Velodrome look wheeled in by Carter Wong Tomlin

Carter Wong Tomlin has created an identity for the London Velodrome, the city’s historic track cycling circuit at Herne Hill, as the venue seeks to peddle back some of its former glory.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone is endorsing a scheme to regenerate the velodrome, which hosted events in the 1908 and 1948 Olympic Games, as both a dedicated centre for cycling and multi-purpose leisure facility. The hope is that these amenities will enable the Herne Hill Velodrome Trust to become a self-financing charitable leisure trust.

CWT was asked to create an identity that would recall the velodrome’s Olympic past and underline its future positioning as the ‘home of track cycling’.

Senior designer Neil Hedger says, ‘In creating the new marque, we concentrated on rendering a symbol that embodied the values of the organisation in a simple and effective way. The continuous multi-coloured ribbon echoes the continuous pursuit of the cyclist, [with] the colours used to represent the pacing lane markings.’

The design work will be used as part of the fundraising effort for the regeneration plan, estimated to cost around £6m.

Built in 1891, the velodrome’s heyday was in the 1920s and 1930s, when it drew crowds of up to 10 000 people. Until recently, it had been leased by Southwark Council from Dulwich Estate, but when this agreement expired the venue was threatened with closure.

Southwark Council approved the regeneration proposals in June. The plans have been drawn up by the leisure consultant McAlpine, Thorpe & Warrier.