News
Kentish Town Sports Centre re-opens after £25m restoration
July 26 2010
One of London's finest and most cherished historic swimming pools, the former St. Pancras Baths (known since 1993 as Kentish Town Sports Centre) re-opens on Monday, July 26 following an ambitious £25.3m restoration programme, easily the largest sum ever spent on the rebuilding of a British public swimming pool complex.
Swimming costume collection
July 26 2010
An extensive collection of over 500 swimming costumes donated by a Lincolnshire woman forms the centrepiece of Life's a Beach, a new exhibition opening at Southend Museum on August 7. The exhibits include replica costumes from the early 19th century up to 1900 and then an example from every year until the late 1980s.
For more information on Life's a Beach visit southendmuseums.co.uk.
British Sporting Heroes exhibition
July 26 2010
Worcester Cathedral is getting into the spirit of the Olympics with a new exhibition, British Sporting Heroes, which runs from August 7 - 30. The exhibition will feature up to 60 sports personalities, past and present, and celebrate nine major sports with sporting memorabilia loaned by museums and private collectors, demonstrations and talks.
For more information on British Sporting Heroes visit sportingheroes.org.uk.
£5m Investment Secures Future of Historic Birmingham Sports Complex
July 15 2010
Swimmers and conservation groups in Birmingham are celebrating the announcement that Birmingham's oldest swimming pool, the Grade II listed Woodcock Street Baths, built in 1902, is to be retained by its owners, the University of Aston, as part of a £5 million refurbishment of the sports centre. The announcement is all the more timely given that next month marks the 150th anniversary of the first pool to have been built on the site.
Swing Away - MCC Museum celebrates the 'special relationship'
June 10 2010
Despite what many Americans have been led to believe, baseball has strong roots in Britain, and shares many similarities with cricket (even moreso since the advent of 20-20). But only now, for the first time, has the MCC Museum at Lord's combined with its US counterpart at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the CC Morris Cricket Library and Collection from Philadelphia, to create a fascinating exhibition at Lord's exploring the two sports' special relationship. Our favourite exhibit was this jersey from the Hull Aces in the 1960s.
For more details of the Swinging Away exhibition, visit www.lords.org.
Revised White Hart Lane plans welcomed by conservationists
May 20 2010
Football fans, English Heritage, local conservationists, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and Played in Britain have this week welcomed revised plans submitted by Tottenham Hotspur for the redevelopment of White Hart Lane, following heated criticisms that the original plans, submitted last October, entailed the demolition of important historic buildings and the loss of a key streetscape on Tottenham High Road. In particular the revised plans have recognised campaigners' demand to save the famous Red House at 748 High Road and adapt its upper levels as a club museum.
View the revised plans, and visit savetheredhouse.synthasite.com for more on the Save the Red House Campaign.
Leitch barriers from Saltergate destined for museums
May 20 2010
They were once so ubiquitous at British sports grounds as to be almost invisible, but now, thanks to Played in Britain, two of the last known patented Leitch crush barriers in the country are to be preserved by the National Football Museum in Preston and the Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow. Both barriers are being donated to the museums by Chesterfield Football Club following the last ever match at Saltergate on May 9.
Redevelopment plans for Saltdean Lido meet stiff opposition on South Coast
March 19 2010
Controversial plans to build 100 flats on the site of the classic Art Deco, Grade II listed Saltdean Lido, and to fill in the open air swimming pool, have led to swimmers and local residents rallying in opposition. Opened in 1938 just outside Brighton, Saltdean is one of the most distinctive lidos to have survived from the 1930s, but after a succession of poor summers has been operating at a loss. For more details of the newly formed campaign group, visit the Save Saltdean Lido Campaign website.
Our Sporting Life exhibition launched at Henley
March 18 2010
Britain's museums have collaborated in advance of the 2012 Olympic Games to launch of a series of exhibitions called Our Sporting Life, showcasing sporting heritage both nationally and at a local level. The first exhibition can be visited at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley, and runs until July 11. For more details, visit www.culture24.org.uk.
Three inter-war sports related buildings listed by English Heritage and Historic Scotland
March 10 2010
Three sports and recreation-related buildings from the 1920s and 1930s in England and Scotland have been listed in recent months. They are an inter-war thatched cricket pavilion at Ashton Wold in Northamptonshire, an open air swimming pool at Ilkley in Yorkshire and a former municipal baths on Bruce Street in Clydebank.
