08/07/2023
The 1908 Olympic Games were the first to be held in London, the fourth of the modern ‘Summer Olympic Games’, and the longest Olympics in modern history, lasting for a fairly astonishing (and tiring sounding) 187 days.
The games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome, but after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in April 1906 the funds allocated to the games were needed for the reconstruction of Naples, and so a new host for the games was required. London was chosen, and a new stadium at White City was constructed.
The 1908 games were notable for more reasons than just the extraordinary length of time that they took.
It was at these games that the marathon distance (42.195 km) we still use today was set. The marathon course was originally planned to run for 26 miles, from Windsor Castle to the White City Stadium, then finish with a lap of the stadium ending in front of the Royal Box. However Princess Mary requested the start to be moved to under the window of the Royal Nursery. This extra distance, coupled with a minor change to the entrance to the stadium, resulted in a distance of 26 miles & 385 yards being run. This new distance was then set as the marathon distance by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in May 1921.
It was also the second time that Polo was competed at the Olympics, with Paris 1900 being the first. The Hurlingham Polo Grounds () in London were chosen as the venue, with only 3 teams competing, all of which represented the British Olympic Association.
The 3 teams were: The Hurlingham Club, The Roehampton Club, and a combined British & Irish team.
Roehampton won both games and so took the gold medal.
Hallmarked in London in 1908 by Mappin & Webb, it seems likely that this wonderful sculpture was commissioned to celebrate Roehampton’s success at the Olympics, as it appears to be one of the players from the winning team, seen in the next photo.
It is available to purchase via our website.
