Black Lion Skatepark

The Black Lion Skatepark was a premier concrete skatepark in Gillingham, Kent (then under Gillingham Borough Council, now Medway Council), active from 1978 until its abrupt closure in 1987. It was built in 1978^[1][2] during the late-1970s boom of skateboarding and BMX, funded by local businessman Alfred Faccenda^[3]. Historic England notes that Gillingham’s Black Lion was one of a series of top-tier “shotcrete” skateparks (designed by Adrian Rolt’s G-Force team and built by Skate Park Construction Ltd)^[4] opened in the UK around 1977–78. These featured California-inspired elements and poured concrete construction. In planning terms, the site (on Mill Road near the Black Lion pub) had formal approval, and in 1987 even a fresh permission was granted for an expanded replacement park and shop – but this redevelopment never occurred.

From its 1978 opening, Black Lion was an “international standard” multi-component concrete park.^[5] Key design elements included:

• Kidney-shaped concrete pool: A deep “bowl” or pool feature (filled originally with water) was a highlight – users recall it as one of the best concrete pool bowls in Britain.
• Snake-run (s-shaped run): An undulating curved ramp (“snake run”) winding between sections.
• Half-pipe and bowls: A steel-coping half-pipe transition and several kidney bowls connected by smooth concrete hips.
• Smooth transitions: In 1985 the park’s separate bowls were concreted together into one flowing surface to improve transitions.
• Shotcrete construction: As with contemporaneous UK parks (Rom, Harrow, Brighton, etc.), the Black Lion was built of sprayed concrete (“shotcrete”) with fiberglass coping on edges.

These features gave riders a variety of terrain for skateboard and BMX tricks. Contemporary sources emphasize the quality: for example, skateboarders recall the pool as “if not the best in the country”​.^[6]

Originally run as a commercial venture, the Black Lion Skatepark charged an admission fee and had staff “marshals” overseeing safety. Riders were required to wear protective pads and helmets, and a small on-site shop/hut sold skateboards and accessories. In its heyday the park was a self-contained unit – a dedicated place to skate safely.^[7] (When Faccenda’s commercial operation closed, the park lost its shop and some staffing.^[8]

Operating details as reported:

• Entry fee: Visitors paid to enter (exact amount varied, presumably a modest fee).
• Marshals: Staff in fluorescent gear supervised the ramps and enforced rules.^[9]
• Safety gear: Use of helmets and pads was mandatory under park rules.^[10]
• Shop/hut: A board shop on-site sold skate equipment and refreshments.^[11]

Some riders note that in mid-1980s a local skate shop (“No Softies”) opened nearby, but the park itself had its own equipment stand. These details come primarily from first-hand accounts and interviews.

Black Lion opened during the 1977–78 UK skateboarding craze. The summer of 1977 saw the first UK skatepark (Skate City, London) and by 1978 dozens of concrete parks were built across Britain. Black Lion was among the last of the early wave (earlier examples included Brighton’s Barn, Romford’s Rom, Harrow’s Solid Surf). The peak popularity is illustrated by the fact that in 1977 “skateboards [were] the most popular Christmas present in Britain”​.

However, the craze soon faltered. Skateboarding “went underground” by 1979,^[12] and many parks closed. Just as skateboarding waned, the BMX bicycle movement surged^[13] in the early 1980s. At Black Lion the focus shifted – by the early 1980s the park was “full of riders absolutely thrashing the place on the BMX in the best possible way”​. In short, the Black Lion was both born of and representative of the global skatepark boom of the late 1970s, and then rode the wave of BMX popularity.

By mid-1980s the Black Lion benefited from a substantial upgrade. In 1985, the Gillingham council (by then Medway District Council) commissioned concrete resurfacing to unify the park’s bowls.^[14] The separate modules were joined with concrete ramps between them, smoothing transitions. This made the multi-bowl layout flow as a single course. The renovation coincided with renewed staffing: marshals were rehired (though insurance costs were noted as a concern).^[15] Riders remember this period as a “good time” for the park, with busy sessions under better conditions.

Despite an approved plan in 1987 to build a new expanded skatepark and shop on the site, the Black Lion suddenly closed in late 1987. According to eyewitness accounts, on 2 December 1987 lorries arrived and filled the park with rubble,^[16][17] obliterating the concrete ramps.^[18] This action - carried out by the local council – effectively ended the skatepark. Remarkably, no official record of this decision appears in the council minutes.^[19] Local researcher Rikard Österlund notes: “I spent a couple of days looking through the minutes…there’s nothing about [it] being permanently closed or backfilled”​^[20]

No public justification was given at the time, leading to controversy. In 1987 the council reportedly cited “health and safety concerns” as a reason to close the park,^[21] but this is disputed. Anecdotal accounts suggest personal politics played a role: a local councillor who lived near the park allegedly objected to the noise and youth gatherings, which “sealed the fate” of the park.^[22][23] In any case, the closure was abrupt and unexplained in official channels. It left many in the community feeling that a valued amenity was lost without democratic discussion.

After closure, the site remained buried under rubble and earth. For decades it lay hidden beneath a vacant lot or overgrown car park. No new skate facility was built on the original site. The park’s disappearance became local lore – often referred to obliquely as “what happened to the Black Lion skatepark.”

In recent years the Black Lion has gained renewed interest as a piece of heritage:

• Oral histories & research: Photographer Rikard Österlund (a Medway resident) spearheaded a project to document the park’s history. His work – funded by a Heritage Place grant – involved interviewing former riders and collecting archival photos.^[24] Österlund organized exhibitions of vintage photos (first at Intra Arts, Rochester in 2021) and a larger event in April 2025 at MidKent College (GlassBox Theatre) to celebrate the park’s legacy.^[25][26]
• Petitions & campaigns: In 2016 a petition on change.org to “dig up and repair” the Black Lion attracted 968 supporters (nearly 1,000), showing strong public nostalgia. Supporters recalled “spending [their] teenage years skating the park every day,” and credited it with keeping youth “out of trouble”.^[27] (An earlier 2015 e-petition to Medway Council failed to gather any signatures, indicating limited official traction.) The 2016 campaign did not lead to excavation but raised awareness.
• Social media & community groups: Facebook and Instagram communities (e.g. “Gillingham Skatepark Project”) and local bloggers have highlighted Black Lion’s history. Images circulate online of the park’s neon-curved bowls and the riders who loved it. The story of Black Lion is often cited as cautionary emblem – its loss is still lamented by Medway skateboarders.
• Exhibitions: Photos from the Read & Destroy Archive (by Ian Dobbie) and others have been shown to new audiences. A recent exhibition at Analogue Music in Rochester (Spring 2025) presented period BMX bikes and skateboards from the era, further marking the skatepark’s cultural impact.^[28]

These modern efforts – talks, petitions, art shows – frame Black Lion as local heritage. Österlund emphasizes that for skaters it was a “safe haven” and “second home”​.^[29] University of London urban historian Iain Borden has even noted that 1970s British skateparks like Black Lion are an important strand of youth culture history. The Black Lion may lie buried, but its legacy endures in stories, photographs and community memory.