Played in Glasgow launches at Aye Write festival
March 5 2010
To celebrate the launch of our latest book, Played in Glasgow, author Ged O'Brien and series editor Simon Inglis will be talking about their research at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, as part of the Aye Write Festival, on Friday March 12 at 6.00pm. Please note, the book will go on sale from this website on Monday, March 15, price £14.99. For more information, download the PDF.
Played in Birmingham National Trust Lecture
March 4 2010
Authors Simon Inglis and Steve Beauchampe will be delivering an illustrated lecture on sporting heritage in Birmingham on Tuesday, March 23 at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham, as part of the annual Birmingham Lecture Series, organised by the National Trust, the University of Birmingham and the Barber Institute. Tickets cost £7.50 (lecture only) or £15.00 (lecture and buffet) and can be purchased via 0121 414 7333. For more information, download the PDF.
Urgent appeal to save unique Roman racetrack
February 8 2010
Campaigners in Colchester have until the end of the month to raise £200,000 and save the only chariot racetrack in Britain. The track, or circus, was discovered by chance on former Ministry of Defence land but could be lost to housing.
New website showcases Suffolk's Olympic heritage
February 7 2010
A new online archive of Suffolk's Olympic and Paralympic successes, including swimmer Karen Pickering, has been launched in a bid to showcase the county's sporting heritage.
Olympian John Hulley celebrated
January 4 2010
A new website about John Hulley, one of the forgotten heroes of the modern Olympian movement, has been launched. Hulley, whose story is told in Played in Liverpool, was one of the founders of the National Olympian Association at his Liverpool Gymnasium in 1865.
Taylor scoops national award for Played at the Pub
December 5 2009
Arthur Taylor has been voted Coors National Journalist of the Year 2009 by the British Guild of Beer Writers for his book in the Played in Britain series, Played at the Pub. Commending his efforts to record an important aspect of pub culture, head of the judging panel Zak Avery said that Arthur's work stood out for being both entertaining and informative.
Father of the Football League honoured
December 2 2009
A bronze statue of William McGregor, a director of Aston Villa Football Club who came up with the idea of the Football League in 1888, has been unveiled at Villa Park afer six years of fundraising.
Octogenarian's sponsored swim for historic pool
November 30 2009
Seventy five years since he last swam in Moseley Road Baths in Birmingham, 82 year old Philip Morris is returning to the pool to undertake a sponsored swim.
Played and Made in Britain
October 24 2009
As part of the Victorian Society's Pleasure, Punishment and Protection autumn series of lectures, Played in Britain series editor Simon Inglis will be giving an illustrated lecture on sport and sporting architecture in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, at the Art Workers' Guild in London, on Tuesday November 3 at 6.30pm. Expect grandstands, pavilions, billiard halls, swimming pools and a load of old balls. Tickets cost £8 in advance or £10 on the night, but availability is strictly limited so advance booking is recommended.
Unique football archive goes online, with exhibition and lecture series to boot
October 8 2009
Launched in Liverpool last week, The Everton Collection must surely rank as the most comprehensive online archive of any sporting club in the world. Owned by a charitable Trust, the collection is housed at the Liverpool Record Office, but is now searchable online thanks to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. Sections include players and teams, match archives and programmes, photographs, playing kits, memorabilia and, amazingly, all the original club minutes from 1887-1964, page by page. An extraordinary achievement and thoroughly recommended, as are the accompanying exhibitions and lecture series.
Moseley Road Baths celebrates 102nd anniversary with Memories and Memorabilia Day
October 6 2009
Have you ever swum at the Grade II* listed Moseley Road Baths in Birmingham? Or know someone who has? If so, the Friends of Moseley Road will be ready to record impressions at a special Memories and Memorabilia Day on Saturday October 31. The afternoon also offers a chance to take a guided tour of this magnificent building and hear Played in Britain editor Simon Inglis (who swam in the baths as a child) speak about the history of public baths and his work with swimming pools expert Dr Ian Gordon on Great Lengths.
Demolition of Birmingham baths reveals long hidden depths, but not treasure
September 30 2009
As the much-lamented demolition of Birmingham's 1933 Kent Street baths comes to an end this month, to make way for a car park, Played in Birmingham co-authors Steve Beauchampé and Simon Inglis have been on hand to photograph the building, and see whether it would yield one last secret. Meanwhile, Beauchampé warns that Kent Street's 'sister' pool in Sparkhill appears to be next in line. Read more about the threat to Sparkhill at www.thestirrer.co.uk.
