Polytechnic Stadium

Polytechnic Stadium, Hartington Road, Chiswick

A grandstand and pavilion built in 1936–7, designed by Joseph Addison, architect. The building forms the principal element of the Quintin Hogg Memorial Grounds, now known as the University of Westminster Sports Grounds, which were purchased in the early twentieth century to commemorate the Polytechnic's founder.

MATERIALS AND STRUCTURE

The stadium is constructed of reinforced concrete with both in-situ and pre-cast elements. The frame is infilled with thin concrete walls, painted white except for the stepped seating, which is left unfinished and topped with wooden seats.

The whole structure measures 78 feet long by 79 feet deep. Both the rear building and seating are load-bearing elements. The cantilevered roof is primarily supported by a main beam 78 feet long by 7 feet deep, which rests on two octagonal pillars 16 inches wide and 54 feet apart. There is a clear projection of 30 feet beyond this point to the front of the stand. The roof length is divided into 7 bays, with beams running the depth of each floor from which the roof covering is suspended.

PLAN AND LAYOUT

The building has a rectangular plan with stair towers projecting at the rear. The seating is arranged in two tiers, accessed from the front at ground level and via the stair towers at first, second and third floor levels. Rooms occupy the remaining space behind the seating at each level.

The ground floor contains entrances at either end with extensive changing rooms and showers between them. The entire first floor is taken up with the clubroom, formerly the restaurant. Kitchen and toilet facilities occupy the second floor. The third floor reaches the back of the building. Two wooden-framed glazed announcers' boxes were added at the back of the seating soon after construction.

EXTERIOR

The south-east front facade is dominated by the tiered seating, divided by clubroom windows, beneath the projecting canopy roof. The building originally had metal rails on the front wall of the upper tier of seating and at the foot of the lower tier; these have subsequently been replaced and additional ones added. The north-east and south-west side facades are almost identical, expressing the profile of the cantilevered roof and tiers of seating, punctuated symmetrically by windows, some of which have been altered. The main entrances at each end have elegant projecting surrounds.

The north-west rear facade features bands of horizontal glazing with smaller paired corner windows on the stair towers, both sandwiched between raised courses. The window bands increase in depth as they descend from third floor to first floor. Original small-paned metal windows have been filled in on the third floor; larger-paned metal windows replace the originals on the first floor and front elevation, and ground floor windows have also been altered. However, sufficient original fenestration remains to preserve the effect of the glazing design.

INTERIOR

Interior finishes are deliberately simple, with painted concrete walls and concrete floors. As noted in the Polytechnic Magazine, "The internal finish and decoration has been planned in keeping with the purpose of the building, durability having been the aim throughout."

On the ground floor, original wooden changing cubicles and benches survive, although the original plunge bath and showers have been lost. The first floor clubroom is the principal interior space, its seven bays punctuated by prominent downstand beams and columns, with a terrazzo tiled floor.

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

The stadium was designed by Joseph Addison MC, FRIBA, MIStructE, AMTPI (1895–1969), Head of Architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic, also known as The Polytechnic. He was primarily a teacher who progressed to the Inspectorate at the Ministry of Education; this building is one of only a few of his executed projects.

The stadium was home to the Polytechnic Harriers athletics club, along with local clubs and schools. From its completion, it hosted international and national competitions, including Amateur Athletic Association championships and preparatory sessions for the 1948 London Olympics. The building was constructed at the height of the cult of athletics in Britain and represents an impressive surviving example of this type of sports building, notable for its Modern structure, materials and architectural style.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

One of a pair of original toilet blocks remains on the north-east side of the building. Two concrete signposts, apparently contemporary with the stadium, mark the two entrances to the site.