White City is an area in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Part of the site, which is adjacent to Chester Road, is now a retail park. The area was originally the former Manchester Botanic Gardens that occupied the southeast corner of the docks area and Manchester United's ground. The gateway of the Botanic Gardens still stands at the edge of the retail park. [1] In 1857, the Art Treasures Exhibition was held in the gardens.
White City has also been an amusement park and a sports stadium that has featured athletics, greyhound racing and motorsports. [2]
The area is named after White City Limited, which opened an amusement park on the site in 1907. [3]
In 1827 the Botanical and Horticultural Society was founded in Manchester to encourage the study of botany and horticulture. [4] The society built a botanical garden on the site covering 16 acres (65,000 m2). The site was chosen by John Dalton for the society as it was down-wind of pollution from the city. The land, which was owned by Thomas de Trafford, was leased to the society at a price of the society's choosing. [5] [6]
The gardens featured a complex of plant houses and a conservatory that was built by Clarke and Jones of Birmingham. The building was 321 feet (98 m) in length and the conservatory had a 40 feet (12 m) high dome. The buildings were heated by a system of hot water flowing through pipes. [6] [7] The Grade II listed gateway that still faces Chester Road was the entrance to the gardens. [8]
In 1857 the gardens hosted the Art Treasures Exhibition which was opened by Prince Albert. The exhibition was visited by 1.3million visitors in 142-days. A further exhibition was held in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. This exhibition attracted 4.74 million people over 192-days. [6]
By the end of the 19th century, interest in the gardens was waning as the wealthy were moving away from Manchester city centre. In 1907, part of the garden's site was leased to White City Limited, a company set up by Heathcote and Brown. The company opened the "White City Amusement Park" on the site on 20 May 1907. [3]
The remaining 11 acres (45,000 m2) was sold to Canine Sports Ltd on 1 November 1927 for the construction of White City Stadium. [6]
White City Stadium held its first motorcycle speedway race on 16 July 1928. After the stadium was completed, greyhound racing starting in 1930. [9] In July 1953, a 6-lane cinder track for athletics was added.
The stadium was a greyhound track from 1927 until 1982, speedway from 1928 to 1932 and stock cars from 1972 to 1982. At the end of 1981. the stadium was sold to a developer. It was left vacant, fell into disrepair and closed in 1982. [9]
The stadium was eventually demolished and the site was redeveloped as White City Retail Park. The mid-sized shopping park has out-of-town parking with retail units and food outlets.
White City Stadium was a stadium in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 World Cup.
Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of Manchester city centre, 3.0 miles (4.8 km) south of Salford and 4.2 miles (6.8 km) north-east of Altrincham. Stretford borders Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the east, Moss Side and Whalley Range to the south-east, Hulme to the north-east, Urmston to the west, Salford to the north, and Sale to the south. The Bridgewater Canal bisects the town.
Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the gardens were initially intended to be an entertainment for the genteel middle classes, with formal gardens and dancing on open-air platforms during the summer, but they soon became one of the most popular attractions in Northern England. Before moving to Belle Vue, Jennison, a part-time gardener, had run a small aviary at his home, the beginnings of the zoo that over the years grew to become the third-largest in the United Kingdom.
White City may refer to:
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a 51-hectare (130-acre) public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace and behind it the Botanic Park. Work was begun on the site in 1855, with its official opening to the public on 4 October 1857.
Harringay Stadium was a major greyhound racing and motorcycle speedway venue in Harringay, north London. It was built and opened in 1927 and closed in 1987.
Old Trafford is an area of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, which borders the cities of Manchester and Salford and is two miles (3.2 km) southwest of Manchester city centre in the historic county of Lancashire. It is roughly delineated by two old toll gates; Brooks's Bar and Trafford Bar, to the east and west.
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden and conservatory located in Columbus, Ohio. It is open daily and an admission fee is charged. Today, it is a horticultural and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and Dale Chihuly artworks.
Old Trafford is a tram stop on the Altrincham Line of the Metrolink light rail system in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.
Belle Vue Stadium was a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, where the first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It has also been used for motorcycle speedway, as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces from 1988 until 2015, and from 1999 until 2019 for stock car racing and banger racing.
Manchester City and Manchester United are popular Premier League football clubs in Greater Manchester. United's ground is in Old Trafford; Manchester City's home ground is the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester. Fixtures between the clubs are referred to as the Manchester Derby. Manchester United are historically the most successful football club in England with 66 elite honours won.
White City is the common name of dozens of amusement parks in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Inspired by the White City and Midway Plaisance sections of the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893, the parks started gaining in popularity in the last few years of the 19th century. After the 1901 Pan-American Exposition inspired the first Luna Park in Coney Island, a frenzy in building amusement parks ensued in the first two decades of the 20th century.
The Art Treasures of Great Britain was an exhibition of fine art held in Manchester, England, from 5 May to 17 October 1857. It remains the largest art exhibition to be held in the UK, possibly in the world, with over 16,000 works on display. It attracted over 1.3 million visitors in the 142 days it was open, about four times the population of Manchester at that time, many of whom visited on organised railway excursions. Its selection and display of artworks had a formative influence on the public art collections that were then being established in the UK, such as the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Botanical Gardens Cricket Ground was a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Stretford, Lancashire. The ground was located adjacent to Manchester Botanical Garden. The ground was on land owned by Sir Humphrey de Trafford, who allowed Manchester Cricket Club to lease the ground.
The Royal Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 was held in Old Trafford, Manchester, England, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's accession. It was opened by Princess Alexandra, the Princess of Wales on 3 May 1887, and remained open for 166 days, during which time there were 4.5 million paying visitors, 74,600 in one day alone.
White City Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway track in Glasgow, Scotland.
Fullerton Park was a former speedway and greyhound track in Leeds.
The Marine Gardens was an entertainment complex located in the Portobello area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Opened in 1909 as a pleasure garden and amusement park on the shores of the Firth of Forth, most of its original attractions apart from the ballroom were removed following military use of the site during the First World War. The complex also included a stadium which was used during the interwar period for football, greyhound racing and speedway. It was the home venue of Scottish Football League teams Leith Athletic (1928–1936) and Edinburgh City. The Marine Gardens closed down permanently in 1939 after again being taken over by the military, with the area being redeveloped after the Second World War.
White City Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.
Hazel Grove Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium in Hazel Grove, Stockport, Greater Manchester.
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