Stadium that showed early pace only to fall at the end
Nicola Rippon goes back to Derby’s Greyhound Stadium - from its opening in the 1930s, through to its sad decline and closure in the 1980s
ON December 7, 1988, the traps at Derby’s Greyhound Stadium in Vernon Street flew open for the last time, punters had placed their last bets, and some 55 years after the track opened amid great controversy, the final race was run. New owners J F Miller Properties and Heights of Abraham Limited had decided to close the stadium, and to redevelop the land.
They had a clear plan, unlike the owners of the former County Gaol who, in 1929, had found themselves in possession of what the Derby Telegraph called “A Site of Murderers’ Graves”.
The civilian gaol had closed in 1916. It had been a military prison for three years, and it had lain empty ever since.
The land could not be sold until “the remains of executed murderers have been exhumed”. When they had, the site – thought suitable for a factory, a bus station or perhaps a sports venue – was put on the market.
Few imagined that it would
become the home of greyhound racing. But for more than five decades, Derby punters would gather there for a night of sporting entertainment, socialising, and betting. It was the last element that had almost prevented the opening of a greyhound stadium in Derby at all.
Introduced to Britain in 1926, the sport had seen a meteoric rise in popularity. In just three years, some 40 tracks had opened nationwide, but repeated attempts to open one at the Municipal Sports Ground in Derby had been rejected by the borough council. Another proposal for a site at Alvaston, was also rejected.
Greyhound racing was a controversial sport because it was inextricably linked to gambling at a time when much of this was conducted illegally and in secret.
Anti-gambling pamphlets were produced, warning against what was called “an emotional deficiency disease”. One of the pamphlets, titled “Dog Racing” stated: “Alleged inveterate gamblers attend whenever they can get hold of some money, and they spend it as quickly as it comes.
“They often behave like small children, complaining bitterly about their bad luck. They hold wistful illusions. They keep hoping all the time that their great hour will strike at any moment.”
There were plenty in Derby who feared the introduction of greyhound racing to the town.
A petition, signed by some 350 local schoolteachers, claimed: “In our opinion, this great increase in the opportunities for betting would, both directly and indirectly, have an injurious influence on the children and young people of Derby.”
Objections from religious groups and local residents, fearful of an increase in alcohol and gamblingfuelled anti-social behaviour, came with each tweak to the various proposals.
When Sir Albert Ball had purchased the County Gaol site, for what he boasted was a “jolly cheap” price, he considered several options, among them an amusement park complete with hard tennis courts and a site for spectacular travelling circuses.
In 1933, however, the site was finally opened to the public as a greyhound stadium under the ownership of the Preston Greyhound Racing Association with a track laid out on what was once the prisoners’ exercise yard.
An estimated 2,000 spectators, many of them women, watched the first night of racing, where the winner of the first race was the 2/1 shot Tramore Lad, who defeated the 6/4 favourite, Santober, by one length.
The popularity of the Derby track soared. It was the only one in the country to hold handicap races with hares running on the inside rather than the outside of the track. And was the first stadium in the Midlands to boast an electronic Tote board.
Like all dog tracks, Derby hosted its own on-site kennels, and one of
its most famous dogs was the consistent Keepers Remorse, who began his career after the Second World War, coming in second on 98 occasions of his 409 races.
Although Derby was recognised as one of the better tracks for ensuring the welfare of its dogs, events in 1958 did raise concerns. Three of the Derby greyhounds – Chip Off The Old Block, Clean Sand, and Queen Colburn – all died suddenly from what appeared to be heart failure.
Track representative, Mr GW Turnpenney stated that, although there was no evidence of foul play it was “only fair to the private owners whose dogs race here” to suspend racing until post mortem results from the Canine Research Centre of the Animal Health Trust could be carried out.
It was eventually concluded that each of the dogs had died due to accidental exposure to the warfarin poison set down to kill mice and rats.
While greyhound racing was often criticised as cruel, Derby was commended for its Derby Greyhound Owners’ Association that found homes for retired greyhounds.
Throughout the 1960s, racing took place on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Facilities inside the stadium were improved, and punters could now take advantage of three buffet bars and two licensed bars.
In the 1970s, two new principal events were introduced – the Derby Plate, over 420 metres, and the Derby Vase, over 590 metres. In 1984, the track’s general manager, former milkman Terry Corden, bought the stadium for £300,000. He sold it in 1988 for a reported £1 million and bought the Nottingham track.
By this time, there was no doubt that the Derby stadium was no longer in its prime.
Its facilities were ageing, the centre of the track had been converted to use by BMX racing bikes, and greyhound racing itself was in decline, no longer one of Britain’s favourite sports.
The stadium’s new owners decided to redevelop the land for business premises.
Today, of course, the site is known as Vernon Gate. There is one reminder of its grim past, though, as visitors still enter through the original prison façade.