Sport and Leisure History Seminar programme published
September 29 2009
Lidos, lawn tennis and Elizabethan tournaments are amongst the subjects forming part of this autumn's lecture series organised by the Institute of Historical Research in London, starting on October 5. The lectures are free of charge, take place on Mondays at 5.15pm at Senate House in Malet Street, London, and are open to anyone with an interest in the history of sport and leisure.
Download the Sport and Leisure History Seminar autumn 2009 programme (PDF, 66k)
Arson destroys 100 year old clubhouse
September 29 2009
Members of Brentham Bowling Club in Ealing, west London, are devastated at the loss of their clubhouse and more than a century's worth of sporting heritage after arsonists razed it to the ground.
Pools, people and purpose
September 18 2009
Inspired by Played in Britain publications Great Lengths and Liquid Assets, top fashion designer Margaret Howell has joined with the RIBA Trust and London Open House to stage an exhibition on 20th century lido and swimming pool design at her Wigmore Street branch in London.
Restoration of historic Wolverton Park grandstand meets mixed response
September 15 2009
Visitors to last weekend's Heritage Open Day at Wolverton Park in Buckinghamshire gave mixed responses to the redevelopment of the former LNWR sports ground and its 1899 wooden grandstand, which now forms part of a major residential scheme completed by the developers Places for People and the Milton Keynes Partnership.
National Football Museum to transfer from Preston to Manchester
September 11 2009
After months of speculation surrounding the future of the National Football Museum at Deepdale, Preston - the chief rumour being that it would move to Wembley - news has emerged of an offer to house the exhibitions (but not the archives or collections) at Urbis, a futuristic but heavily subsidised 'museum of city life' located in Manchester. Both Manchester football clubs already have their own museums, so the NFM would add considerably to the city's sporting heritage assets.
Celebrating Great Lengths at the Victoria Baths, Manchester
September 4 2009
In advance of next weekend's Heritage Open Days, English Heritage invites members and non-members to an extra special celebration of the restoration works so far completed at the Victoria Baths in Manchester, in the company of Played in Britain series editor and co-author of Great Lengths, Simon Inglis. The event takes place on Wednesday, September 9 from 6.10 - 8.30.
Open House London - Played in Britain recommends
August 28 2009
Around 700 buildings and just two days to see them. So where should Played in Britain readers go on the weekend of September 19-20? For your convenience we have picked out the ones we think will be of interest, including a 1930s gem, the Pioneer Health Centre in Peckham, with its iconic swimming pool and diving stage (left).
View Played in Britain's recommendend Open House London list
Heritage Open Days - from a sporting angle
August 27 2009
This year's Heritage Open Days, organised by English Heritage, take place between September 10-13 and include several sports-related venues that will be of interest to Played in Britain readers. For your convenience we have picked out the ones we think will be of interest, including the wonderful Old Roller Skating Rink in Norwich, now an oriental carpet warehouse (left).
View Played in Britain's recommended list of Heritage Open Days, organised by English Heritage
Irish government to fund database of the nation's sporting heritage
August 18 2009
Following the demolition of the mock-Tudor Wanderers' pavilion at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, a project to create a database of all sporting venues built in Ireland over the last 150 years, similar to Played in Britain, is to be launched during Ireland's National Heritage Week at the end of August.
Taylor signs up for Great British Beer Festival launch
July 31 2009
Played in Britain invites all its friends and regulars to raise a glass to our latest publication, Played at the Pub, which will be on tap to punters for the first time on Wednesday, August 4, at the Great British Beer Festival, Earl's Court, in west London. Author Arthur Taylor will be at the festival signing copies from 2.00-4.00pm at the CAMRA Heritage Display (Stand R4), with special discounts available to members of CAMRA. You can also hear Arthur discuss the book on BBC London Live's Robert Elms programme at shortly after 1.00pm on the same day.
Forgotten Olympian honoured in Liverpool ceremony
July 22 2009
After a successful year's fundraising effort, the refurbished gravestone of one of the founding members of Britain's Olympic movement, John Hulley, was unveiled in a touching ceremony conducted at a Liverpool cemetery in mid June.
Cycle and swim round east London's historic baths
June 27 2009
Join Played in Britain editor and co-author of Great Lengths, Simon Inglis, on a Sunday afternoon bicycle tour of the historic swimming baths of Hackney in east London. Organised by the Hackney Society, the tour on July 12 will offer a rare chance to see inside Haggerston Baths (closed since 2000), and will conclude with a swim at London Fields Lido.
