Hurlingham Park
Encyclopedia
Hurlingham Park is a multi-use stadium
in Fulham
, London
, England
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/images/2006/01/13/hurlingham_470x320.jpg. It is currently used mostly for rugby
matches, football
matches and athletics
events http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/redir?urn=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scotpolo.org%2F_scotpolo%2Fphotos_files%2FFrancevScotland.jpg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scotpolo.org%2F_scotpolo%2Fphotos_files%2FFrancevScotland.jpg&&requestId=ad0cd0110bfcb754&clickedItemRank=1&source=googleImage&searchType=IS&partner=Google&query=Hurlingham%20Park and is the home of Hammersmith and Fulham Rugby Football Club.
It is best known 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 it was still a boy's church side. It had a seated capacity of around 2,500 people until the stands were torn down in 2002.
ground and was compulsorily purchased from the Hurlingham Club
after World War Two.
A grandstand was built in 1936 and replaced an earlier version but became run down in the 1990s and was demolished in 2002. It had a capacity of approx 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 The stadium has been replaced by a substantial pavilion.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 metre (220 yds) 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. They held a meeting with exactly the same schedule of events as their first open championship in 1879 and thus included a 220 yard straight race (200 metres)
The famous Monty Python
sketch "The 127th Upper Class Twit of the Year Competition from Hurlingham Park" was filmed here in 1969.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/images/2006/01/13/hurlingham_470x320.jpg. It is currently used mostly for rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
matches, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches and athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
events http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/redir?urn=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scotpolo.org%2F_scotpolo%2Fphotos_files%2FFrancevScotland.jpg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scotpolo.org%2F_scotpolo%2Fphotos_files%2FFrancevScotland.jpg&&requestId=ad0cd0110bfcb754&clickedItemRank=1&source=googleImage&searchType=IS&partner=Google&query=Hurlingham%20Park and is the home of Hammersmith and Fulham Rugby Football Club.
It is best known as the location for Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
Upper Class Twit of the Year
The Upper Class Twit of the Year is a classic comedy sketch that was seen on the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus, and also in a modified format as the finale of the movie And Now For Something Completely Different...
sketch. The venue opened in 1879, the same year as Fulham F.C.
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
were established, who are thought to have played here when it was still a boy's church side. It had a seated capacity of around 2,500 people until the stands were torn down in 2002.
History
The opening meeting of the track was on 11 September 1954 which was 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 poloPolo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
ground and was compulsorily purchased from the Hurlingham Club
Hurlingham Club
The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive sports club in Fulham in southwest London, England. The club, founded in 1869, is situated by the River Thames in Fulham, West London, and has a Georgian clubhouse set in of grounds...
after World War Two.
A grandstand was built in 1936 and replaced an earlier version but became run down in the 1990s and was demolished in 2002. It had a capacity of approx 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
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
or football.
The track has a 200 metre (220 yds) straight on the home straight next to the grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
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. They held a meeting with exactly the same schedule of events as their first open championship in 1879 and thus included a 220 yard straight race (200 metres)
The famous Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
sketch "The 127th Upper Class Twit of the Year Competition from Hurlingham Park" was filmed here in 1969.