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Bath Road, Harlington Corner, Nr Hounslow, London.

POSTCODE———————————-UB3 5AJ

LOCATED————————————At the north east corner of Heathrow Airport, just north of the A4 Bath Road, with the Holiday Inn and its car park pinpointing its once location.

ORIGINAL SITE—————————–A sports ground during the early 1930’s.

DATE CONSTRUCTED——————–Early 1930’s.

DATE VENUE OPENED——————-Early 1930’s.
Meaning other sports may have taken place prior to the arrival of Greyhound Racing.

FIRST MEETING—————————–Early 1930’s (Before August 1931).
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——Dont 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———————————–300 and 500 yards.
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—————————Dont 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—————————Nothing known of.

STADIUM SHARED WITH——————Nothing found.

LAST MEETING——————————-January 22nd 1962.
Greyhound Racing only.

STADIUM CLOSURE DATE—————-January 1962.
Meaning other sports may have taken place after Greyhound Racing had ceased.

STADIUM DEMOLITION——————-1963

BUILT ON SITE——————————-Originally the Hotel Ibis before that was replaced by the present Holiday Inn and its car park.
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——————-Nothing known of.

FURTHER COMMENTS——————–None

This newspaper cutting is dated April 1939.
A racecard dated November 1946.
This aerial view of the venue (Bottom left) was taken during 1951.
Greyhounds for sale at Harlington during November 1956.
This advert printed in The Greyhound Owner dated July 14th 1960.
This GO caption is March 9th 1961.
Harlington’s closure is announced in this edition of Greyhound Owner dated January 25th 1962.

Another one of London’s handful of flapping tracks was the one at Harlington Corner, a venue located in the borough of Hounslow, situated almost on the north easterly border of Heathrow Airport. The stadium had developed on land set back just off the busy A4 Bath Road, situated behind the now gone Coach and Horses public house.

The site of the Greyhound Stadium had originally been a sports ground, used mainly for athletics around 1930. It wasn’t until the early 1930’s that the stadium began to develop as a greyhound track. The declaration of the Second World War had temporarily ceased operations, but the land all around the area was requisitioned by the Air Ministry on the outbreak of the war.

Sadly the 1960’s would see the closure of the track after the venue had been sold under a compulsory purchase order, with the land being required for the extension of the neighbouring Heathrow Airport. The sale brought together the partnership with nearby Southall track, with any useful fixtures being transferred there. Harlington’s final meeting was staged on the 22nd of January 1962, with the stadium becoming demolished shortly after, to make way for the new Hotel Ibis.

Today, even the Hotel Ibis no longer exists, as the Holiday Inn along with its Car Park presently marks its spot, which lies directly Opposite Barcelos Eating Place on Noble Drive.

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