Manchester - Hyde Kingston House : Image credit Tameside Archives Velocipedes arrived early in Hyde, Thomas Hemingway introduced velocipedes with an announcement in the North Cheshire Herald on June 5th 1869, and two days later, three intrepid velocipedes riders struggled their way through Hyde to Hemingway's premises on Tower Street, where he hired out velocipedes and had a large practice room. There was a bicycle contest at Hyde Velocipede Ground, Clarendon Street, Market Street, for locals from Hyde, Newton and Godley with wheel size limited to 36". A one mile race was held by the proprietor, John Godley, at the Eagle and Oak, Gee Cross on August 7th 1869. First prize was a copper kettle, entrance cost one shilling, no less than six entries. Godley held another one mile race at the Eagle a month later, on September 13th during Hyde Wakes Week. Grand Velocipede Races were held on September 4th and 6th 1869, with two races each day and race entrance cost 6d. Velocipede wheel size was limited to 36 inches and the first prize was a silver cup and second prize a silver drinking tot. Admission to the races cost one penny.

After the 1869 mania for velocipedes had passed, there was only one documented bicycle race at Hyde in the 1870s, which was at Newton Bank Cricket Ground athletics festival on 5th July 1879, but unfortunately there were no entries for the race. It was not until 1885 that Hyde Athletic Sports were held in the Kingston district of Hyde that regular bicycle racing took place.

Kingston House was the home of Joshua Hall, who was a cotton manufacturer working from Kingston Mills in Hyde. Hyde Athletic Sports were held in the fields next to Kingston House and the nearby Kingston Mills from 1885. The first sports were held on 11th July 1885 and included a one mile bicycle handicap race confined to local riders and held under NCU rules. Following this meeting, all the athletics competitors were suspended by the Northern Counties Athletic Association because the event was held under AAA rules. This was at the time when the AAA were in a bitter dispute NCU with each other.

When Kingston Working Men's Club took over the organisation of the athletic sports in 1886, they were more popular but the bicycle race was however spoilt "Owing to a private dispute in the Hyde Cyclists Club" which resulted in only four competitors starting the race. The dispute arose because the scratch man elected to ride a road machine, whilst all the other riders were on roadsters.

The 1887 Sports drew a crowd of over 4,000 and sixteen riders competed in the one mile open bicycle handicap race. The winner of the race, for a prize of a silver plated tea urn, was E Bramhall of Henbury. The course was described as "wretched" by the Denton Examiner. Betting was openly taking place at the sports, particularly on the outcome of the bicycle race, the police were in attendance and arrested three people for gambling with dice. Music was provided by the Kingston Mills Band.

From 1890, the sports were organised by Hyde Amateur Athletic Club and returned to their original venue at Newton Bank Cricket Ground. Advertisements for the event included the statement "Prizes are guaranteed full value", as some race organisers at this time quite often tried to short change prize winners. Hyde Athletics Sports continued until 1891.

Kingston Mill is now an industrial estate and Kingston House and the adjacent fields are crossed by the M67. Kingston House was demolished and subsequently developed for housing, in the area called Kingston Gardens.


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