SHALE SPEEDWAY

Series

Series Name
Mining Review 5th Year

Issue

Issue No.
2
Date Released
Oct 1951
Stories in this Issue:
  1. 1MINING REVIEW INTERVIEWS N.C.B. CHAIRMAN
  2. 2SPACE HEATING
  3. 3ROAD TO RECOVERY
  4. 4SHALE SPEEDWAY

Story

Story No. within this Issue
4 / 4
Summary
BFI synopsis: mines by-products used at speedway in Hanley, Staffordshire. The event is an international evening - Britain v Overseas.
NCB Commentary - Harley, of the Five Towns, where pottery and coalmining rub shoulders. It’s Saturday night - and that means Speedway.
Tonight, pitfolk and potters pack the stadium - it’s an international evening, Britain versus Overseas.
In between races, the track has to be resurfaces. Nowadays the track, as well as the supporters, comes from the mines. Red shale - a mining by-product - is the surface they favour here at Hanley.
Britain won the match by 68 points to 40. There was the usual crowd watching free from Scotsman’s Hill, a neighbouring pit-tip. There should be enough material there to resurface the track for years to come.
Researcher Comments
BFI sources suugest that this story was researched by Tharp in May 1951. It was filmed on the 2nd June 1951. Commentary recorded 7 September 1951.
Keywords
Motor racing; Competitions; Mining
Locations
England; Staffordshire; Hanley
Written sources
British Film Institute Databases   Used for Synopsis
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956
Credits:
Production Co.
Documentary Technicians Alliance
Director
Grahame Tharp
Support services
John H. Shaw-Jones
Sponsor
National Coal Board

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