Rolling Thunder UK

Built inside the Old Market in Brentford

Brentford

Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...

, Chiswick

Chiswick

Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...

 (London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, 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...

), Rolling Thunder was one of the first wave of British 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 to be made in the late 1970s. Designed by Richard Wrigley (co-designer of London's first skatepark – Skate City), it was built by Mayway Construction Ltd. Building started early in 1978 but the park did not open officially till September 1978 due to various setbacks such as a water mains bursting. Sections of the park however had been open and skated prior to the official opening.

Layout

The park covered some 3,000 square meters and was unusual for the time in that it was a series of interlinking bowls, banks and half pipes that could be ridden individually or as part of a whole. This is much more in keeping with the modern parks of today. The park consisted of: The Channel Run, Clover Leaf Pool, Freestyle Area, Reservoir, The Ramp and Death Valley Run, The Whiplash, Kidney Bowl, Pool Bowl, Mini Bowls, Half-pipe. The Half Pipe was 55 meters long and stretched across one side of the building.

Rolling Thunder USA

In the western United States - Dwight Cushman & Jane Cushman designed built owned and operated the Northern California

Northern California

Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

 Yreka, Rolling Thunder Skatepark between 2001 - 2003 at 429 N. Foothill Drive. Named after the sound made by the "Blue Goose" railroad locomotive which traveled the tracks just behind the skatepark's warehouse. The two story indoor outdoor skatepark catered to Skateboards & 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...

. The first Northern California indoor skatepark and outdoor vert ramp was open late 7 days a week. Rolling Thunder also hosted the "Best in the West" Skate/BMX contest series in Northern California and Southern Oregon

Southern Oregon

Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...

. One of its contests in the series was the very first organized "Game of skate" ever hosted and took place at the Medford skateboard park in 2003. This contest (sponsored by the Emerica Footwear Company) went on to inspire the world famous "Eric Koston

Eric Koston

Eric Koston is a Thai American professional skater who grew up in San Bernardino, California.He began skating in 1986 and remains active. He was first sponsored in 1991 and turned pro in 1993. He has been featured in the "Tony Hawk" video game series and "EA" Skate 2 and Skate 3...

Game of Sk8" contest series. Rolling Thunder also sponsored and nurtured riders in the CASL (California Amateur Skateboard League) including such infamous NorCal skaters as Mike Pennings and Jeff Ward. Various concerts were held at Rolling Thunder including performances by High Wire Days, Bent, and many others. After closing its doors, Rolling Thunder's ramps, and rails were purchased and incorporated into the "Ramp Rats" indoor Skatepark in Petaluma, CA.