It is not your usual listed building… (Picture: Philip Toscano/PA Wire)

The Rom, created at the peak of skating mania in 1978, has become the first facility of its kind in Europe, and only the second in the world, to become Grade II Listed,

The elaborate concrete construction, with its half-pipe, moguls and special skating pool, is now a protected heritage site in recognition of its cultural importance.

It is a far cry from the majority of listed buildings in the UK, but Roger Bowdler, designation director at English Heritage who lobbied the Department for Culture Media and Sport to grant the status, said it was thoroughly deserved.

“Skateboarding is more than a sport: it has become a world-wide cult,” he said.

The Rom was built in the 1970s and is the first skatepark in Europe to become a protected heritage site (Picture: Philip Toscano/PA Wire)

“The Rom is the finest example in England to this aspect of youth culture, and we are delighted its special interest will be protected for future generations through listing.

“It gives the whole idea of heritage an extra twist.”

Built and designed by Adrian Rolt and G-Force, leading skatepark designers of the period, the Rom occupies 8,000 square metres, featuring a series of bowls and hollows made from seamless pressurised concrete, closely based on Californian skateparks.

These were themselves inspired by the urban spaces – including oval and kidney-shaped swimming pools belong to the Los Angeles elite – colonised by pioneer skaters.

Author Simon Inglis helped the Rom skatepark in Hornchurch to be recognised by English Heritage (Picture: Philip Toscano/PA Wire)

It was among a rash of skateparks built as a skateboarding craze swept Britain in the 1970s, but is one of only a few remaining with many later demolished as the sport’s popularity declined.

But the Rom, which takes its name from the nearby river, is as popular as it ever has been, and has become one of the most influential sites in British skateboarding culture.

The listing coincides with the publication of English Heritage’s Played in London – a book charting the spaces, buildings and sports that have shaped London’s cultural and urban landscape for over two millennia.

Author Simon Inglis, who pushed for the Rom to be included, said: “When most of us think of sporting heritage we conjure up images of Victorian cricket pavilions, of old football shirts or of Edwardian swimming baths.

The concrete bowls were designed to resemble the Californian skateparks of the time (Picture: Philip Toscano/PA Wire)

“But skateboarding has now been part of the nation’s recreational life for over 35 years, since it arrived in Britain from California at the height of the 1970s.

“Some of the pioneers are now grandparents, passing on their skills and enthusiasm to the next generation.

“Lots of people thought that like Chopper bikes and Space Hoppers the fad would soon pass, but as we can see in London alone, where there are at least 75 skateparks currently in use, skateboarding is still as cool as ever, and has received a real boost thanks to the growing number of BMX bikers, who now shares the facilities at most skateparks.

“I really hope that ‘the Rom’ will now become a place of pilgrimage for young skateboarders wanting to learn more about the sport’s early days, and have a brilliant time while doing so.”