 The racecourse, painted in 1913 by Alfred John Keene | |
| Location | Derby, Derbyshire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°55′45″N1°27′42″W / 52.92917°N 1.46167°W |
| Owned by | Derby Corporation |
| Operated by | Derby Recreation Company |
| Date opened | 1848 (at Nottingham Road) |
| Date closed | 1939 |
Derby Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Derby, England, from 1848 to 1939. It was preceded by two earlier courses, at different locations.
It is unknown exactly when horse racing first started in Derby, although a reference to racing in the town occurs in the play Monsieur Thomas , published in 1639. Races associated with fairs were probably held at a variety of locations, perhaps including Nuns' Green in the modern West End. Sinfin Moor, located some way south of Derby, was being used by the early 18th century – probably by 1707 and certainly by 1733, although racing still took place elsewhere as well. [1]
By 1748, Sinfin Moor had become established as the fixed venue for racing in Derby, with a prefabricated grandstand being erected. Racing was becoming increasingly fashionable, and meetings were held in conjunction with entertainments in the Assembly Rooms and various public houses in the town. On a number of occasions, however, waterlogging forced race meetings to be moved to The Holmes, close to the centre of Derby on the south bank of the River Derwent. This, combined with the process of enclosure into fields of the previously open Moor, led by the end of the 18th century to the course being permanently moved to The Holmes, where a "handsome and commodious" grandstand was built. With the arrival and expansion of the railways in the area, this site eventually became impractical, and was last used in 1844. [1]
The final Derby Racecourse, which featured a straight mile, [2] opened in May 1848 on land off the Nottingham Road, east of Little Chester and west of Chaddesden. A grandstand designed by Henry Duesbury was built in 1852, [1] and in 1856 the Midland Railway opened Nottingham Road station to serve the course. [3] In 1863, the South Derbyshire Cricket Club also moved to the venue from The Holmes, and a cricket ground was constructed within the southern curve of the racecourse. The Racecourse Ground, as it was initially known, later became the County Cricket Ground after the Derbyshire County Cricket Club started playing there in 1871. [4] The Racecourse Ground was also a football venue; it was the home of Derby County F.C. from 1884 until 1895, [5] and hosted an FA Cup Final replay [6] and an England international match as well. [7]
The Duesbury grandstand was replaced in 1911 by a "larger but far less elegant building" with a distinctive domed roof. Like its predecessor, the stand served spectators for cricket as well as racing. The final race meeting at Derby took place on 9 August 1939, with Gordon Richards riding one of the last winners. [1] Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Racecourse was taken over for military use by the Royal Artillery, and anti-aircraft guns were positioned on the site. [8] The Derby Recreation Company, who leased the land from the Corporation, were given notice in 1942 that the lease would not be renewed after 1945. [9] After the War, the town council confirmed that racing would not be resumed in Derby, as it would "bring the wrong sort of people into the town". [1]
Following the closure of the Racecourse, the land was retained by the council for public recreation and partially converted into football pitches. [2] The area is still known as the Racecourse Playing Fields. [10] The County Cricket Ground also remained on the site, and in 1955 the cricket field was moved eastwards and closer to the grandstand. [11] The stand itself – along with its public house, the Grandstand Hotel – continued in use up until 1998, but became extremely dilapidated in later years and was demolished in 2001. Its site is now occupied by the ground's Gateway Centre. [12] Other racing-related structures, such as the old stables and judges' box, were adapted for use by the cricket club, but have also been lost to 21st century redevelopment. The last remaining racecourse feature, the jockeys' quarters, was demolished in 2009. [13]
A Roman settlement, now known as Derby Racecourse Roman settlement, was previously on the site. Archaeological excavations took place in 1974. [14]
Chesterfield is a market and industrial town in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. It is 24 miles (39 km) north of Derby and 11 miles (18 km) south of Sheffield at the confluence of the Rivers Rother and Hipper. In 2011, the built-up-area subdivision had a population of 88,483, making it the second-largest settlement in Derbyshire, after Derby. The wider Borough of Chesterfield had a population of 103,569 in the 2021 Census. In 2021, the town itself had a population of 76,402.
Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River. The area was first used for horse racing in March 1840.
