Durham Ice Rink: What's the Story?
Mary Reilly
2025-05-15 17:35:22
Count answers: 5
John Smith was an ice seller, whose decision to transform his business into building ice rinks created one of Britain’s earliest ‘ice hockey hotbeds’ in north-east England. His third at Durham was only a short distance along the River Wear from where in June 1939 his dream of an ice rink became a reality. The dream had been born out of his love of ice skating as a child on the village pond. When it became clear that the development of modern refrigerators would soon put an end to the business of selling large blocks of ice, he decided an ice rink was the answer to both.
Purchasing the site of an old water mill so that the river would provide hydro-electric power, Smith began construction of seven miles of water pipes. When the outbreak of war stopped building work before the roof could be fitted, he erected a huge marquee, reputedly the largest in Europe, which was supported by seven huge posts set into the ice. Despite post-war shortages, in 1946 Smith managed to have a concrete and steel-framed permanent rink built in nine months, with tiered seating composed, notoriously, of warsurplus coffin lids. The Wasps went on to be an influential force in the game until the rink closed in 1996.
Guy Bode
2025-05-06 22:18:48
Count answers: 6
Almost 30 years after the Durham Wasps left Wearside, a clutch of trophies won by the successful ‘Big Blue Machine’ in the late 1980s and early 1990s has been found. The silverware had spent years hidden in a garage and came to light during preparations for an exhibition into the history of Durham Ice Rink and the community that grew up around it. The collection includes Heineken Play-off trophies, a Norwich Union Autumn Cup and several Castle Eden Cups, presented to the winner of the northeast’s popular local contest between the Wasps, Whitley Warriors, Cleveland Bombers and Crowtree Chiefs. However, it represents only about 20 per cent of what was believed to be in the Wasps’ trophy cabinet when the rink closed in 1996.
Esta Abernathy
2025-04-29 03:02:52
Count answers: 6
Durham’s first rink opened in 1940, at the start of World War Two by local entrepreneur “Icy” Smith. The rink proved a huge success. It was a place where people could skate for sheer enjoyment or sit back and watch the ice shows or ice hockey and temporarily escape the worries of the war. Ice hockey was established as a regular aspect of the ice rink’s attractions in 1942, and there was a ready supply of individuals with enough talent and experience to ensure its popularity. In 1945 the war was over, and many Canadians returned home. Some remained, as did Durham’s enthusiasm for ice hockey. The rink, complete with a permanent roof, opened on the site of the original one at a cost of £64,000. One big problem had been finding wood for constructing the stands that would house the expected crowds. Wood was in short supply at the end of the war, but Smith saw there was a great surplus of wooden coffins, and bought many for use in the rink’s construction. The Durham Wasps began their life in 1946 and were established by Mike Davey of Ottawa, along with three other Canadians who made Durham their home. Ice hockey maintained a degree of popularity throughout the sixties and seventies, but it was the period from 1982 to 1992 that was the real heyday for the Durham Wasps. Sadly, ice hockey in Durham became a victim of its own successes and ambitions. The last days of the Wasps came within only a few years of their greatest era. In 1995, Sir John Hall purchased the team as part of his unfulfilled vision for a Newcastle United Sporting Club. The departure of the Wasps brought financial difficulties to the Durham rink. It closed on July 8, 1996, reopening a year later as a 20-lane bowling alley.
Sophia Carter
2025-04-27 14:56:38
Count answers: 2
Any regular visitors to Durham City will have no doubt noticed that the site of the former Ice Rink is currently being redeveloped. Then, in the early 1930s, the business was moved to Bishop’s Mill. The mill site was chosen for the ice factory as the River Wear was the ideal power source for the refrigeration machinery. So, in 1939 the idea for the Durham Ice Rink was born. After the end of the War building work on a permanent building was completed and the rink became a regular haunt for generations of Durham residents along with the Durham Wasps, Durham’s own Ice Hockey team, formed by Smith himself. Now the site is being redeveloped, for housing and offices, the ice making machinery has had to be removed to make way for the developments along with the installation of a new Hydro-electric generator.
Griffin Waelchi
2025-04-14 22:42:27
Count answers: 3
Durham's first ice rink opened in 1940. Nevertheless, the rink proved a huge success. It was a place where Durham folk could skate for sheer enjoyment, or sit back and watch the ice shows or ice hockey and temporarily escape the worries of the war. Ice hockey was established as a regular aspect of the ice rink's attractions in 1942, and there was a ready supply of individuals with enough talent and experience to ensure its popularity.
The Durham Wasps began their life in 1946 and were established by Mike Davey of Ottawa, along with three other Canadians who made Durham their home. Sadly, ice hockey in Durham became a victim of its own successes and ambitions. It closed on July 8 1996, reopening a year later as a 20-lane bowling alley. Like the ice rink, it proved to be a popular leisure attraction for the people of Durham, but the days of ice skating in Durham City are no more.
Izabella Greenholt
2025-04-14 22:40:21
Count answers: 3
Durham ice rink was a community hub, home to the hugely successful Durham Wasps ice hockey team. Located on The Sands, where the passport office currently stands, it was the vision of local entrepreneur ‘Icy’ Smith that saw the rink open in the 1940’s. It found success with the Canadian pilots stationed nearby during the war, and went on to create one of the most famous names in ice hockey; The Durham Wasps. The story ended with the team being bought out, moved to Newcastle and the rink closing shortly after.
Antonina Cartwright
2025-04-14 20:45:30
Count answers: 5
Icy purchased a row of terraced houses near the river in Freemans Place, on the site of an ancient water mill that once belonged to the Prince Bishops of Durham. Icy's riverside rink required the setting of seven miles of pipes that would lie beneath the great pad of ice to keep it cool. The pipes were in place by 1939, but when the rink finally opened on the March 6, 1940, it was somewhat exposed to the elements. There was, initially, no roof of any kind, but an enormous marquee, allegedly the largest in the world, was soon brought in to cover the rink. In 1944, a severe gale destroyed the marquee altogether, and a new ice rink with a permanent roof was an essential requirement.
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