Cricket museum proposed for Mitcham
June 27 2009
Mitcham Cricket Club in London, which claims to be the oldest cricket club in the world, having been playing on Cricket Green since 1685, is at the centre of Merton Council's proposals for a new cricket museum in this south London suburb. Apparently Lord Nelson was a regular spectator of Mitcham's games.
Legends of the boxing ring stay close after the final bell
May 23 2009
There are 43 former boxers' associations in Britain, says Played in Liverpool author Ray Physick, and their members' oral testimonies provide a fascinating record of this often misunderstood community of ex-sportsmen. Ray's lecture on the Merseyside Former Boxers' Association, delivered to a recent conference on Sport and Oral History at the University of Huddersfield, is now online.
Mansfield honour Golden Girl
May 5 2009
Sherwood Baths, opened in 1934, is to be re-named the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre in recognition of the swimmer's achievements at the Beijing Olympics. The pool, which features in Played in Britain's Great Lengths, is currently undergoing a £5 million refurbishment.
Fight for historic Red House as Tottenham stadium plans go public
April 3 2009
As detailed plans for a new 58,000 seater stadium for Tottenham Hotspur go on public view in north London this week, a group of Spurs fans have started a campaign to save the Victorian 'Red House' that has served the club for over 120 years.
Rugby League Heritage Day in London
March 16 2009
White Hart Lane is a name usually associated with football, but this Sunday, March 22, the White Hart Lane Community Sports Centre in Wood Green (not Tottenham!) will stage London's first ever Rugby League Heritage Day, courtesy of the London Skolars RLFC. The day will include the launch of the new London Rugby League Museum.
Great Lengths book launch exclusive
March 6 2009
Played in Britain's newest title Great Lengths, by Dr Ian Gordon and Simon Inglis, enjoyed a great launch boost in London last night as over a hundred invited guests were given the unexpected and exclusive news that one of the country's most endangered historic pools is to be re-opened for swimming. To buy the book, visit our Great Lengths page; the Guardian website also has more background and images on Great Lengths.
Recording Leisure Lives: Sports, Games and Pastimes
February 17 2009
A conference inspired by the work of Humphrey Spender, the acclaimed photographer who recorded ordinary people at leisure for the Mass Observation project is to be held in Bolton Museum on April 7. The conference is for anyone with an interest in sport and leisure in the 20th century. Simon Inglis, Played in Britain series editor, will be attending and all Played in Britain titles will be available.
Blue Plaque for Victorian body-builder
February 16 2009
Eugen Sandow, the founding father of body-building and a keen promoter of health and fitness in the early 1900s has been commemorated by an English Heritage Blue Plaque at his former home in Holland Park Avenue. The plaque was unveiled by Chris Davies, Sandow's great-grandson. View the plaque in our sporting plaques gallery.
Golden girl Rebecca Adlington has the first word on historic swimming pools
February 4 2009
Olympic double gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, who learnt to swim in the 1934 Sherwood Baths in Mansfield, has penned the Foreword to Great Lengths, Played in Britain's long awaited book on the history and development of indoor swimming pools.
Historic community sports clubs threatened
January 20 2009
Historic community sports clubs in the north west, including Birkenhead Park Rugby Club (left) are being threatened by a punishing new water charging regime. Played in Britain fully supports a Daily Telegraph campaign (see links below) to match government aspirations for sport with sensible rates for water.
Telegraph article, by Brian Moore (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Coronation Street Calls!
January 20 2009
But not that one. Salford Lads' Club, Britain's best preserved Edwardian boys' club, as featured in Played in Manchester, located on Coronation Street, Salford, is holding an open day on Sunday February 1, including a lecture by author Andrew Davies on the Scuttlers (the street gangs of Victorian Britain which partly gave rise to the Lads' Club movement). Highly recommended.
Our Sporting Life launch
November 25 2008
What does sport mean to you? That is the question being posed by the Sports Heritage Network in a nationwide project being launched at Lord's cricket ground today by BOA Chairman Lord Moynihan and Ann Cutcliffe, Deputy Chair of Paralympics GB. To contribute your own stories, and for more information on the work of the SHN, go to Our Sporting Life.