Normanton is an inner city suburb and ward of the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England, situated approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the city centre. Neighbouring suburbs include Littleover, Pear Tree, Rose Hill and Sunny Hill. The original village of Normanton-by-Derby, which now forms the southern part of the suburb, dates back to the medieval period. As the Normanton area became rapidly urbanised in the 19th century, the New Normanton area to the north was developed for housing, linking the old village to Derby, into which it was eventually absorbed. The area is characterised by high density late 19th century terraced housing in New Normanton and mid-20th century housing estates elsewhere, and has the most ethnically diverse population in Derby. The Normanton ward had a population of 17,071 in 2011.
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Derby, England, that is the home ground of English Football League club Derby County. With a capacity of 33,597, it is the 16th-largest football ground in England. Pride Park is a business park on the outskirts of Derby city centre, and the stadium was built as part of the commercial redevelopment of the area in the 1990s. Derby County have played at the ground since it opened in 1997 as a replacement for the Baseball Ground.
Alvaston is a village and ward of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. Alvaston is on the A6 three miles south-east of Derby city centre and probably owes its name to an individual called Ælfwald.
Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport.
Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters. The racecourse is located about six kilometres south-east from the Sydney Central Business District in the suburb of Randwick. The course proper has a circumference of 2224m with a home straight of 410m.
The County Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Derby, England. It has been the home of Derbyshire County Cricket Club since 1871. The ground was first used by South Derbyshire Cricket Club in 1863 and was initially located within Derby Racecourse, although racing ceased after 1939. The ground has staged two One-Day Internationals: New Zealand against Sri Lanka during the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup and New Zealand against Pakistan during the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup. It was one of the venues for the 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, hosting one of the semi-finals.
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Falcons in reference to the famous peregrine falcon which nests on the Derby Cathedral. Founded in 1870, the club held first-class status from its first match in 1871 until 1887. Because of poor performances and lack of fixtures in some seasons, Derbyshire then lost its status for seven seasons until it was invited into the County Championship in 1895. Derbyshire is also classified as a List A team since the beginning of limited overs cricket in 1963; and classified as a senior Twenty20 team since 2003. In recent years the club has enjoyed record attendances with over 24,000 people watching their home Twenty20 fixtures in 2017 – a record for a single campaign. The local derby versus Yorkshire at Chesterfield now regularly sells out in advance.
Pear Tree is an inner city suburb of the city of Derby, in Derbyshire, England, located about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) south of the city centre. It is split between the Arboretum and Normanton electoral wards. Neighbouring areas include Litchurch, Normanton and Osmaston. The area became urbanised in the late 19th century and is characterised by terraced housing originally built for industrial workers.
Swarkestone is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 187.
Ockbrook is a village in the Erewash district, in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is almost contiguous with the village of Borrowash, the two only separated by the A52. The civil parish is Ockbrook and Borrowash. The population of this civil parish at the 2011 Census was 7,335. Ockbrook lies about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Derby.
Brighton Racecourse is an English horse racing venue located a mile to the northeast of the centre of Brighton, Sussex, owned by the Arena Racing Company.
Nottingham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated at Colwick Park, close to the River Trent and about 3 km east of the city centre.
The Curragh Racecourse is a flat racecourse in County Kildare, Ireland. The racecourse is home to Ireland’s five most important flat races, known as the Classics. Racing takes place 23 days each year from the end of March until late October. Guided tours of the venue are available outside of race days.
Manchester Racecourse was a venue for horse racing located at a number of sites around the Manchester area including; Kersal Moor, New Barns, Weaste and Castle Irwell, Pendleton, then in Lancashire. The final home of the course, Castle Irwell, was closed in 1963. Despite its name, the course was never actually located within the boundaries of the ancient township of Manchester or the subsequent city of Manchester.
The Racecourse is an open area on the River Wear in Durham, England of 11.6 hectares total that has been used as a sports ground since at least 1733. It forms part of Durham University's sports facilities as well as hosting local sports clubs. The Racecourse cricket ground, which has hosted first class matches, has been used since at least 1843, and is the home ground of Durham University's cricket team. The Racecourse also contains squash, tennis and fives courts, rugby, hockey and football pitches, and boathouses.
Long Eaton Stadium, previously the Recreation Ground, was a multi-use sports ground in Long Eaton, Derbyshire that staged cricket, cycling, football, greyhound racing and speedway.
Croxton Park was a multi-purpose sports venue located in present-day Northcote and Thornbury, Victoria. It comprised a horse racing track which was in use from 1865 until 1873, and a grassed oval used for Australian rules football and other sports until the 1910s.