Monument record 6049/1 - Towcester Racecourse

The Grafton Hunt steeple chase races were held on Easter Monday from 1876, becoming known as the Towcester Races. A permanent grandstand was erected in 1930

{1} Towcester Racecourse. The Grafton Hunt steeple chase races were held on Easter Monday from 1876 onwards, and they became known as The Towcester Races. In 1928 Lord Hesketh formed a company and the course began to operate under National Hunt rules. A permanent grand stand was put up and extended in the late 1930's when the direction of the course was reversed.

{3} When the committee had decided to hold an annual race SirThomas Fermor-Hesketh gave a 51 year lease to hold the Easter Monday races in his park. This was to run from 1877 to 1928. Each year a temporary stand was erected inside the park wall about half way up the London road and is probably why the four sets of double wooden gates are set into the wall in this area. When the lease had expired Sir thomas set up a company called The Towcester Racecourse Ltd and built a permanent standstand and a weighing room. This stand was positioned near the present Grace Stand.

<1> Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Towcester (Industrial), 3.10 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100255.

<2> Woodfield P., 1992, Towcester Retail Development: Historic Landscape Assessment, (checked) (Full Report). SNN46827.

<3> MK Heritage, 2017, Easton Neston House (Website). SNN110757.

Record last edited

Jul 4 2017 10:21AM