Sadness at end of an era for famous city stadium

GREYHOUND AND SPEEDWAY BLOW

- STEPHANIE BALLOO

IT’S as familiar to Brummies as the Aston Expressway or the Bullring a staging post on the commute to work or a shopping trip into town.

But the landmark Perry Barr greyhound stadium is set to be razed to the ground consigning two sports to the city's history books.

The stadium, a stone's throw from Villa Park, shares none of its bigger neighbour's Premier League glamour. Sandwiched between the new Perry Barr flats development and the A34, used by thousands of drivers daily, it's fair to say it has seen better days.

But its appearance belies a rich history in both greyhound racing and speedway - a heritage that will be lost to Birmingham when it shuts next month.

Dog racing will move to Wolverhampton but the Birmingham Brummies speedway team, founded in 1928, will be no more.