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Records fell that summer
as the track lived up to its
expectations in terms of
speed – CF Barden broke
every record from 2 to 10
miles in late June (17); FW
Weatherly beat the British
quarter-mile flying start
quarter mile a month later
(18) and in September, AP
Marples took over seven
seconds off the licensed
amateur mile record to
finish in 1:56:40 (19).

Successful racing

continued into 1896, when the Easter Monday meeting in early April saw

crowds of 10,000 and with WH Bardsley of the Polytechnic Cycling Club,

pictured on the far left, taking the 1st place in the 10 mile scratch race (20).

There were at least two other race days in May one of which an attendances

of over 15,000 (21) and the other an international against a Danish team

(22). JW Stocks beat many of the records set by CF Barden in early June

(23) – it was the first of several British and World record set on the track

that summer.

The opening meeting of the 1897 season saw crowds of only half the number
of 1896 at just 5,000 (24), although numbers in races later in the season
increased, with a peak of 10,000 in May (25). Worrying signs were on the
horizon that winter as a Catford builder, Henry Woodham, sought to lay out
a street (Elmer Street, later Road) parallel to Brownhill Road, hard up
against the track – while he was initially unsuccessful but it was a sign of
things to come (26).

Racing continued as normal in 1898, although attendances were well down
on previous years – the Whit weekend meeting attracted only 6,000 (27)

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