Hengler's Ice Rink

Hengler's Ice Rink
A drawing of a match being played at Hengler's.
Location	Hengler's Ice Rink 7 Argyll Street London W1 England
Opened	January 1896
Closed	Spring 1904
Owner
Tenants	Argyll (1902-1904) Amateur Skating Club (1903-1904)
Capacity	1,000 (700 seated)
Dimensions	Semi-circular at one end 11,200 sq ft total area

Hengler's Ice Rink opened in January 1896. It was initially built as the Corinthian Bazaar in 1864 and later became the Palais Royal theater.

The National Ice Skating Association eventually procured a lease for the building and went about converting it into an ice rink. It was also known as the National Skating Palace.

The first ice hockey match at Hengler's was played in 1896, with England defeating "Canada" 4-2. The "Canada" team was comprised of Canadians living in London. In June 1896 advertisements were released stating that ice hockey could be watched or played with matches being staged twice weekly at the "Most Magnificent Skating Palace in the World".

Hockey at Hengler's, similar to Niagara Ice Rink, was impacted by the rink's unusual design. It was semi-circular at one end and tapering at the other, with the bases to the columns lining the edges of the ice-surface. Chicken coop-esque goals were used, just like at Niagara.

The English Ice Hockey League was formed following a meeting held at Hengler's on November 6, 1903. Peter Patton was named chairman and Arthur Sullivan was appointed secretary. Two clubs in the league were based at Hengler's - Argyll and the Amateur Skating Club.

King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, and the Prince and Princess of Wales were on hand for a match between an "Internationals" side and London on February 4, 1904. The Internationals won.

The rink closed its doors in the spring of 1904.

References

• Homes of British Ice Hockey, Martin C. Harris