Web Page No 2636

23rd November 2019

1st Picture. Greyhound Trophy

2nd Picture. View of Stadium

3rd Picture. Where the Stadium was

4th Picture. Demolition

Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium

The stadium was a place I never visited although I did know the owners nephew, Donald Childs.

The Stadium constructed in 1930 east of Tipner Lane on the site of the Stamshaw Chemical Works and was be accessed from the new Target Road and effectively replaced the track at Portsmouth Greyhound Track (Copnor) which raced from 1928-1930.

The new larger stadium was opened on 25^th  May 1931 with trainer Fred Tolfree claiming all the first four places in a five dog opening race. The first winner was Tommy’s Pup the 2-1 favourite.

In 1932 the stadium was bought by Joe Childs a famous jockey at the time because he was jockey to the King George V. Also included in the new management team were Jack Parker captain of the Harringay speedway team and Bradbury Pratt.

In 1937 a 14 year old boy called George Curtis secured a job with track trainer Bill Peters and one year later Hugo Spencer joined the track as a trainer. The management of the stadium at that time was run by Sporting Promotions (Portsmouth) Ltd and the totalisator turnover peaked in 1946 at £1,108,662.

In 1956 Quick Surprise won the Scottish Greyhound Derby and reached the final of the English Greyhound Derby for trainer Pat Mullins. Two years later Joe Childs died and the ownership of the stadium went into the hands of F A Childs who also became Racing Manager. F A Childs was replaced by E F G Wilkins after Childs drowned in an accident. F.A. Childs was remembered in the following years with the running of the F.A.Childs Memorial Trophy.

The Nationwide Leisure Company took over the stadium in 1963 with Bill Francis becoming Racing Manager and the Golden Muzzle would be introduced as the tracks premier event.

George Curtis claimed his first win as a trainer when Bad Trick won the 1964 Puppy Derby. In 1968 Curtis left Portsmouth for Brighton replaced by his brother Charlie and leaving Hugo Spencer and Greg Doyle as the other resident trainers. Sadly Charlie Curtis was killed in a car crash just one year later.

Spencer continued his success by winning the 1971 Welsh Greyhound Derby with Spectres Dream and he would also win three National Sprints in 1961 with Hi There Merry and two in 1975 and 1976. The race itself would be transferred to Portsmouth for three years after the closure of Clapton Stadium.

In 1972 the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) bought the track from the Nationwide Leisure Company for the sole purpose of selling it as a lucrative commercial property. However, the property bubble burst in 1973 leaving the stadium with a lifeline. 

In 1992 Wembley plc announced significant losses leading to cost cutting exercises and Portsmouth suffered as a result despite the fact that the GRA had pledged a new state of the art Portsmouth stadium previously.

In 2008 it was announced that Portsmouth City Council's long term lease was nearing its end and they were considering selling the site for redevelopment. Lease holders GRA offloaded the track to a new company, registered in March 2008, called PGS Ltd .

It was agreed that PGS Ltd could pay the council a peppercorn rent of £1,000 per year because there was no value in redeveloping the land at that time. Attempts were made to renew the lease two years later in 2010 but it was rejected by the Tipner Regeneration Company and South East England Development Agency. Within weeks the company was wound up with immediate effect and liquidators were appointed with staff and trainers left unpaid. Racing Manager Paul Clark was suspended by Graham for comments made over the GRA's and Grahams role in the closure.

The last meeting took place on 27th March 2010 and the stadium was demolished in 2012 with the site awaiting redevelopment.

There we go, a place I never visited but for a time it was a vital part of the entertainment world of Portsmouth.

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On this day 23rd November 1960-1965

On 23/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 23/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 23/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 23/11/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was 119 killed in Montreal jet crash.

On 23/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 23/11/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news of the day Mrs Mary Whitehouse formed the National Viewers Association