AYCLIFFE

Long Tens Lane, Great Aycliffe, Nr Darlington, County Durham.

POSTCODE———————————DL5 6SH

LOCATED————————————The village of Great Aycliffe is located about seven miles north of Darlington in County Durham. The site of the stadium is found about half a mile south east of Heighinton Railway Station along Long Tens Lane.

ORIGINAL SITE—————————–Farm grazing land.

DATE CONSTRUCTED——————–1946

DATE VENUE OPENED——————-1946
Meaning other sports may have taken place prior to the arrival of Greyhound Racing.

FIRST MEETING—————————-1946 or 1947.
Greyhound Racing only.

LICENSED OR INDEPENDENT———-Independent.
All venues covered would have to be licensed with the government, licensed suggested in this section would refer to tracks operating under NGRC Rules.

INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HARE TYPE——Don’t know
Please note that the Electric Hare suggested is only a guidance and would have been in operation for a certain amount of time at this venue. Although it is not necessarily guaranteed that it was operational all the time, as other types of lure may have been used and updated as time progressed.

DISTANCES———————————–310 yards others not know.
Please note that most racing venues distances had become varied throughout the years, the ones given above were at once point set and offers only a guidance to the track size.

CIRCUMFERENCE—————————Don’t know
Please note that alterations at most racing venues throughout its existence would see that the circumference of the track would vary, the one shown above offers only a guidance to the track size.

BIG RACE NAMES—————————None found.

STADIUM SHARED WITH——————Various Motor Sports.

LAST MEETING—————————— Early 1960’s.
Greyhound Racing only.

STADIUM CLOSURE DATE—————-November 1989 for Stock Car Racing
Meaning other sports may have taken place after Greyhound Racing had ceased.

STADIUM DEMOLITION——————–1990

BUILT ON SITE——————————–Travik Chemicals on Grindeen Way which is found on Aycliffe Industrial Estate now covers the site.
In some cases, structure’s that originally covered the venue after the stadium had been demolished, may have been themselves demolished too, so the one described is more likely to be the one which now presently covers the site.

EVIDENCE LEFT TODAY———————A curvature of trees along the side of Long Tens Lane locates a border of were the stadium once lay.

FURTHER COMMENTS———————-None

Newton Aycliffe is a small town in the County of Durham, situated seven miles north of Darlington. It was during The Second World War that the town developed from just rural countryside in to a thriving industrial town. It had witnessed the construction of countless munitions factories that attracted workers, mainly women, from afar, who soon earned themselves the title of the Aycliffe Angels.

The area had been chosen due to the mist that gathered regularly, reducing the risk of attacks from enemy aircraft. But the towns link with Greyhound Racing came once hostilities had ceased, when in 1946 a section of grazing land was purchased by a group of local businessmen, who’s plans were to convert it in to a greyhound track. The meadow in question lay along the side long of Tens Lane in Great Aycliffe, a narrow lane found about one mile south of Newton Aycliffe’s town centre.

In 1948, an approach by Speedway promoters persuaded the greyhound company to lay a cinder speedway track within the infield of the greyhound track. The extra influx of cash had seen the speedway promoters erect new floodlights, and also a new grandstand. Surprisingly after all their efforts, The Aycliffe Stadium never experienced a speedway meeting, as the circuit became used mainly for training and practicing sessions only.

By the Mid-1950’s the cinder track became tarmacked over, and during 1956 Stock Car Racing featured for the first time, and would continue right up until the stadium’s closure in 1989. The Aycliffe Greyhound Stadium operated as an independent flapping track, and continued until the introduction of new taxation laws, which unfortunately contributed to its closure during the early 1960’s. The stadium built up its reputation as a Stock Car and Banger Racing circuit, but also became host to Ayclffe’s annual Guy Fawkes Night gathering.

By the late 1980’s the site had been sold to developers, which in turn witnessed the end of motor sports, seeing Stock Cars stage their final meeting on the 19th of November 1989. Nothing remains of the venue today, as the surrounding area is now covered by the modern Ayclffe Industrial Estate, with Travik Chemicals on Grinden Way locating the stadium’s exact position. Looking down from satellite views, a curvature of trees remains along the side of Long Tens Lane, its these trees that once acted as a boundary to where the old stadium once lay.

A programme, photograph or even memorabilia for this track is required for this page, if you can help please contact me.