Harrow Skate Park
Encyclopedia
Harrow Skate Park or Harrow Solid Surf is one of the few remaining working seventies shotcrete
skatepark
s in the UK. It is located next to Harrow Leisure Centre in Wealdstone
in the London Borough of Harrow
, England
. It is one of the most noted skateparks in the UK and has been compared to other classic seventies skatepark designs such as Marina del Rey (Los Angeles) and "Pipeline" (Upland, California
) in the USA.
The skatepark's planning began in 1976 and it opened in 1978 and is a noted tourist attraction. It was designed by G-Force designer Adrian Rolt and was built by Skate Park Construction, the leading skateboard park construction and design team in the UK at the time. Its pool design was based on the keyhole pool at Skateboard Heaven in Spring Valley, California
.
Current features include a concrete Half-pipe
, the bowl known as the 'blue bowl' or 'wedding pool', a street section with a concrete bank and a wooden quarter pipe (this secion previously included a metal box and metal quarter pipe that had to be removed for safety reasons), the snakerun, and four moguls. The performance bowl was filled in a number of years ago by the council and remains out of action despite attempts to dig it out. The park did have other recent additions such as a Mini ramp
, but that was destroyed by local vandals. The park operates free of charge and is open from 9:00 am till dusk.
The local skateboarding
and BMX
scene is very friendly and locals use the park
as a place to hang out and socialise as well as ride the ramps. Since the seventies the park has been the starting ground for a number of professional skaters and BMX users such as Steve Douglas
. Its significance has been noted by the leading architectural historian Professor Iain Borden
who said it was used in the eighties by "the best-known London skaters and 'H-Boyz' (Harrow regulars)". It has been threatened with closure on a number of occasions and was out of action for a few years in the eighties. In 2003 it was reopened after the Council spent £60,000 refurbishing it and its opening celebration was attended by the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey
and Harrow East MP and Minister for London Tony McNulty
.
The famous skater Tony Hawk
stated on the closure "If they feel that the park is truly irreplaceable, then they should keep it...I've never been, but I have seen it in magazines and heard about it through the years." On February 6, 2008 Sport England
condemned the Leisure centre plan:
Harrow Councillor Marilyn Ashton has blamed the cancel of regeneration of the leisure centre on the poor condition of the housing market – and the plans may now have to be shelved until the council can raise the money. She said:
Shotcrete
Shotcrete is concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface, as a construction technique....
skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
s in the UK. It is located next to Harrow Leisure Centre in Wealdstone
Wealdstone
Wealdstone is a largely working-class and recent immigrant district in the London Borough of Harrow, north west London.-History and name:The eponymous Weald Stone is a sarsen stone, formerly marking the boundary between the parish of Harrow and Harrow Weald...
in the London Borough of Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is one of the most noted skateparks in the UK and has been compared to other classic seventies skatepark designs such as Marina del Rey (Los Angeles) and "Pipeline" (Upland, California
Upland, California
Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...
) in the USA.
The skatepark's planning began in 1976 and it opened in 1978 and is a noted tourist attraction. It was designed by G-Force designer Adrian Rolt and was built by Skate Park Construction, the leading skateboard park construction and design team in the UK at the time. Its pool design was based on the keyhole pool at Skateboard Heaven in Spring Valley, California
Spring Valley, California
Spring Valley is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 28,205 at the 2010 census.The name "Spring Valley" may also refer to a wider area including the Spring Valley CDP, La Presa and part of the neighborhood of Casa de Oro...
.
Current features include a concrete Half-pipe
Half-pipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
, the bowl known as the 'blue bowl' or 'wedding pool', a street section with a concrete bank and a wooden quarter pipe (this secion previously included a metal box and metal quarter pipe that had to be removed for safety reasons), the snakerun, and four moguls. The performance bowl was filled in a number of years ago by the council and remains out of action despite attempts to dig it out. The park did have other recent additions such as a Mini ramp
Mini ramp
A mini ramp is a type of half-pipe which is typically less than high. Any ramp smaller than this that is not a vert ramp & is commonly called a mini ramp. Mini ramps can be as small as in height. While many ramps this size are designed to be forgiving to beginners, some are built more...
, but that was destroyed by local vandals. The park operates free of charge and is open from 9:00 am till dusk.
