Thursday 21 June. 2-3pm
I will
talk on
The Edwardian Roller Skating Boom
The National Archives, Kew
Sponsored
by Friends of TNA, this talk will concentrate on relevant material in the TNA
collection.
|
Monday 25 June. 5.15pm.
I will talk
on
Boom and
Bust:
The
Edwardian Roller Skating Boom, 1908-1912
Sports & Leisure Seminar, Institute of
Historical Research, Bloomsbury Room 35, Senate House, Malet St/Russell
Square, London, WC1
This
talk will be have an emphasis different from that for TNA on 21 June.
|
Back in the early 1990s when I undertook some research for an American family into their grandfather in Britain. He turned out to have worked in skating rink in the Edwardian Roller Skating Boom of 1908-1912. This led me to undertake a wide rnage of research into different aspects of the boom.
As this is Olympics year this topic has become of interest. I have already given a talk about the boom in the Wandsworth Heritage Festival. Here is a brief explanation.
Introduction
Roller-skating has had a continuing attraction in this
country for at least 120 years, since 1870s. While its popularity has been
subject to booms and slumps, there have always been dedicated groups of
enthusiasts organised in roller-skating clubs, or in off-shoot sports like
roller-hockey.
The Edwardian Boom
Perhaps the most explosive boom was that in the
Edwardian period between 1908 and 1912, when roller-skating was called 'rinking',
and was largely an indoor and seasonal recreation and sport carried on at
skating rinks. In 1909 alone over 239 companies registered with the intention
of building rinks. They had a share capital of just over £2m. The boom was so
popular that rinks were established in competition with each other in the same
town. Birmingham had six rinks as well as the one in nearby Erdington.
Bournemouth had four rinks, some dating from the 1870s Victorian boom. Some
companies developed chains of rinks, like Rinking Ltd with over 20 rinks by
October 1909, and itself credited at the time with re-establishing the
past-time in Britain. In 1910 there were 526 Rinks in Britain. The largest
rinks could cater for thousands of skaters and spectators, while a more typical
size catered for hundreds.
Employment and Activities
The industry employed thousands of people at the rinks,
and in supply industries. Four specialist magazines were published between 1909
and 1911. There were Rink Owners and International Professional Roller Skaters'
Associations. Professional fancy and trick skaters, including women, toured the
country. The American Harley Davidson, finished his show by leaping backwards
over seven chairs, turning a complete circle in the air.
The range of activities that could be carried out on
skates was clearly one of skating's appeals, including roller push-ball, roller
football, and very popular fancy-dress carnivals. Keen skaters formed racing
and hockey clubs, which played each other through organisations like the Amateur
Rink Hockey Association, and the London Roller Racing League.
The Role of the National Skating Association
Although its principal interest was ice-skating, the
controlling body for roller-skating was the National Skating Association.
Founded in 1879, and still going strong, the NSA oversaw the rules for amateur
and professional competitions. Its patrons included the King, the Prince of
Wales and Members of Parliament.
The Decline
Popular interest around the country in roller-skating
began to wane from 1911, probably because of developments in the picture
industry. The specialist magazines had all closed by the end of that year. Many
companies went bust, and others shut their doors and the buildings were
converted into other uses, including as picture houses. Many rinks, continued
to flourish, like those at Crystal and Alexandra Palaces and the Westover in
Bournemouth until the First World War, and Alexandra Palace after the War.
No comments:
Post a Comment