History of The Wall of Death

Presented by

Allan J Ford

Welcome

My name is Allan J. Ford and I am the proprietor of The Motordrome Company. I have long wanted to share my memories and experiences of the life and travels of my wall of death company and the many that preceeded me.

The wall of death made its first appearance in Britain in the early 1920's, the idea being conceived from boardtrack racing which was very popular in America at the time. By the 1930's there were quite a few Walls in permanent amusement parks and travelling the fairgrounds up and down the country.

Right from the beginning Indian Motorcycles were found to be ideal for the job, being reliable and sturdy with handling capabilities superior to most other machines of the day.

When business declined with the slump of the late 1930's and two or three Walls found themselves competing against each other at the large fairs, new and different acts had to be thought up. Taking a lion for a ride around the Wall in a sidecar was one spectacular act, another was being towed behind an Indian ona pair of roller-skates!

The Wall of Death again became quite popular in the 1950's and 60's especially the one owned by Tornado Smith at Southend. By the late 1970's all the Walls in Britain were closed and in storage - this is where The Motordrome Company comes into the picture.

Read On........

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Since April 2004

Roll Up Roll Up - It's Thrills, It's Spills, It's the amazing Wall of Death                                          Roll Up Roll Up - It's Thrills, It's Spills, It's the amazing Wall of Death