The local skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
scene is very friendly and locals use the park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
as a place to hang out and socialise as well as ride the ramps. Since the seventies the park has been the starting ground for a number of professional skaters and BMX users such as Steve Douglas
Steve Douglas (skateboarder)
Steve Douglas is a retired professional skateboarder, company owner and industry mogul from London, England, now living in California, USA.Born in 1967 in North London, Douglas began skating aged 10 at various skateparks in the city such as Uxbridge, Skate City, Rolling Thunder skate park, Crystal...
. Its significance has been noted by the leading architectural historian Professor Iain Borden
Iain Borden
Iain Borden is an architectural historian and urban commentator. He was educated at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UCL, University of London and UCLA, and is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and Fellow of the RSA...
who said it was used in the eighties by "the best-known London skaters and 'H-Boyz' (Harrow regulars)". It has been threatened with closure on a number of occasions and was out of action for a few years in the eighties. In 2003 it was reopened after the Council spent £60,000 refurbishing it and its opening celebration was attended by the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey
Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey
Jonathan Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey is a Labour Party politician in the House of Lords.Educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School and Trinity College, Cambridge, he went on to become President of the Cambridge Union Society...
and Harrow East MP and Minister for London Tony McNulty
Tony McNulty
Anthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
.
Threat of Closure
In the year of 2007 plans were announced by Harrow council to build over the site as part of a £36m project to rebuild Harrow Leisure Centre, with a new smaller building, leading to storm of protest from users and the international skateboarding community who regarded it as 'irreplaceable'. The plan involved selling the existing site to developers. Although the Council was offering £300,000 to replace the park experts have said it will cost at least £600,000 to replace the park.The famous skater Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
stated on the closure "If they feel that the park is truly irreplaceable, then they should keep it...I've never been, but I have seen it in magazines and heard about it through the years." On February 6, 2008 Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
condemned the Leisure centre plan:
"Sport England considers the proposals to be damaging to a wide range of existing sporting interests and they would reduce opportunities for participation in sport and active recreation in the borough." Mr Durrans supported the objections already voiced by various sports groups in the borough, including Harrow and Wealdstone Swimming Club, Harrow Squash Club, Wembley and Harrow Table Tennis League and the Harrow Skatepark Users' Association.
New Leisure Centre Plans Abolished
In October, 2008 it was revealed that Harrow Councils plans to demolish the park and build a new leisure centre had been abolished. The plan was to sell land in and around the site of Harrow Leisure Centre, where the skatepark is based, to fund a new building and skatepark. However, with house prices dropping the council could not generate the money it needed due the economy. A BMX rider at Harrow Skatepark, said:
"It's brilliant. I'm just absolutely over the moon. I hope it stays there for another few years and they don't say 'we've got a bit of money now, so we can knock it down'."
Harrow Councillor Marilyn Ashton has blamed the cancel of regeneration of the leisure centre on the poor condition of the housing market – and the plans may now have to be shelved until the council can raise the money. She said:
“I think we could have done with another leisure centre and a brand new assembly hall.
Rio Joseph Youth development officer of Harrow Skate Park is the alpha male of Harrow Skate Park and led the war against the new leisure centre.
“Other people agree or disagree with the plans, but it ain't going to happen, not for a long time.”
Many skaters and BMX riders, past and present, disagree with Cllr Ashton's plans and believe she does not understand what she and the council would be doing if they knocked down one of only two legendary '70s concrete skateparks left in the U.K. to this day.
Harroween
On 31 October 2008, there was a "Harroween" skate jam to celebrate Harrow Skate Park not being demolished:
Harrow Times, 31 October 2008 :
Harroween Skate Jam at Harrow Skatepark
By Jack Royston
Skaters are celebrating Halloween with a “jam” at a skatepark recently saved from being bulldozed.
There will be music and drinks as the band of people who campaigned to stop Harrow Council building over Harrow Skatepark, in Christchurch Avenue, come together to celebrate the festival.
The council wanted to build a replacement for Harrow Leisure Centre on the site but had to abandon its plans because of the credit crunch.
The Harroween Skate Jam starts at 4pm and will go on until late, with lights being used to illuminate one of the bowls after it gets dark.
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