Hurlingham Park

Hurlingham Park

Hurlingham Park

Hurlingham Park is a park and multi-use sports ground in Fulham, London, England. It is currently used mostly for rugby matches, football matches and athletics events and is the home of Hammersmith and Fulham Rugby Football Club.

The park served as the location for Monty Python's Upper Class Twit of the Year sketch. The venue opened in 1879, the same year as Fulham F.C. were established, who are thought to have played here when they were still a boys' church side. It had a seated capacity of around 2,500 people, until the stands were demolished in 2002.

History

The opening meeting of the track was on 11 September 1954, the same date that the area became a public park. The running track was originally made of cinder. The field on which the track is situated was originally a polo ground and was compulsorily purchased from the Hurlingham Club after World War Two.

A grandstand was built in 1936 to replace an earlier version but it became run down in the 1990s and it was demolished in 2002. It had a capacity of approximately 2,500 on bench type seating. The stadium has been replaced by a substantial pavilion. The infield is a well maintained grass pitch and is used for either rugby union or football.

The track has a 200 metres (220 yards) straight on the home straight next to the grandstand which extends past the regular start line although the extension has been fenced off. The track was the base of London Athletic Club and the straight was last thought to be used for a race in 1979. A meeting was held with exactly the same schedule of events as the first open championship in 1879 and thus included a 220-yard straight race (200 metres)

The Monty Python sketch "The 127th Upper Class Twit of the Year Competition from Hurlingham Park" was filmed there in 1969.

See also

• South Park, Fulham