Liverpool swimming hero honoured
November 20 2008
A young stowaway from British Guyana who arrived in Liverpool in 1900 and grew up to save hundreds of children from drowning has been honoured by a plaque unveiled at Liverpool Aquatics Centre. James Clarke, whose story features in Played in Liverpool, was a champion swimmer and a top boxer in the city.
Lido under threat
November 18 2008
Supporters of Sandford Parks Lido in Cheltenham are up in arms about plans to build a multi-storey car park which could threaten the much loved facility. The lido (featured in Liquid Assets) was opened in 1935 and is one of the best preserved in Britain, as well as being one of the few 50 metre pools in the country.
London's Olympic Games and their heritage
October 27 2008
Those interested in the Olympics and their heritage may like to attend the following lecture being given at 5.15pm on November 17 by Professor Garry Whannel of the University of Bedfordshire.
Read the full London's Olympic Games and their heritage story here.
Government Minister tours Manchester's Water Palace
September 19 2008
Culture Secretary Andy Burnham helped celebrate the completion of the first stage of the restoration of the Victoria Baths, describing it as one of the treasures not only of Manchester but of the whole country. The work was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Manchester City Council.
Archers kick out bowlers
September 19 2008
An historic bowling green, home of the oldest bowling club in Edinburgh, is to be developed for student housing. Edinburgh Bowling Club, who have played on the green since the club's formation in 1848, is being evicted by the Royal Company of Archers, and will be forced to fold when their lease expires in November.
Pavilion to become mosque
September 1 2008
A sports pavilion in Huddersfield is to be turned into a mosque and community centre. The pavilion is part of the historic Fartown sports complex, once famous for both cricket and rugby league, but which has fallen into disrepair in recent years.
Boris trumpets British sporting legacy
August 28 2008
Boris Johnson reminded the world that Britain either invented or codified most of the world's major sports at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, drawing particular attention to our invention of table tennis, or whiff-whaff as it was once called.
Image credit: James O Jenkins
Historic pavilion saved by birds' nest
August 28 2008
A cricket pavilion dating from 1866 where WG Grace once played has been saved from demolition. The pavilion, the original home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club was due to be demolished for property development but a reprieve was won when birds were found nesting in the roof.
1948 Olympic torch discovered
August 4 2008
An Olympic torch used in London's 1948 Olympic Games has been found in Hampshire County Council's museum archives. The torch will go on display at Andover Community Museum but will first be used at Hampshire's handover ceremony on August 24 to coincide with the official transfer of the Olympic flame to Britain at the closing ceremony in Beijing.
Sports museums podcast
August 4 2008
A new podcast featuring four of London's sports museums - celebrating cricket, football, rugby and tennis - has been launched as part of the Discover London Trails. The Trails were set up in 2005 and have proved a popular way of exploring the capital while discovering London's less well known museums.
1000 Year Swim
July 30 2008
Ian Dungavell, director of The Victorian Society, has embarked on a marathon swimming feat to draw attention to Britain's listed Victorian and Edwardian swimming pools. All the pools, and more, will be featured in Great Lengths, Played in Britain's forthcoming study of historic swimming pools.
Former billiard hall listed
June 23 2008
English Heritage has listed the former Temperance Billiards Hall in Lewisham High Street as a building of national significance - news that has been warmly welcomed by the Victorian Society. Played in Britain is preparing a complete study of London's Temperance Billiards Halls for Played in London, due to be published in 2011.
Sporting heritage in National Archaeology Week
June 16 2008
Archaeological discoveries at the Olympic Park site in East London, talks on Britain's Olympic heritage and a display of Tudor archery will all be featured at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth as part of English Heritage's contribution to National Archaeology Week over the weekend of July 12 and 13.
Graveyard sleuths wanted in search for sporting tombstones and memorials
June 04 2008
In the belief that graveyards are as much for the living as for the dead, Dr Mike Huggins, of the University of Cumbria, is asking all friends and supporters of Played in Britain to assist with the compilation of a gazetteer of tombstones and memorials dedicated to sportsmen and women. Can you help? Find out more by clicking the link below...
A Century of Olympic Posters
May 23 2008
A vibrant new exhibition of Olympic Games posters has opened at the Museum of Childhood in London's Bethnal Green to coincide with this summer's Beijing Games. Admission is free and the exhibition runs till September 7.
End of an era as Walthamstow Greyhound track announces
closure in August
May 21 2008
Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium in north east London is to close in August, bringing to an end 75 years of racing history, and putting into jeopardy its glorious neon sign. Its closure means that there will only be two tracks left in Greater London: Wimbledon and Romford. In the late 1930s there were 22.
