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| Preston Speedway |
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Preston's speedway was staged at only one circuit.
Farringdon Park, New Hall Lane, Preston, Lancs. Speedway racing began
in 1929 and ceased in 1932 so you would have to be pretty long in the
tooth to remember the Preston team, but this is what I have discovered
with help from the sites devotees
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| Preston Opening Meeting |
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| Courtesy of Graham Gleave |
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| Frank Jackman |
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| Card courtesy of Dave Jackman |
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Dave Jackman says: Hi John, I came across your website
while Googling Preston Speedways in connection with the photos
attached.
The card was in with some of my grandfather's photos. My
grandfather was Frank Jackman and originally came from Euxton,
near Preston. He emigrated to Africa in 1929 around the time
the invitation was sent so I am not sure he competed in the
meet. I am not sure who the Jackman is that signed on behalf
of Preston Speedways, but there is a good chance he was
related as all the Jackmans from around Euxton were related,
it was a large family. Kind regards,
Dave Jackman continues: Hi
John, regarding my earlier message on the Preston Speedway the
N. Jackman was Norman Jackman, I presume, as shown in the
photo titled “Preston 1931” on your site.
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| First & Last Ever Meetings |
| Newspaper Reports |
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| Courtesy of Graham Gleave |
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Courtesy of Graham Gleave |
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| Courtesy of Graham Gleave |
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| Preston 1929
In Copenhagen |
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| Steve Baker says: I have some info on the
picture. It is actually Preston from 1930 and I can name the
following, back row left to right, ?, Frank Chiswell (no
9), Joe Abbott, Frank Charles, ?. front, left to right,
Len Myerscough (no 60), Jack Chiswell ( no 10), ?, Ham
Burrill ( no 2) and Norman Evans. |
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Andy Stewart says:
Hi John,
you've asked about a team (see
above) and ask if they are possibly Belle Vue circa 1930.
We'll I've come across this picture before when researching
into my two great uncles' speedway exploits (they are Frank
Chiswell and John (as I knew him) / 'Jack' Chiswell) and
evidently it is the Preston team in Copenhagen in 1929.
Hope it is still of interest to you!
I am
always interested to hear about
anything else to do with the two Chiswell brothers.
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| 1929 Preston In Copenhagen
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| Courtesy of Graham Gleave |
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| Preston 1930 |
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| Here we have the 1930 team:
Tom Price,
Jack Chiswell, Joe Abbot, George Reynard, Claude Rye, Ham Burrill, capt |
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Another
1930
Line Up |
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Another shot of the 1930 team, the bike is a dirt track
Rudge
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| Preston Match Reports |
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| Courtesy of Graham Gleave |
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Preston 1931
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| Left to Right: Jack Tye, Ginger Lees, Eric Airey, Joe
Abbott, Larry Boulton, Team Manager Norman Jackman, Les "Smiler"
Wooton, Gustav "Bill" Kellner |
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| Preston v Manchester White City |
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| The Preston Team |
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| I am told this photograph is of a Preston
team. I don't know the year, or the riders names, so help me
please John |
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| Ham Burrill |
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| This is the Preston captain, Ham Burrill sitting astride a Douglas
DT machine. These bikes had bigger wheels than what we are
accustomed to now. Ham's left foot shows a metal half shoe,
he may be wearing a wooden clog with a metal cover? Who
knows? It's just a guess from me. |
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Ham Burrill
In Colour! |
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Frank Charles
In Colour |
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Graham Gleave's
Preston Images |
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| Ham Burrill |
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| A picture from the
sport's early days when riders used stripped down but still heavy
looking road going machines. Ham is sitting on a Rudge with
the headlight removed. It still has the bulb horn hardly
needed for the track as are the big mudguards and luggage rack on
the back. The writing along the bottom appears to say
"Hamlet Burrell "Rudge". I have often wondered what "Ham"
was short for well it appears his name was Hamlet! Alas poor
Yorick! |
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| Joe Abbott In The Preston Pits |
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A Push Start
At Preston |
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| This picture pre-dates the invention of
the electric starting gate. Each rider had pushers and to
get a heat under way the Start Marshall dropped a flag signaling
for the pushers to run like mad things to get the bikes started
most bikes fired up immediately. By the late 1930s the
electric starting gate was introduced |
| This was heat 1 of the Preston v Belle
Vue match on 25 June 1931. Preston lost the match and Belle
Vue were the only team in season 31 to beat the Preston team at
home |
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| John says: My thanks to Graham Gleave for
the above pictures |
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Farringdon Park Preston 1929 |
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| Farringdon Park
was once a popular place in Preston, visited by famous fan, George
Formby, see below. The speedway is now long gone. |
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Memories |
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Heather Crook says: Hi John, Here is a bit about the speedway from my
dads memoirs, he grew up in Preston. |
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Arthur Eric Crook
(1917 - 1997)
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There was a new interest for the people of
Preston - came the Speedway - motor cycle track racing. The track was
at the Grasshoppers Rugby ground, situated at the top of Broclholes
Brow, opposite the Royal Cross School for the Deaf. The rugby ground
was in the centre and the dirt track around the outer perimeter. The
riders were stars like Joe Abbot styled The Cock of the North, Ham
Burrell, Broadside Burton, Tommy Price, who I think got killed whilst
racing there, Frank Varey and The Chiswell Brothers. They raced on
Saturday nights but practiced on Thursday evenings and you could go and
watch for nothing. Therefore every Thursday evening we all trotted up
New Hall Lane to watch our idols belting round the track throwing up a
cascade of cinders in their wake. When Whit Fair was on at Preston, you
could see them having a go on the Wall of Death, occasionally they would
pander to our whims and sign autographs. I got two off Ham Burrell and
traded on for eight pence off Billie Shaw. I don't know where he got his
money from because they were not well off. I could hear the roar of the
bikes in bed, we had to leave before practice finished as we had to be
in bed by eight o' clock. Sadly the Speedway did not create enough
interest, money wise, and after a few seasons the speedway track was
closed. |
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Arthur Eric Crook (1917 - 1997)
If I ever get the memoirs published please
may I use one of your photographs in the book. Best regards Heather Crook
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My late father used to tell me about Preston Speedway and
his favourite rider, Ham Burrell. Our namesake, although no relation. He
told me that Ham rode with a piece of tyre strapped to his left knee, and
cornered on that. My late father in law lived on Oxley Road North, which
backs on to the old track, I believe.
