England’s Sporting Heritage: The Played in Britain Collection

Played in Britain

In the introduction to his 1801 book ‘The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England’, the antiquary and engraver Joseph Strutt wrote:

Featuring on the Played in Britain web page, the quote aptly describes what the Played in Britain series of books attempted to show through their enquiries into the nation’s sporting heritage.

Lavishly illustrated, the books delve into the sporting histories of major urban centres. They reveal the lesser-known buildings and places of our sporting heritage, as well as the major sporting venues whose significance reach beyond the local communities in which they are located.

Inglis’ photographs show the buildings, places, memorials, and public artwork relating to the nation’s sporting heritage, as well as sports events, competitions and the people associated with them.

The collection is organised into 10 series. Each series relates to one of the Played in Britain books, focussing on a geographical area, sport or venue type. Additionally, there are books dedicated to the stadium designer Archibald Leitch and the story of Britain’s fascination with Olympic Games, held from 1612 in places ranging from Chipping Camden in the south to Morpeth in the north.

Here we look at some of the photographs from each of the 10 series.  

Played in Birmingham

From billiard halls and croquet clubs to fives courts and football grounds, Birmingham’s industrial past is matched by its sporting heritage.

The city is the birthplace of lawn tennis in the 1860s. Behind the scenes, the Jewellery Quarter has supplied the sporting world with medals, cups, trophies and whistles since at least the 19th century.

Birmingham also boasts a wealth of historic public baths, including those at Nechells, Small Heath, Rolfe Street, and Moseley Road.

Played in Liverpool

Goodison Park, Anfield, Aintree Racecourse – Liverpool’s sporting landmarks are known throughout the country. But its lesser known buildings and landscapes are equally fascinating: youth clubs, bowling greens, golf courses and cricket pavilions also feature in this series.

Sport permeates the city’s history. The leader of the City Council in the 1930s and 1940s also designed the Art Deco clubhouse of Childwall Golf Club, as well as the Forum Cinema on Lime Street.

View publication: ‘Played in Liverpool’ by Ray Physick (2007)

Played in London

The range of London’s sporting sites is immense. From the world’s oldest covered tennis court at Hampton Court Palace, built in 1625, to the Rom skatepark in Hornchurch, which opened in 1978, the capital’s sporting history spans the old to the new.

The ever-present Thames has also attracted both professionals and amateurs in a variety of watercrafts for centuries. Each year it hosts the oldest rowing race in the world: the Coat and Badge race, established in 1715.

This series of 1,300 photographs reflects this breadth of history – both on water and dry land.

Played in Manchester

Manchester has a rich history of cricket – Manchester Cricket Club, the predecessor of Lancashire County Cricket Club, was founded in 1816 – and, of course, football. But the city is not just home to Old Trafford and Manchester United.

Off the beaten track, Manchester boasts Britain’s oldest surviving ice rink structure, the Manchester Ice Palace. The city is also historically a home to archery, horseracing, and tennis.

Played in Tyne and Wear

The North East has produced sports talent from boxers and footballers, to rowers and cricketers. This series of photographs explore major sites like St James’ Park football ground, as well as lesser-known sports like real tennis, both of which have homes in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Meanwhile, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is surrounded by several pieces of public art and sculpture. These include the ‘Fans, Past, Present and Future’ statue and a large miner’s lamp, which symbolises the stadium’s name and location.

View publication: ‘Played in Tyne and Wear’ by Lynn Pearson (2010)

Bowled Over

Public greens and private greens, summerhouses and pavilions, these photographs chart the history of one of Britain’s oldest sports.

Several of the greens shown are even located within castles, including Bishop’s Castle and Clun in Shropshire, and Lewes in East Sussex – the oldest bowling green in England.

At the modern end of the spectrum are indoor greens, the oldest of which is thought to date from the 1930s.

The British Olympics

It is little known that Britain had a pivotal role in the revival of the Olympic Games after its decline in the third century, leading to its return in 1896.

These photographs explore two forerunners to the modern Games: the Cotswold Olimpick Games, first held in 1612, and the Much Wenlock Olympian Games, founded by William Penny Brookes in 1850.

The nation also hosted the first version of the Paralympic Games, then known as the Stoke Mandeville Games, which were held annually from 1948.

View publication: ‘The British Olympics’ by Martin Polley (2011)

Engineering Archie

In the early 20th century, Archibald Leitch (1865 to 1939) pioneered stadium design. He soon became the leading architect in football. His works include Craven Cottage, Roker Park, Fratton Park, Ayresome Park, Goodison Park and Villa Park.

Many of the grandstands and terraces were demolished or altered following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Roker Park, for example, where Leitch designed two grandstands, was demolished in the late 1990s.

Many of the photos in this series show the structures when they were still in use, while others show parts that remain today.

Great Lengths

Municipal swimming baths were opened throughout the Victorian and Edwardian eras. These weren’t just for recreation. Many public baths also provided bathing and laundry facilities, with Turkish baths and ‘slipper baths’ being included in most plans.

Sadly, by the late 20th century many no longer reflected their former glory. Since then, some have been converted, and others have been restored.

Dive into this series and explore the historic settings of Britain’s ‘most popular participation sport’.

Liquid Assets

Specifically outdoors and often with space to sunbathe, lidos became popular in Britain in the early 20th century. Many towns and cities enjoyed these ‘liquid assets’, but since 1945 countless have closed.

Despite this apparent decline, these photographs show their ongoing popularity, including the happy tale of the former Uxbridge Lido, which was restored in 2010.

Sources

An online version of the 1845 edition of Joseph Strutt’s ‘The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England’ can be found on The Project Gutenberg eBook website.

Discover a range of publications relating to the nation’s sporting heritage, including titles in the Played in Britain series.