C O N T E X T 1 2 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 2 15 of the Roman empire to have been securely identified. Such circuses were used originally for chariot racing and boxing, but athletics and wrestling also became popular. The fragmentary survival of the Colchester circus is, of course, no barrier for designation: we know what it is and that it is nationally (and internationally) important. In the same vein, the royal hunting lodge at Langley in Oxfordshire, designated in 1967, also clearly merits its scheduled status. It forms a central component in the deer park of the ancient Wychwood Forest. Its documented connection with Henry VII and the activities of the English court spans nearly 200 years. The hunting lodge, together with the motte at Leafield Barrow and associated manorial settlements, constitute an unusual group of related monuments representing social and political aspects of a medieval royal court. The Grand Stand at the disused racecourse at Wothorpe, in Cambridgeshire, was erected in 1766 in stone and brick. Listed at Grade II* in 1981, it has three storeys with an elegant front arcade. Pavilions and lodges have been erected over centuries for a variety of uses from shooting, fishing and archery, to bowls and cricket, and are found and designated, when appropriate, in differing locations such as schools estates and public parks. The small, stone shooting box erected for local gentry at Roseberry Topping, Great Ayton in North Yorkshire, is a rare, 18th century example and is listed at Grade II.These examples are perhaps most obviously worthy of protecting, where age is the key. Sports and recreation buildings are subject to enormous pressures: from changes in fashion and leisure patterns; changing attitudes to comfort; the desire of owners to maximise revenue; and, most significantly, from legislation concerning spectator safety.These pressures present a challenge for designation where, beyond age, intactness can be the crucial factor. Football stadia associated with the iconic teams would, on the face of it, have the necessary interest to be designated, but their grounds have developed immeasurably since their early days, if they remain in the same location at all. The historic interest of the teams’ great feats and tragedies, and their cultural status, is usually not enough, in designation terms, to merit protection This rare, late-18th century shooting box at Roseberry Topping in NorthYorkshire (listed Grade II) gave rest and shelter in an isolated spot. (Photo: copyright David Brown, from English Heritage NMR) The Empire PoolWembley, listed Grade II, has technological interest as a tour de force of concrete construction. Designed by Sir E OwenWilliams in 1934 for the British Empire Exhibition, its portal frames span 73 metres. (Photo: copyright Ian Stokes, from English Heritage NMR)
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