John Burrell
Space Shuttle Engineer
New Orleans |
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| William Yates says: My father rode on the
Preston track in 1930 odd. I can just remember my dad when I was
baby and my Mother took me along to watch him. I am 83 now
but remember handling his helmet after the race, it was made of
cork. Dad had a bad spill and although he was not killed, I
remember him showing me the X-Ray of his head. It showed an 1,I/2"
crack in his scull. I have tried to find a photo of him in his
riding gear but he was only junior of about 19 years old. He told
me about the bad spill. He lost control of the bike after
touching another rider, came off and rolled up beside his bike
with his arms and hands over his head, but another rider hit his
head with his front wheel. Dad was known on the track
as "Peg-Leg" because he never put his left foot back on the rest
down the straights. Some years ago, I met a chap in a
pub in Preston who told me that he used to push my dad off the
starting line on the track. I couldn't believe it, after all them
years. |
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John (Jack) &
Frank Chiswell |
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Andy Stewart has been in touch re his Great Uncles Jack
and Frank Chiswell, of Preston
Speedway taking a break
in the Lake
District whilst on their way to
the Barrow speedway
track in 1930. Andy says:
Always interested to hear about anything else to do with the
two Chiswell brothers.
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| A truly great example of a 1929/1930
'ish photo which would have been black and white, hand tinted with
colour. The photo was sent to me by Mike Darby who is the
nephew of the two brothers shown above. They are John and
Frank Chiswell from Loughton Essex. The bike is a Douglas
which had its day around that time. |
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Mike
Darby says: Dear John, My late Uncle John Chiswell was an early
dirt track rider and with his brother Frank rode at High Beech, as
they came from Loughton Essex where the family ran a garage, and I
believe Belle Vue, Manchester.
My uncle was born 1908 and married my
fathers sister Constance Darby, who was pioneer ladies biker in
her day.
Uncle John died in 2001 aged 93 and although he showed me these
photographs he never really told the full story of their dirt
track days.
The cartoon was I believe published in a
magazine of the time, 1920/30’s, but I know very little else.
Have you heard of the Chiswell Brothers?
Kind regards
Mike Darby |
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John says: Can anyone supply
any more info on the Chiswell's ? email me
John |
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Not sure which of the brothers this
one is. The bike is a bit strange to me so if you can
identify it send me and email
John The
strengthening strut along the frame may be a clue. |
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| Nigel Bird says: Sorry can't name which
Chiswell brother it is but the machine is an AJS road bike
converted for speedway, Track High Beech1928 |
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| John may have used the name Jack as in
this sketch. Mike and I would love to hear from anyone whom
can supply any info on the Chiswell brothers. |
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| John or Frank Chiswell could
be at High Beech? Great pictures Mike: if you
find anymore send them in please |
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| Andy Stewart says: Frank Chiswell In His
Midget Car |
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| AJ Chiswell |
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| Courtesy of Tim Beddow |
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John says: Tim and I agree that this is
Frank's brother John, known as Jack Chiswell although neither of
us know what his first initial "A" stands for.
Bike
chains on modern machines are usually trouble free but in the
early days bikes ground to a halt sometimes in a shower of sparks
because a thrown chain was running againt the bikes frame.
It could be that Jack's bike shown above had tried to conquer the
thrown chains by someone bolting a large disc to the final
sprocket, presumably to stop the chain being shed. I don't
know how effective this innovation was, not very I guess! Or
maybe the extra metalwork was on there for another reason. |
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| John says: Front cover of a book on Preston
Speedway. I do not own it, nor have I read it. I just
thought I would put it on the webpage as a piece of colourful art
amongst all the black n white of a team page that covers the black
n white era 1929 to
1932 |
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If you can scan any pictures, programmes or badges send
me an email John
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| The contents of the site are © and should not be
reproduced elsewhere for financial gain. The contributors to this site
gave the pictures and information on that understanding. If anyone has
any issue or objections to any items on the site please
e-mail
and I will amend or remove the item. Where possible credit
has been given to the owner of each item. |
