Charlie Fry's Sports Bar

Charlie Fry’s is a fantastic, friendly, and fun sports bar located within the Hilton Hotel Gatwick Airport. Perfect for if you want to unwind after an exhausting long haul flight, or even if you fancy a few drinks whilst watching the latest sporting event.
Born in Croydon in 1872, Charlie Burgess Fry first demonstrated his almost unbelievable all round sports abilities at Oxford, where he represented the University at Football, Cricket, Rugby, Athletics, Boxing, Golf, Swimming, Tennis, the Javelin and Rowing.
In1893 he set the world Long Jump record with an incredible 23’ 6.5’’, a record which stood for 21 years. He signed professionally, as a footballer, for Southampton and played so well in his debut against Tottenham Hotspur that he was immediately picked for the full English side to play against Ireland. He played for Southampton in the 1902 FA Cup Final against Sheffield United, and shortly afterwards transferred to play for bitter rivals Portsmouth.
However It was as a cricketer that Fry excelled, and England never lost a match whilst he was at the helm. He scored more than 30,000 runs in a long career, including almost 100 hundreds. In 1901 he scored an incredible six centuries in six consecutive innings, a record that remains to this day and is a testament to one of the greatest cricketers who has ever lived.
In 1921, at the age of 49, Fry retired from first class cricket but not before the England selectors had offered him the chance again captain England in a vain attempt to delay his departure from the game.
What then is CB Fry’s connection with Gatwick? Apart from the fact that CB spent large parts of his life living in the area, to be honest, very little! However he is known to have been a horse racing enthusiast in what little spare time he had, and apparently enjoyed attending the Grand National races of 1917 and 1918, both held at Gatwick Racecourse. The Hilton Hotel and part of Gatwick Airport are built on the site of the racecourse and a number of interesting old photographs of the racecourse can be seen in the bar.
So come join us for some light refreshments and share the excellent legacy and history that surrounds this fantastic sports star!!