Loudon Has New Sport Centre

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 307, 28 December 1937, Page 3

Loudon Has New Sport Centre

LONDON London lias taken a leaf cui of New York’s architectural book exhibition centre at Earl's Court over the top of six lines of electrified railway track. The practical completion after two years’ work of this greatest of Britain's entertainment centres was celebrated here recently at a lunch. Costing £1,50U,0U0, the Earl’s Court centre will also play an important part in the economic life of Britain, fur such exIhibitions as the British Industries Fair, the International Motor .Show, and the Business Efficiency Exhibition will be held here. First visitors to the centre felt it was the nearest approach they had yei seen to 11. G. Wells’ fantastic world of the future as shown in several films. Viewed from a balcony the little people moving about the main arena boro testimony to the immense size of the I building which covers a 12 acre site. ! Yet the proportions of the concrete structure are so well balanced that it jis difficult to apprehend its vastness. I There are 450,1)00 square feet of s floor space for exhibitions. The main arena has seating accommodation for 20,000 people. The floor of the middle section comprises three enormous hydraulic elevators. In a few minutes these operate to provide either a swimming bath 200 feet by 100 feet; a series of stages of the same or different heights; or an ice rink. The rest of the building can also be divided up and •altered to suit different purposes. | Ease of Entrance and Exit. [ It is claimed that large scale specliatlcs, kaleidoscopic colour and moi lion and scenes such as have only !been seen on the movie screen will be I .staged here. .Special attention ha? been paid to case of entrance and exit I for the public. Its situation is such | as to facilitate traffic control. i All daylight has been eliminated I from the exhibition area of the build-, [jug, ensuring uniformity of temperatlure and light conditions. The scheme of lighting in the ceiling of the arena ris such that any variety of shade and colour can be produced. By the operation of a. single neutral board, resembling nothing moic than an organ console, at one moment the floodlights can be dimmed land over the ceiling steal shades of i blue; these can be faded or changed [to gold or red, and so by the use of I switches any colour or shade can be produced. All stands for exhibitions are so organized that they can be equipped with cold water, drainage, gas, electricity and telephone. Trucks containing exhibits can drive straight on Ito lifts ami be. raised to the floor required before unloading.