Hutchens was the Usain Bolt of the Victorian era

You’ll have a hard time finding the world record for a 300-yard sprint these days. The global best time for this distance, which translates as about 275m, is 137 years old. It is held by a newsagent’s messenger from Putney, Harry Hutchens, who lived the latter part of his life in Catford and is buried in Brockley. TOBY PORTER tells his story.

Britain’s forgotten Usain Bolt is Harry Hutchens, who did the 300 yards in 30.0 seconds on a cold winter’s day in Edinburgh in 1884 – a performance that still shocks historians of athletics.

It was the defining moment of his career – a time that is shockingly good given the conditions, the nature of the track and the lack of modern training techniques and diet – or blocks.

Henry Hutchins, who competed as Harry Hutchens and was probably the best sprinter in the world of the Victorian era, lived in Catford as he finished competing and when he died in 1939 was living at 134 Brookdale Road.

All of his homes from the time of his fame were a shot-putter’s throw from Ladywell Arena, home of present-day Kent Athletics Club.

Henry was the youngest of the six children of James and Elizabeth Hutchins; James, a stonemason, died when Elizabeth was pregnant with Harry in 1858.

In 1861, Elizabeth and the children aged 16 to four lived at 4 Gardners Lane, Alpha Place, Putney – now Felsham Road.

He was working as a messenger for WH Smith’s at Putney when he discovered how fast he could sprint.

He turned professional aged 18 in 1876.

Races were usually handicapped, based on recent form, to encourage betting – so the quickest had further to run.

Times and distances were meaningless. The athletes made little out of a sport dominated by South Londoners.

Hutchens, then 20, made his name at a track in Sheffield in March 1878 – on a site which is now Sheffield United FCs Bramall Lane Stadium, starting 5.5 yards behind then champion, George Wallace, but winning by a foot.

He won again the next year in Sheffield, with a shortened handicap in the 130 yard race – he stormed past the field before the halfway mark to win with ease.

Later, he offered to take on any other sprinter for £500. There were no takers.

Harry married Harriet in 1880, the year they had a child, Hilda.

Their house in Grove Terrace, Fulham was being shared with another household, but it was a step up from the cramped home he grew up in.

His finest race was in Sheffield starting from scratch. He almost overtook sprinters with seven yard advantages, completing the 131.25 yards in 12.2 seconds – that’s 10.3 secs for the 100m – on a grass track.

His meal before his world record run, at the 1884 New Year’s Powderhall meeting in Edinburgh, was roast beef with potatoes.

He ran 300 yards in 30.4secs in a heat, after a night of snow.

In the final, 30.0 seconds exactly, celebrating with his hands raised 30 yards out – and finishing 18 yards ahead of second place.

In 1999, then European 200 metres Champion, Doug Walker, tried, and failed, to beat it.

He was beaten over 135 yards in Pastime Park, Philadelphia, USA on November 1 – but the winner had a 21-yard start on him.

In the autumn of 1886, he headed for Australia, hoping that it would improve his rheumatism.

He was seasick most of the way there. Just outside Sydney he broke the 50 yard record with a time of 5.6 seconds.

In the final race of three, Hutchens romped away, finishing in 14.5 seconds, a much quicker time than the opponent who beat him in the other two races.

Harry Gent from Darlington was the emerging star by the time he returned to London.

The bookies who ran the sport set up a match between the Harrys at Lillie Bridge Grounds in September 1887.

The arena, close to the current Stamford Bridge, staged boxing, cricket, cycling, football and athletics.

The crowd of up to 15,000 each paid a shilling. But Hutchens looked too fit and the organisers, who had bet on Gent, called off the race.

Disgruntled spectators burnt much of the stadium down.

The race was eventually run in Gateshead, with Gent the victor by a couple of feet.

Hutchens competed again in 1888 but fared badly at the Sportsman Running Grounds in Plumstead, organised by the Kent Professional Pedestrian Association.

The site of the arena – also used by a team called Woolwich Arsenal – is now part of HMP Belmarsh. The same year, he won comfortably against a horse and a horse-and-chariot over 150 yards.

By 1891 he was described as ‘once famous’ – but he won his fourth and final Sheaf House handicap championship in Sheffield in February.

In 1892, he took a second place in Battersea. In 1893, and also had a rare South -east London race, at Browns Grounds in Nunhead – now part of Haberdashers’ Aske’s playing fields – winning his heat but losing in the final.

The following year he announced he would retire and made unsuccessful attempts to beat his own records, including one at Stamford Bridge.

In 1896, he competed against a bike at the newly-built Catford Velodrome, close to what was to be his home.

In front of a 10,000 crowd he comfortably beat the professional cyclist Tom Osborn.

Now well into his 40s, Harry continued to race until 1899 – beating a woman cyclist at Putney Velodrome. His win was described as “ungallant”.

He moved to Catford and started working for the Woolwich Arsenal around 1899, alongside the marathon runner, Charlie Gardiner.

By 1901 he was listed as a foreman in Royal Naval Ordnance Depot living with his wife Harriet, daughter Hilda – listed as a Fancy Knitter – and a lodger at 12 Bradgate Street (now Road).

But Harry was arrested and found guilty of the theft of a charity box from a Northampton pub and was sentenced to 14 days hard labour in 1903.

He was still working at Woolwich Arsenal in 1911, listed as a ‘Leading Hand’ there – he’d moved to 38 Bradgate Street.

Harriet died in 1930, and by the time of his death on January 2, 1939 Harry was at 134 Brookdale Road with Hilda and a different lodger.

Hilda died in Lewisham in 1952.

His death came 55 years to the day after he had covered 300 yards in 30.0 seconds on a cold winter’s day in Edinburgh.