Niagara Ice Rink
| Niagara Ice Rink | |
|---|---|
 A print from The London Illustrated News depicting the rink. | |
| Location | Niagara Hall 20-25 York Street Westminster, London W1 England |
| Opened | January 5, 1895 |
| Closed | Late 1902 |
| Owner | |
| Tenants | Niagara Ice Hockey Club (1896-1902) |
| Capacity | Minimal |
| Dimensions | Circular (~70 ft in diameter) |
The Niagara Ice Rink was one of the earliest ice rinks to open in London. It was originally built as the Westminster Panorama in 1881, and was renamed the National Panorama the following year.
It became known as Niagara Hall in 1888 and featured an impressive panorama of Niagara Falls. A new version of the Falls was later painted on, and was still part of the building when it was transformed into an ice rink in 1895.
The rink was a popular destination for upper-crust Londoners, and it hosted numerous ice carnivals, skating exhibitions, and the 1902 World Figure Skating Championships.
It featured a circular ice surface and was only about 70 feet in diameter. There was a small area for spectators to look on upstairs, in between the supporting pillars. The design of the rink had an impact on hockey played there, with chicken-coop styled goals being utilized.
Ice hockey was first known to be played at the rink in 1896-97, when six of the Stanley brothers (key figures in the early development of British hockey) played on a team that handily defeated the Niagara Ice Hockey Club. Niagara later won the 1898 English Club Championship.
The Niagara rink was home to the New Niagara Challenge Cup from 1897 to 1899.
On January 1, 1899, a team comprising three Stanley brothers (Arthur F., Edward, and F.W.), R. and J. Gossett, and Peter Patton, known as The Old Wellington Team,defeated Niagara 3-2.
The Amateur Skating Club from nearby Hengler's Ice Rink played an inter-club match at Niagara in February 1902. The Reds defeated the Whites by a score of 3-1. Some players who competed were: Bruce Harding, W.A. Webb, Gerald A. Turnout, W. Strange, G. Mayer, H. Uthke, L.H. Turner, Alfred C. von Berg, and F. Siegle.
Niagara Ice Rink closed its doors late in 1902.
References
- Martin C. Harris, Homes of British Ice Hockey