Abbey Stadium (Swindon)

About

Abbey Stadium (also known as Swindon Stadium) is a closed greyhound racing and speedway track in Swindon, England, adjacent to the civil parish of Blunsdon. From its inception in 1949, the stadium was home to the Swindon Robins, a speedway team who later competed in the SGB Premiership. Three years later in 1952, greyhound racing was introduced and raced under regulation from the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) from 1968. Since July 2006, the stadium's footprint has been the subject of numerous redevelopment proposals. In November 2016, housing developments began on disused land towards the rear of the stadium. On 17 October 2019, the Swindon Robbins raced for the final time and did not return due to the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty regarding their stadium's future. In June 2022, permission was granted to build houses on the majority of the stadium's car park. In March 2025, its owners announced the stadium would close at the end of the year. The stadium hosted its final public greyhound racing event on 23 December 2025, and its final greyhound racing event was held on 27 December 2025, behind closed doors. Following the refusal of a planning application in March 2026 to demolish the stadium and replace it with a housing development, councillors and local residents have campaigned for the continued use of the grounds for leisure services, while some have specifically advocated for the return of Swindon Robins. In September 2026, Gaming International entered receivership, making the future ownership of the land uncertain.

Abbey Stadium opened to the public on 23 July 1949 when it hosted the Swindon Robins speedway team; greyhound racing followed three years later on 1 November 1952. Initially, the greyhound racing was independent (unlicensed), with 2,000 people attending to watch a greyhound called Don't Care win a 324-yard race in a time of 19.02 secs at odds of 6–1. Later in 1968, racing was regulated by the NGRC, which later became the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Swindon had two earlier short-lived greyhound track venues, in the village of Wroughton and near the town centre in Edinburgh Street, but both had disappeared by the mid-thirties. Abbey Stadium occupied a rural setting south of Lady Lane and was named after the Blunsdon Abbey estate in Blunsdon St Andrew, a Victorian estate which had seen its main house destroyed by fire in 1904. Abbey Stadium was later acquired by the Bristol Greyhound Racing Association, owners of Oxford and Eastville (Bristol) stadiums. This led to the track becoming part of the National Greyhound Racing Club during April 1968. The Silver Plume competition arrived in the same year, as the track's principal event. Another independent track to the northwest of Swindon opened during the sixties at Common Platt, but had little effect on the business of its larger neighbour. In 1983, ADT (British Car Auctions) acquired Abbey Stadium and used its large car park as a base for their sales. Other competitions at the track were the Grand National of the West, Pride of the West and the Jubilee Stakes. In 1997, Gaming International (then The BS Group) sold their Eastville Stadium and bought Abbey Stadium from ADT. The entire Bristol operation including the racing office, bookmakers, trainers, the Western Two Year Old Produce Stakes and the BAGS contract transferred to Abbey Stadium. In 2008, due to the closure of Walthamstow stadium, Abbey Stadium hosted the Arc competition. In 2018, Abbey Stadium signed a deal with Arena Racing Company to hold weekly matinée meetings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In 2018, the Arc competition was discontinued due to expected track changes, but following the sudden closure of Towcester Greyhound Stadium, leading owner John Turner stepped in to save the Oaks with a late scheduling in December. Abbey Stadium signed a new media rights five-year contract extension with Arena Racing Company to run from January 2025.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.