When Running Dogs Were a Business

An old "Tube" sign. 

White City Stadium, London, was built on a site that had previously been home to a Botanical Society Gardens that opened in 1827 and which closed in 1907. The White City Stadium track was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics and sited next to the Franco–British Exhibition whose white buildings gave the track its names. The White City tracked hosted the first modern distance marathon and, and with a capacity of 150,000, was the biggest stadium in the world at the time.

In 1926, the track was taken over by the Greyhound Racing Association which grassed over the track and began greyhound racing there on June 20, 1927. Greyhounds racing continued at White City until the track closed in 1984.

The White City Stadium site, adjacent to the Westway overpass, is now occupied by the BBC Media Village.

For more on the history of mechanical rabbits and running dogs, see 100 Years of Electric Rabbits.