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1939 Education Week

Mystery Sports Day Somewhere in Brighton

Another mystery photo from my 1939 Education Week booklet shows a sports day somewhere in Brighton.  It looks like a sports arena, and at first I thought it must be Withdean, but clearly it is not.  It must be a school playing field; the houses on the right and those in the centre may give a clue, clearly it is near a residential area.

Beautiful Summer Day

The people sitting in deck chairs and the summer hats confirm it must have been a beautiful day, probably WWII just around the corner the last thing on their minds, but where is it?

Can you help?

If you recognise the location, please post a comment below

Summer Sports Day
From the Education Week booklet owned by Peter Groves

Comments about this page

  • I think that “school playing field” is a red herring here. Surely it is the Preston Park cycle track, now called the Preston Park Velodrome, with the banked track on the left.

    By Alan Hobden (15/11/2017)
  • My first thought was that it was Withdean, but clearly it is not. It’s a long shot but I think it may be the grass in the middle of the cycle track in Preston Park. The buildings at the back of the photo seem to fit. The people in deck chairs seem to be sitting on a slope. Directly in front of the buildings you can see, I think, the steepest bank in the track. 

    By Philip Burnard (15/11/2017)
  • This photo appears to be of Preston Park cycle track, people are sitting on the track banking and the steeper section is in the distance, not sure but it looks a lot like it from memory.

    By Roger Ivermee (15/11/2017)
  • Is it the Preston Park cycle track?

    By Derek Lake (15/11/2017)
  • I definitely concur with Alan and Philip. Preston Park cycle track with the houses of Preston Drove in the background.

    By Janet Beal (15/11/2017)
  • Yep, I’m definitely with Alan and Philip on this one. The building in the corner with the gabled dormers covers the north west end of the velodrome at Preston Park.

    By Bob from Brighton (17/11/2017)

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