When the Tyne led the World - an exhibition of rowing
May 16 2008
A new exhibition of interest to Played in Britain regulars has opened in Newcastle's Discovery Museum, highlighting the city's venerable tradition of rowing on the River Tyne. Among the exhibits is a statue of the legendary oarsman Harry Clasper, not seen for many years.
Played in Britain honoured at Parliamentary reception
May 10 2008
Played in Britain's contribution to sporting heritage was yesterday marked by a House of Commons reception, hosted by English Heritage's Chief Executive Simon Thurley (left) and sponsored by Telford MP David Wright. A large gathering of Members of both Houses, together with English Heritage representatives, sponsors and invited guests also heard details of two new research projects forming part of English Heritage's contribution to the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Read the full Played in Britain honoured story and view the photo gallery here.
Buchan a winner with London audience
April 23 2008
Played in Britain's celebration of Charlie Buchan, Gunner, Grenadier and Gentleman, proves a great hit with London football fans and with the Willow Foundation charity.
UNESCO World Heritage status bid for Newmarket
April 15 2008
As the Department for Culture, Media and Sport prepares to invite bids from British sites to attain UNESCO World Heritage status, sport heritage consultant Jason Wood is backing Newmarket, a unique sportscape that has been turning out winners for nearly 400 years. To date, only one other sports related site, Olympia, is on the UNESCO list.
Residents rally for Ripon Baths
April 7 2008
Campaigners are gearing up to save Ripon Baths from being sold by the local council and turned into flats.
Boxing star at Played in Liverpool event
April 5 2008
Carl Wright, former British boxing title contender, will be joining Played in Liverpool author Ray Physick at the Plaza Community Cinema in Waterloo, Liverpool on Monday April 7.
World Marbles Championships
March 26 2008
Watching the fierce competition in a Sussex pub car park, football writer Barney Ronay wonders, have we lost our marbles?
Historic cricket pavilion to be demolished
March 25 2008
The High Court has overturned a conservation order placed on a 19th century pavilion, once home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, leaving developers free to demolish the building.
Played in Britain donates 70 year old football treasure to Sport Relief
March 13 2008
An illuminated 1938 Football League scroll discovered torn and crumpled in the bottom of a cupboard is heading for Sotheby's as Played in Britain editor Simon Inglis urges the nation's sports clubs to guard their heritage.
Another Victorian pool faces closure
March 6 2008
Eight years after they were saved by public protest, Nottingham's Victoria Baths, built in 1896, are once again under threat. Campaigners are already gearing themselves up for concerted action and plan a demonstration for March 18.
Charlie Buchan - Gunner, Grenadier and Gentleman
March 3 2008
Played in Britain in association with Philosophy Football is hosting an evening dedicated to the legendary Charles Buchan, creator of Football Monthly - 'the world's greatest soccer magazine' - on Thursday April 17.
Join Simon Inglis, Tom Watt and Jon Spurling for an evening of nostalgic entertainment and help raise funds for Bob Wilson's Willow Foundation.
Read the full 'Charlie Buchan - Gunner, Grenadier and Gentleman' story.
Celebrating Welsh cricket
February 15 2008
The history of Welsh cricket is to be celebrated through a new project called Tale-Enders - a partnership between Glamorgan Cricket and the University of Glamorgan - which will form the heart of a series of displays at the new Museum of Welsh Cricket in Cardiff.
Hornby heads for the Borders
February 8 2008
Following the successful launch of Uppies and Downies at Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday, author Hugh Hornby is travelling north to Jedburgh for their Shrovetide handba' game on February 14. He'll be talking about his researches and signing copies of the book at The Belters, in Castlegate, after the handba' finishes, probably around 7.00pm.
Shrove Tuesday launch
January 28 2008
The annual Shrove Tuesday football game in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, marks the launch of Played in Britain's latest book, Uppies and Downies. Author Hugh Hornby will be talking about his researches and signing copies at the Coach & Horses in Ashbourne on February 5 from 11:00am-1:30pm, before the afternoon's action, at a special launch day discount of £14.99.
Hillingdon lido revival under way
January 16 2008
After years of planning, work has at last started on the restoration of the Grade II listed Uxbridge Lido, first opened in 1935 but closed since 1998. The £25 million project includes renovation of the lido (featured in Janet Smith's book Liquid Assets) and the construction of an adjoining 50m indoor pool, the first of its kind in the London area.
