Palmer Park Stadium, Reading

The public map does not grant entry. Check current opening, tickets and access before visiting.

What is recorded here

Palmer Park Stadium is recorded as a named stadium in Reading. It is mapped for football, athletics. The point is the centre supplied by the public map.

Palmer Park Stadium grew from the recreation land given to Reading by biscuit maker George Palmer in 1889. Its banked outdoor cycling track became a long-running centre for racing and training, with athletics sharing the enclosure; later repairs and new sports buildings changed the setting while keeping the measured oval in public use.

What this place is

It is an outdoor banked cycle track and athletics ground within Palmer Park, part of the recreation land given to Reading in the late nineteenth century.

People and events

Local riders, athletics clubs and visiting competitors used the stadium for generations, while George Palmer's land gift made organised public sport possible here.

How it was used

The banked track hosted cycle races and training around an athletics field, later working alongside new indoor facilities and wider park recreation.

What survives

The broad oval, raised bends and central field remain clearly visible, though surfacing, buildings and safety arrangements have been renewed over time.

Why it mattered

Palmer Park Stadium mattered because a Victorian public gift developed into a lasting specialist track where everyday training and major cycle meetings shared one place.