THIS FEATURE IS ONGOING. SCROLL DOWN FOR FRESH PHOTO AND INFO UPDATES.
This thread was started on June 26th 2012
The demolition of Bay Sixty 6 Skatepark here in West London started this weekend. Walking through the front doors this morning was a bit overwheming when confronted with the speedy work of the team employed to take it apart. There’s a very eery and slightly sickening feeling that arises in your stomach seeing your local spot be destroyed. The hammers were pounding into the legendary mini ramp, the saws were screeching and the crackle of broken wood as it was ripped apart went through me like nails down a blackboard.
It’s a very overwhelming feeling. Standing there, taking it all in whilst breathing in the dust that fills the air. You can almost hear the sound of the coping being slashed. The memories of sessions flick past your eyes as you blink. The sound of people tapping tails become ghostly echoes. You probably know these sounds very well as they are part and parcel of all skate sessions. They are unique to our scene and will always remain in our memories forever. So instead of keeping all of this in today, I thought it would be best that we go through this process together. Sharing the shock and the sadness of an end of an era, as together, maybe it won’t hurt quite as much.
The saddest news of all and one of the reasons we have pieced this feature together is that there are many skaters turning up to skate the park this week after finishing their exams to find it in this state first hand. After all the speculation about saving the park, these skaters who have not picked up word about what’s happening from the internet are confused, shocked and angry, so please spread the message that the park has a new 2 year lease and that a refit is underway.
You will see from these photos taken this morning that the the midi ramp is next to be chopped into pieces. The same classic transitions that have hosted so many amazing Crossfire jams will be dust tomorrow. The Vert ramp has also been completely ripped out. The make-shift cinema that Mike built underneath the platforms is now just a pile of broken wood. What’s intriguing to see is the huge hole left in the earth where the Vert ramp used to be. We wonder how that deep hole will be filled moving forwards in the new design plans. 15 years ago or so, it took ages to be dug out. Tonnes of earth was carted away to make way for what was once, London’s most famous Vert ramp, second to the beast that was laid to rest at Latimer Road all those years ago. The sessions that went down on this ramp were legendary. Who did the last tricks tricks on it? Was Aaron ‘Jaws’ Homoki the last skater to huck a McTwist on these walls? Was Tom Murray the very last skater to actually drop in on it and grind the coping? Discuss.
We will bring you another feature soon with various talking heads reminiscing on what went down in this park over the years but for now, we have to just take in the changes that have been put in place so quickly. It’s very heart wrenching to see Bay 66 like this, but I guess we will all have forgotten about it in 8 weeks when the new park is built and re-opened with fresh obstacles from Nike. Until then, a boneyard of the old park is currently being dug and the men involved are working as fast as they can to fill the graves.
Share these scenes today, reminisce your memories of the sessions that went down here and remember – never take a spot of granted, as one day, it may be gone in a flash.
Bay Sixty 6 as we knew it, R.I.P.
THIS THREAD WILL BE UPDATED BELOW WITH ALL UPDATES WHEN WE HAVE NEW PHOTOS AND VIDEO.
PHOTOS AND VIDEO FROM THE FIRST 3 DAYS POSTED ON JUNE 26TH:
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Updated 27th June 2012
The park is almost all chopped into small pieces now, no more ramps as of today, not a tranny in site – well, other than Paul and Rory of course :) The main bulk of work right now is loading the broken pieces of wood into vans to clear the area.
The toilet was being knocked out as I got there as you can see in this video clip below, but aside from the huge space that is now evident, the main surprise was finding old graffiti that would have been sprayed on the walls 17 years ago. I wonder if any of the graf artists have gone on to do wonderful things?
Anyway, it’s looking likely that the next update we bring you will reveal an empty skate park. Crazy to think that this has moved so quickly in just 6 days.
Updated 3rd July 2012
Two lorries arrived today with the first wooden sections that have apparently been pre-built in Amsterdam for use in the park. These look like bowled corners and are currently making their way into the park on fork lift trucks.
Diggers are carving out various trails along the sides of the park where the toilets and seated areas used to be. These are for the new drainage system and cables. New lights are being installed today too, plus the big news is that the hole that the vert ramp used to sit in has been completely filled with earth and concrete.
WATCH VIDEO:
Updated Friday 6th July
The bowled corners have been stitched together to confirm that a wooden bowl will be the first skate-able structure in the park and it is situated in the area where the midi and vert ramp used to be. The transitions look like it will be a fun bowl to skate sitting about 6ft from first viewing. One piece of the jigsaw has been revealed this week. Hyped?
Updated Tuesday 17th July
These photos were shot last Tuesday before we flew out of the country for a break, and as you can see, the bowl is coming along nicely. Our friends from Amsterdam arrived to construct the wood work and have now applied its first surface, ready for the coping and final layer to be nailed on this week. More updates on our return but things are moving fast down at the Bay. Any bets on what will be built next?
NEW VIDEO CLIP HERE.
Update 23rd July 2012
We went away for a week and returned to see all of this action at the Bay today. Pretty swift work huh? The bowl is now full equipt with coping and platforms are pretty much there meaning that the staff will most likely be rolling here this week testing out their newly constructed curves.
The amount of new lighting that has been installed dwarfs the old lamps that were hanging from the ceiling. This will make for amazing sessions in the winter. Think about that for one second. It will also make for much better filming conditions for comps etc.
