Table of Contents

Foreword by Rod Sheard

Introduction

1. Played in London

SPORTSCAPES

2. Open space

3. River Thames

4. Crystal Palace Park

5. Wembley Park

6. Lea Valley

7. Dulwich

8. Westway

SPORTS BUILDINGS

9. Pavillions

10. Grandstands

11. Membership clubs and institutes

12. Company sports clubs

13. Gymnasiums and drill halls

14. Billiard halls

15. Skateparks

16. Outdoor swimming pools

17. Indoor swimming pools

SPORTS

18. Bowls

19. Archery

20. Cricket

21. Golf

22. Football

23. Rugby

24. Real tennis

25. Fives

26. Rackets and squash

27. Lawn tennis

28. Athletics

29. Cycling

30. Greyhound racing

31. Speedway

32. Conclusions

Links

Credits

Index

About the Author

Simon Inglis has written and contributed to numerous books on the history, architecture and heritage of sport.

Reviews

Simon Inglis is rightly renowned for his writing on the cultural significance of stadia and other sporting buildings. Simon's 'Played in Britain' project has helped transform our understanding of what these structures mean to their localities, and his latest account of this relationship, 'Played in London' not only continues the richness of Simon's explanation but is unarguably his finest book in this extraordinary 'Played in...' series yet.
Mark Perryman, Philosophy Football

The epic breadth of sport and places covered with a forensic level of research is something to marvel at. ... a beautiful encyclopaedia of London's sporting and social history.
Sport Magazine

Sports historian Inglis's compendium of facts, figures, stories, street signs and photos is the perfect present for sports loving Londoners.
Neil O'Sullivan, Financial Times

What makes this journey so enjoyable is Simon Inglis' witty, sagacious and tremendously informative text... London's sporting heritage could have no finer guardian and watch-keeper.
Groundtastic

A sumptuous, meticulously researched book... also a cracking good read.
Matthew Syed, The Times

This magnificent tome will stand as the masterwork authority on the capital’s sporting heritage for many decades to come. We picked it up with only a passing interest in sport. We put it down, 240,000 words later, with a newfound appreciation for the stadia, pitches and sporting traditions of the capital... It’s not only a publishing achievement of the highest order, but also an immensely good read.
Londonist.com

Our Book of the Year... Quite simply an exceptional work of social and architectural history. Deeply researched, superbly written, beautifully designed and printed with hundreds of photos, illustrations and maps.
London Historians

This latest volume from Simon Inglis provides a fascinating portrait of the sporting grounds in the 2012 Olympic City of London. ... Magnificent illustrations, many of them reproduced for the first time in many years, are complemented by a bright, informative but never over powering text.
Philip Barker, Journal of Olympic History

This is a quite remarkable publication and I am not at all sure that I - or any reviewer - can do it justice; you must see it for yourself to discover the range, the depth and the detail, all of which are soon evident. ... It cannot ve too highly recommended.
Gerald Gurney, The Tennis Collector

Simon Inglis's writing is lucid, personal and thought provoking. ... the book is endlessly fascinating in its detail and depth. It is almost impossible to do full justice to such a compendious publication - there are hundreds of illustrations (photographs, paintings, drawings, maps and more) which enhance and illuminate the text.
Richard Pugh, Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society