SPEEDWAY was still enjoying the post-war boom when Bert Hearse (a Swindon businessman), along with his partner, L.R. ‘Nobby' Clark, and Reg Witcomb (who had successfully promoted speedway at Bristol), conceived the idea of a track at Blunsdon.
Prior to that, in the summer of 1928, with a view to staging dirt-track racing, the Swindon Sports Club Ltd had purchased a large piece of meadow land from Arkell's Brewery. This was situated at the rear of the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel on the Cricklade Road in the Gorse Hill area of the town. Walter Hobbs, the chairman of the Swindon Sports Club Ltd, was the main driving force behind the venture, which was to stage meetings in conjunction with the North Wiltshire Motorcycle and Light Car Club.
Over 5,000 tons of ash, chalk and earth were utilized in constructing the racing strip, which was encircled by mounds of earth to provide crude terracing for spectators. Meanwhile, Parker, Winder & Achurch Ltd of Birmingham supplied a safety fence, which included a sprung chain-link surround. The circuit opened on 4 August that same year, when C. Harman won both the Swindon Scratch and the Gorse Hill Scratch events.
J.E. Whittington managed the track and also doubled as the publican at the adjacent Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. Twelve open licence meetings were held at the venue in that first year; however, after an initial burst of support, interest faded quickly and the track disappeared after a few meetings in 1930 had been conducted by Swindon Speedways Stadiums Ltd. The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel remains in place today, while most of the land behind it is now covered with houses and garaging.
CALL FOR SITES
Swindon Motorsports Ltd launches "Call for Sites" to help identify new motorsports arena in Swindon.
