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The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our online HER enquiry form.



HER Number MWB22801
Record Type Monument
Name Site of Wheelies skatepark, West Street, Newbury

Grid Reference SU 469 675
Map Sheet SU46NE
Parish Newbury, West Berkshire
Map:Show location on Streetmap

Summary

Former location of the country's first indoor and first all wooden skatepark in the late 1970s

Monument Type(s):

  • SKATEPARK (Late 20th century - 1977 AD to 1978 AD?)

Full Description

A skatepark called Wheelies opened in Newbury in December 1977 <1><2><3>. It was the country's first indoor skatepark <2> and the first all wooden skatepark <3>. It was located in one of the former Elliott's buildings on West Street <2><4> and designed by John Norgate <3>. It was the home of a skateboarding team sponsored by Toomer's, the Toomer Zoomers, which also ran a large skate shop on site <3>.

Wheelies closed in around 1978 <3> and the site was redeveloped for offices in the early 1980s <5>.

The GIS point is approximate.

Sources and further reading

<01>Newbury Weekly News. Newbury Today. https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/. 'Everyone was having wheely good fun…' by Sarah Bosley on 4 June 2018. [Digital archive / SWB149453]
https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/ ()
<02>Newbury Weekly News. Newbury Today. https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/. 'Pictures from the Past - week 4' by Sarah Bosley on 31 January 2020. [Digital archive / SWB149453]
https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/ ()
<03>Slade, D J. 2020. Newbury Skate Park. [Personal observation / SWB150413]
<04>Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14665]
<05>Newbury District Council. 1974-2000. Newbury District Council Planning Applications 1974-2000. 80/14054/ADD and 81/14966/ADD. [Index / SWB148104]

Related Monuments

MWB21984Site of the Albert Works, Albert Road, Newbury, later known as Elliott's (Monument)

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

  • None recorded