The Preston Road tube station was established in May 1908 specifically to accommodate the clay pigeon shooting events of the London Olympics. Initially, the area was rural with no residents, and the nearest station was two miles away. To ease transportation for athletes, the shooting club advocated for a new station. Although basic in design—a wooden platform with steps—the opening of Preston Road Halt played a vital role in the success of the Olympic events, showing the evolving relationship between transport infrastructure and sporting events in that era.
The station, little more than a wooden platform and steps up to the road, opened on 21st May 1908 as Preston Road Halt for Uxendon and Kenton.
What was to change was a decision to turn part of nearby Uxendon Farm into a shooting ground for the gentlemanly pursuit of firing small lumps of lead at large lumps of clay.
The shooting grounds were a two-mile walk to the nearest railway station at Neasden, and obviously you can't expect Olympic athletes to walk two miles.
The arrival of the station, no matter its temporary appearance, was enough to facilitate transport for athletes attending the 1908 Olympics.
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