Coral Romford Greyhound Stadium

• Visitor Information

One of the few remaining dog tracks in London, the Romford Greyhound Stadium has a capacity for over 4,300 and is owned by the Gala Coral Group. The stadium won the British Greyhound Racing Board's 'Racecourse of the Year' award for 1998 and 2003 and is renowned for its excellent atmosphere. There are a number of stands where you can watch the speedy canine action, plus a whole hosts of restaurants, bars and catering facilities, meaning you can have a really good night out. Betting is, of course, an integral part of proceedings (just look at the ground's sponsor), but there is no obligation to gamble. Despite the closure of many greyhound tracks in London, this dying form of entertainment still has a cult following - and you can't get much more of a true London experience. The cover for Blur's seminal album Parklife features an iconic image of greyhounds racing, taken at the now-closed Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium - but the Romford Greyhound Stadium also has its links to the UK music scene: several tracks from the British electronic group Underworld are named after greyhounds that ran at the stadium, including Born Slippy, Sappy's Curry and Pearl's Girl.