I grew up in the 70s, we lived right beside Poole Park so much of my childhood was spent playing there. We just took it for granted, but now looking back and learning about its creation I realise how lucky I was to have free range over this Victorian creation. Many long summer evenings were spent watching the the cycling  at Poole Track. My elder brother, Tom, raced for Bournemouth Arrow (Marguerite's Club) and cut his competitive teeth here. Riders would travel  quite a distance to compete, and local clubs included Poole Wheelers, Bournemouth Arrow, Bournemouth Jubilee, Crabwood and The Wessex Road Club. I remember the atmosphere building as riders and their supporters  met up, standing amongst a sea of  bikes laid on the ground in front of the Cricket Pavilion; the 'pssssst' hiss as the track pumps were released from tyre valves; the very tall commentator Mr Moss calling for the crowd to stand back from the track. The star riders from the time I remember as a ten year old boy were Steve Moss who would always be the scratch rider in the handicap sprint, easily overhauling the field. George Dixon was the  class act in the group races. I particularly remember him riding a low-pro track bike - something very new at the time. Our family building company J.H.Wilson & Sons even sponsored a meeting in about 1978.

THE CREATION OF POOLE PARK. The Railway came to Poole via Parkstone in 1872. A rail causeway cut across Parkstone Bay from Whitecliff  to just north of Bator. This resulted in a  landlocked brackish water lake with marsh and reed beds. In 1885 the landowner, Lord Wimborne, donated the land to the Borough for the creation of a Peoples Park and Recreation ground. A competition was held for the design of the Park and was won by Elford. A cricket pitch enclosed by a circular bicycle track formed the principle feature of Elford's scheme for the park (plan 1887). The Park was officially opened 1890 but the cricket ground and cycle track were not completed until 1892. 

The Pavilion had been completed in 1890, it can be seen in the photograph of the shoreline in Parkstone Bay. And yes, the harbour came all the way to the edge of sandbanks road. Apparently the nearby Sloop public house was named after an ancient Sloop boat that was rotting away in the nearby reed beds. I presume that this area was finally drained when it was cut of from the rest of the seawater lake by a road built across the southern tip of the lake. Elford's design for the Park was a masterpiece making full use if the relatively small acreage of land that boardered the large saltwater lake.

I wondered whether the cycle track was designed specifically for racing or whether it was for recreational cycling and then adopted for racing. After a little research I learned that Victorian racing tracks were a 'thing' and were typically circular or oval. Poole's track is circular and measures three laps to a mile. Further research revealed a thriving racing scene, the earliest report I found was from 1893 within the first year of the tracks opening.  Poole had two main clubs in the 1890s, the Poole Wesley Guild CC founded 1890 and Poole Cycling Club. From 1895 Poole CC adopted and new name, the Poole Wheeling Club or Poole Wheelers although many stuck with the original name Poole CC . In the race report (below) from 1893, the Bantten (or Banten) family feature strongly. The family owned a Bicycle shop. Leon was their star rider, featuring in reports throughout the decade riding for the Poole Wesley Guild CC. I was interested to learn that the Poole Wesley Guild, part of the Methodist Church is still  in existence.

Poole Park Sports were held on Wednesday afternoons, this was the day for half day closing in Poole. I remember this from my childhood, do any shops observe this tradition today? I wonder. Large crowds were draw to attractions such as model boat racing in the lake, running races, Fire Brigade Drill Competitions and Military Bands. Proceeds often went to the towns Cornelia Hospital.  

Follow the link below to see rare footage of a similar Athletics meeting in 1902.

There seems  to have  been a lull in racing and disappearance of formal Cycling Clubs in Poole from the time of the Great War (1914), until a revival in the 1920s. Poole Wheelers and Athletic Club was formed from informal group known variously at the Mentone Wheelers or the 'Parkstone Suicide Club' in 1926. The format of meetings remained unchanged from the 1890s. The program started with the heats of the Handicap Sprints and finished with the 20 miles scratch race, this schedule persisted into the 1970s. Below is an account of the 1930 20 mile Championship 1930 published in first edition of Poole Wheelers & AC club Magazine.  

Poole Wheelers' Cycling & Athletics Club. Club Magazine May 1930
‘Encouraged by the frantic shouts of 12,000 spectators, Billy Harvell won the 20 Miles Championship on May 7th in record time by half a length. Although all the weather had been dull, as evening drew near the Clerk of the Weather suddenly remembering our Big Event, shifted the threatening clouds and poured forth some welcome sunshine. Doe and Dominey were absentee from the starting card, but Gillard, a recently elected member, made the number twelve.    ​

The Loss Angeles Olympic games were held in 1932 during the Great Depression. It is important to realise the depths of the depression, many  were struggling to put food on the table so funding an team to travel to compete at the Olympics was well down the list of priorities for many nations. For this reason fewer than half the number of athletes competed here than in the preceding Amsterdam games. Britain's team Captain Lord Beulieu refers to funding difficulties in the Pathe film (link below). California was very remote in the time before air travel. Many teams arrived by ship and received an enthusiastic welcome at the docks and then again at the Olympic Village. (The purpose built Olympic Village was a new innovation for theses games). Many cycling teams whilst aboard ship trained on rollers during their voyage. The Canadian squad drove down from Canada in an old truck taking turns to follow on behind by bike, partly as training and partly because there wasn't room for everyone in the truck!    ​

The club captain in those early years was Bert Bennett, an ex Dorset Regiment sergeant who married one of the lady members, Gwen Hawkins. They decided to take a tandem honeymoon. The ceremony was at St. John’s Church, Ashley Road, the crowd almost closed the road. I remember the Wheelers passing the tandem over the crowd to allow the couple to cycle off, preceded by the Pathe’ News van with the camera man standing on top winding the camera and followed by many of the Wheelers on their bikes. Later we were invited by the manager of the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth to view the Pathe News item and remain for the film, which was, by the way, mine and others’ first ‘talkie’. 

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Bert  and Gwen