Skatepark from seventies now a historic site

With its half-pipe, moguls and special skating pool, the Rom skatepark in Hornchurch, east London, is a far cry from the majority of listed buildings. But it has become the first facility of its kind in Europe and only the second in the world after the Bro Bowl in Tampa, Florida, to achieve listed status.

The elaborate 1978 concrete construction is seen as an important example of youth culture in the UK and has been granted Grade II status, meaning it is nationally important and of special interest, by the Government on the advice of English Heritage.

The Rom is closely based on Californian skateparks, and was among a rash of venues built as a sporting craze swept Britain in the 1970s. Many were later demolished as skateboarding’s popularity declined.