The University of London Athletics ground was laid out in 1931, the University spent £18,000 to acquire what was then unspoilt countryside in 1926 and almost as much again on levelling and drainage works that helped to establish Motspur Park as a top-class facility. The 28-acre site was opened by the university's chancellor, Lord Beauchamp William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp. A pavilion and covered stand followed in 1932, in May the same year the ground hosted the Inter-Universities sport event. It was allowed to be used as the venue for the annual ‘Laundry Sports’, staged for the capital's laundry workers during the 1930s. <br>