Hillheads Ice Rink: Where It All Began

Hillheads Ice Rink in Whitley Bay stands as one of the most iconic sporting venues in the North-East, but its origins are every bit as fascinating as the games it went on to host.

The story begins in the early 1950s, when ice sports in the region were still in their infancy. John Frederick James “Icy” Smith — the dynamic Durham-based promoter, visionary and owner of the Durham Riverside Ice rink — had long dreamed of bringing a rink to the Northumberland coast. With passion, persistence, and the backing of his family, Smith pushed forward with plans for a new venue in Whitley Bay.

After years of planning, the project finally received the green light from government departments and the enthusiastic support of Whitley Bay Borough Council. Construction began swiftly, with the Smiths adopting a simple motto:

“First things first.” As with Durham before it, the priority was clear — get the ice down and get people skating.

Despite the ambitious £100,000 build not being fully complete by Christmas, the first sheets of ice were ready for skaters by late 1955, marking the official opening of the rink.

At 186 feet by 81 feet, Hillheads Ice Rink boasted one of the largest ice surfaces in the UK at the time. With a capacity of 4,500 spectators and parking for nearly 700 cars, it was designed from the start to be a centrepiece for both skating and competitive ice hockey.

The First Games and the Birth of a Legacy

The first ice hockey match played at Hillheads took place on December 1st, 1956, featuring the Durham Wasps under the temporary name Whitley Wasps. With no locally trained players yet, Whitley Bay relied on its sister rink in Durham to introduce the sport to fans north of the Tyne.

Just a year after its opening, in December 1956, the rink hosted its first-ever ice hockey match. At that time, local players were scarce, so teams from Durham were brought in — the Durham Wasps played under the name Whitley Wasps when playing there. By 1957, a local side, the Whitley Bees, was established, signaling the growing domestic passion for ice hockey.

Everything changed in 1964, when the Whitley Warriors were officially formed, their first-ever game — against a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities team — marked the beginning of a new era.

 

 During this period, the rink’s capacity also changed. In the 1960s, a ten-pin bowling alley was added above the rink, which reduced seating capacity from around 3,500 to about 3,200.

Today, the Hillheads Ice Rink remains a landmark of the region’s sporting culture — a place where community, history, and passion for the game have been frozen into the very fabric of the building.