I have been looking at http://www.ukcyclocross.com and found an image and it got my thinking, when did cyclocross begin?

There is a pic here from the 1950
http://www.ukcyclocross.com/photo/circuit-of-the-claypits-1950s?context=latest

At the start of the last century

here's a linky to some pics once it had started to get really established (in the 30s)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cyclocross+history

I would imagine as soon as the second one of these was finished:

It started as a development from using bikes in the trenches in WW1 so early 20's although usually as point-to-point races. It became circuit based in the 30's and the first CX World Champs was in 1950.

the 50s? arrivistes!
check this out
http://www.blackbirdsf.org/cx/christopheoncx.html

That is amazing, i thought it was a newish thing.

nah, it's just become trendy in the UK and the states recently.

so this makes me think; when was Mountain biking invented, it must be about 50 years later 😯

Leggyblonde – that site is brilliant. Check out this guy:

Isn't that the bombhole from Hit The North 1?

Looks a bit steeper to me (although considerably less muddy). Blood-thirsty crowd looks familiar though!