Listed pigeon loft under threat
December 31 2007
Pigeon fanciers, local campaigners, MPs and Friends of the Earth have rallied to save Britain's only listed pigeon loft in Ryhope, Sunderland. Built in 1955, the loft is threatened with demolition now that its lease has expired. Former colliery workers have already refused £250,000 compensation to quit the allotment site.
Note: Played in Britain author Lynn Pearson will be surveying pigeon lofts in the north east in Played on Tyne and Wear, due for publication in 2009.
Historic Glasgow playing fields under threat
December 4 2007
Hughenden playing fields, established as a memorial to pupils of the Hillhead High School killed in the war, are at the centre of a row between local residents and the grounds' owners, the Hillhead Sports Club. The planning dispute is typical of the difficulties facing clubs, local authorities and users over the conservation of historic sports grounds.
Note: Played in Britain author Ged O'Brien is currently researching Glasgow's sporting heritage in conjunction with Historic Scotland. The results will be published in Played in Glasgow in 2009.
Played in Britain at Liverpool Conference
December 1 2007
Played in Britain editor Simon Inglis and Played in Liverpool author Ray Physick will be joining Stephen Done, curator of the Liverpool FC museum, as speakers at a session on Public History in Theory and Practice: Art, Archaeology, Film, Sport, at the Public History Conference, to be staged in Liverpool from April 10-12, 2008.
Hall of Fame for Welsh Sport
October 28 2007
Campaigners for a permanent home for the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame are celebrating after the announcement by the minister for heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, that the Welsh Assembly Government will work with the Hall of Fame trustees to source funding.
Iconic 1960s Sports Centre upgrade confirmed
October 17 2007
Plans have been unveiled by the London Development Agency for a £67 million upgrade of Crystal Palace Park, including the construction of a new sports centre and Olympic-size swimming pool that will be buried under grass. The Grade II* listed sports centre, opened in 1964, will be retained but the main swimming pool closed to create a 'dry' sports arena.
Note: the swimming pool at Crystal Palace is one of several iconic post war pools to be featured in Played in Britain's forthcoming study Great Lengths - the indoor swimming pools of Britain, by Dr Ian Gordon, to be published during the summer of 2008.
Sport History group set up on Facebook
September 13 2007
Martin Polley of Southampton University, the author of Played in Britain's forthcoming book The British Olympics - Britain's Olympic heritage 1612-2012 (to be published in 2010), has set up a new Sport History group on Facebook. Martin wants it to become an informal place for networking, publicity, and chat.
Played in Liverpool launched at BBC Merseyside
June 1 2007
In the lead up to Liverpool's tenure as European Capital of Culture, Played in Britain and English Heritage celebrated the launch of Played in Liverpool, the third city study in the series. Written by local academic Ray Physick and sponsored by Liverpool '08, the book was warmly greeted by a large gathering at BBC Merseyside and was introduced by Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of the Liverpool City Council and himself a keen sports fan.
Played in Britain inspires swimming duo
May 27 2007
Inspired by the Played in Britain study, Liquid Assets - the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain, by Janet Smith, two swimmers from Dorset have set out to raise money for Save the Children over the summer by swimming a mile in every outdoor pool in the country.
New Cricket Museum for Cardiff
May 15 2007
Glamorgan Cricket has been awarded a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help set up a museum at its base in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Lancashire Football Ground claims to be world's oldest
May 8 2007
Thanks to recent research by Bolton academic Peter Swain, the Lancashire village of Turton is now claiming to have the oldest football ground in the world still in use today. The research discovered that the ground is nearly 50 years older than previously thought, having staged a Shrove Tuesday match between Tottington and Darwen in 1830.
Super Swimming Stadium model comes home
April 24 2007
Following a tip off from the Played in Britain team, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council made a winning bid at Christie's for a silver model of Morecambe's Super Swimming Stadium, originally presented to a local dignitary when the open air pool, designed by Kenneth Cross and Cecil Sutton, was inaugurated in July 1936.
Note: for the full history of Morecambe's Super Swimming Stadium (which closed in 1975), see Played in Britain's Liquid Assets - the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain, by Janet Smith.
Played in Glasgow
Order your copy of Played in Glasgow, charting the heritage of a city at play, post-free to UK customers.
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Mike Stanger, cricketscotland.
(Read the full review.)