The biggest addition in the last week comes from the street section. It has suddenly appeared with a new vert wall, Wembley gap, manny pad, hips, ledges and much more. At the very end of the street section where the old bowl complex used to be now has some very plush containers. What will be hosted in these will be announced in good time but these are permanent structures.
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Update Friday 3rd August
The carpenters have been finishing off the main body of work in the street course over the last week with the ‘spectator gap’ being the stand out design addition that has been built in front of the new cabin window. 6ft Quarter pipes and a driveway have also been installed over the last week forming a sizeable gap over the new entrance to the park which has now moved from the original gates down to the far end towards the bridge.
A new square set of ledges have been made this week too, with what looks to be a flowerpot arrangement so expect something spectacular to appear in the middle of this. I’m calling it the Fairfield ledges for now.
Coping has now been added to the mammoth hubba making it look incredible and the rail in now up and running. The bowl has had more tweaks and looks smooth as a peach and a fresh lick of black and white paint to the metal fences and walls have started to make the place feel clean and new. Work on the beginners area where the old mini ramp used to be is also well underway. Work on the floor starts this week too, so expect more of that from next week’s update.
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Monday 20th August
Over the last two weeks, Sergio, Mike and Ralph have been working hard on laying the new floor so you get a smooth ride. The new street course flooring is almost done, leaving the beginnners area by the new bowl. The bowl is now 100% finished and looks so good now that it’s actually now pretty heartbreaking to stand on the platforms knowing it’s not open. Salivate on the photo’s below and see why. The best news is that finally, for the first time ever, the wind and rain will be given a barrier. There are sheets of plastic now hanging from the motorway so that the bowl doesn’t get wet. Dry sessions all year round are here on the bowl. Amazing winter sessions incoming.
There’s a new walkway above the new entry point to the park. You will now walk through the turnstiles at the back of the park to get in, then turn right into the street course. The walkway above your head as you walk in was installed last week for your safety. The view from the window inside the spectator box will have wire across it to stop decks shattering the glass from the spectator gap. The wings from the gap have been fortified this week with steel rods and now have a transition below them meaning you can now fly out of it onto the flat bank to the left.
There’s a new rail and bank combo set up now so you can get more speed on the road side of the park and a new ledge too. This side of the park is built for flatground and has plenty of space there for you to push, grind the ledges and set up for more ahead. The other side of the park (train line side) is laid out for more technical skating but at a higher speed.
We saw the hydraulic ledge in action this week. You will be surprised how high it gets! It will be managed in the cabin when it opens so that it’s not played with by kids.
Speaking to Croyde who designed the park on Friday, the original design had an 11 metre full pipe drawn up to sit where the old cabin and mini ramp used to be situated. Imagine if that had been signed off! The park is very close to being completed, so expect an announcement of a soft launch to skate it this week.
Photos by Guy Longbottom.
Video update 5th September
Have a look at where the park is at from our filming session last week. Croyde Mirandon explained to us why the bowl was so fast alongside a bunch of other angles from the ongoing work at what will be London’s most sought after skate park to ride once the doors are open this month.
Update 10th September
The brand new Bay Sixty 6 Skatepark is opening this Saturday with what looks to be a memorable event that will see the Nike SB team in attendance to open her with a bang.
Justin Brock, Wieger Van Wageningen, Theotis Beasley, Sean Malto, Fernando Bramsmark, Korahn Gayle, Neil Smith, Chris Jones, Jak Pietryga, Joey Pressey, Daniel Kinloch are all confirmed for this Saturday’s opening event.
Kyron Davis who learnt to skate at BaySixty6 after school is now on Nike SB. Check out Wieger Van Wageningen in this clip filmed last week at the park and look forward to this weekend.
Opening times:
Mon: 12.00pm-4.00pm – 4.00pm-9.00pm
Tue 12.00pm-4.00pm – 4.00pm-6.00pm – 5.00pm-10.00pm (BMX only)
Wed 12.00pm-4.00pm – 4.00pm-10.00pm
Thu 12.00pm-4.00pm – 4.00pm-9.00pm
Fri 12.00pm-4.00pm – 4.00pm-9.00pm
Sat 10.00am-12.00pm (beginners only) – 12.00pm-4.00pm – 5.00pm-9.00pm
Sun 10.00am-12.00pm (beginners only) – 12.00pm-4.00pm – 5.00pm-9.00pm (BMX welcome)
As you may remember from December 2010’s appeal, Bay Sixty 6 skate park in London was under threat due to various plans being proposed to turn the park into offices. Since then, the owners of the skatepark have fought a hard battle to renew their lease for another two years and the local council now recognise that there needs to be a facility for us. The park will be issuing a statement soon about redeveloping the park which will be more good news for you but this battle has not ended yet, it still needs your help, and it needs it right now.
The South Coast of England is spawning some great skateboarders right now but with its rich skate history etched into the books it’s hardly a surprise. The scene down in Brighton has never been tighter, the urethane is getting worn faster than ever and this vibrant coastal town keeps throwing up more talent than ever before.
Jacob Rosenberg’s much anticipated ‘Waiting For Lightning‘ movie screened for the very first time at London’s Prince Charles cinema last night in front of a sold out crowd. UK skaters traveled from all over the country to take in the documented life of legendary skater Danny Way who, alongside writer Bret Johnston, sat back and enjoyed the film before being mobbed and praised by many.
