White City Stadium

White City Stadium was designed by engineer J. J. Webster and completed in just ten months by George Wimpey for the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908. Opened by King Edward VII on 27 April 1908, it originally seated 68,000 and featured a running track, cycle track, and a swimming and diving pool in the infield. The stadium hosted many events of the 1908 Olympics, including the finish of the first modern marathon—the distance of which was fixed at these Games. From 1927 it became a premier greyhound racing venue, hosting the English Greyhound Derby until its closure in 1984. Speedway arrived in 1928, and the stadium also hosted athletics championships, boxing, show jumping, stock car racing, and concerts. A record 92,000 spectators attended the 1939 Greyhound Derby final. The stadium was demolished in 1985, and the site is now occupied by White City Place.

The marathon distance was fixed at the 1908 Olympics, calculated from Windsor Castle to the royal box at White City. Queens Park Rangers played home matches there in 1931–33 and 1962–63. The stadium hosted a match during the 1966 FIFA World Cup. A marker in the plaza commemorates the marathon finish line.