Southend Stadium
| Location | Grainger Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1933 |
| Closed | 1985 |
Coordinates: 51°32′39.88″N 0°42′53.95″E / 51.5444111°N 0.7149861°E
Southend Stadium was a former greyhound racing and football stadium in Grainger Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It was also the home ground of Southend United between 1934 and 1955.
The first greyhound racing in Southend took place at the Kursaal from 1927 until 1929. Three years later in 1932 planning permission for a new stadium was submitted to the Southend Council by the a new company called Southend Stadium Ltd headed by the Wimbledon supremo William John Cearns.
The new stadium was built on the site of the Milton Hall Brickworks in the All Saints Ward and featured two main stands, the east stand which would later have a restaurant and the west stand with covered seating, the remainder of the stadium being uncovered terracing. The Milton Hall Brick Company Ltd had just opened the Star Lane Brickworks in the nearby village of Great Wakering allowing the sale of the older Brickworks located between the Redstock Road to the north, Maldon Road to the south and Sutton Road on its east side. After the stadium had been constructed it could be accessed from the new Stadium Road via Redstock Road or from Grainger Road via Maldon Road.
The stadium opened on Saturday 15 April 1933 and attracted an attendance of over 5,000. The first ever race was won by a greyhound called Janet McNab over 525 yards, the greyhound won by 5 lengths in a time of 32.22 secs.
Meetings took place on Monday afternoon in addition to Wednesday and Friday evening. Distances used in the early years of racing were 300, 500 and 525 yards including hurdles. The Thames Silver Salver was inaugurated in 1933 and became an established competition that would attract some of the sports best sprinters in future years.
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