Newmarket has over fifty horse training stables, two large racetracks, the Rowley Mile and the July Course, and one of the most extensive and prestigious horse training grounds in the world.[4] The town is home to over 3,500 racehorses, and it is estimated that one in every three local jobs is related to horse racing. Palace House, the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art, the National Horseracing Museum, Tattersalls racehorse auctioneers, and two of the world's foremost equine hospitals for horse health, are in the town, which is surrounded by over sixty horse breeding studs. On account of its leading position in the multibillion-pound horse racing and breeding industry, it is also a major export centre.
History
Newmarket's name was first recorded in Latin as Novo Mercato in 1219 (according to The National Archives, Feet of Fines CP25/1/23/9). The Novum Forum c.1200 recorded in many placename dictionaries such as that by Mills,[5] is an error; this was actually the surname de novo foro of a man from Yorkshire who had no connection to Newmarket.[6] In 1223, Richard de Argentein was granted licence to hold an annual fair in Newmarket (from The National Archives, Henry III Fine Roll C60/18).
James I first visited Newmarket in February 1605, describing it as a "poor little village". From 1606 to 1610, he built the Newmarket Palace, an estate covering 1 acre (4,000 square metres) of land from the High Street to All Saints' churchyard, and thus established the town as a royal resort. This also made Newmarket a horseracing town. The first palace building suffered from subsidence and sank on one side when King James was in residence in March 1613.[7]Simon Basil, and later, Inigo Jones, were commissioned to build new lodgings for the King and the Prince of Wales. Jones's design had three storeys and was Italianate in style.[8]
In 1642, Charles I met a parliamentary deputation in Newmarket that demanded his surrender of the armed forces. "By God not for an hour", Charles replied, "You have asked such of me that was never asked of a King!" This effectively started the English Civil War. Newmarket remained Royalist throughout the war. In early June 1647, Charles was captured at Holdenby House in Northamptonshire and brought to Newmarket as a prisoner. He was placed under house arrest in the palace while the whole of Cromwell's New Model Army kept guard over the town. A survey in 1649 showed that the palace was in disrepair. The following year, the palace was sold to John Okey (one of the regicides), who demolished most of the buildings.[9]
Between 1666 and 1685, Charles II often visited Newmarket. In 1668, he commissioned William Samwell to build a new palace on the High Street (on the site of the present United Reformed Church). However, in 1670, John Evelyn said that the palace was "meane enough, and hardly capable for a hunting house, let alone a royal palace!" In October 1677 and October 1695, William of Orange visited Newmarket.
How to Escape Winning by Thomas Rowlandson. Escape's legs are bound by the motto of the Order of the Garter, and his jockey is shown holding him back.
In 1791 the Prince of Wales' horse Escape, ridden by Samuel Chifney, lost a race and then won one the next day, raising suspicions he'd lost the first race on purpose to raise the betting odds.[10] Jockey Club stewards Charles Bunbury, Ralph Dutton and Thomas Panton told the prince that if he continued to employ Chifney, "no gentleman would start against him".[11][12] The prince instead announced he would no longer race at all.[13] He sold his stable and, despite pleas from the Jockey Club, never returned to Newmarket.[11][14]
At the start of the 19th century, the palace was largely demolished, but a section survives and is now named Palace House.[9] During the 1800s, Newmarket south of the High Street spread into the parishes of Woodditton and Cheveley in Cambridgeshire. In 1894, the county border was moved to accommodate this, and has been further altered since.[15]
On 15 December 1977, an F111-F jet fighter crashed at Exning near Newmarket, owing to hydraulic failure.[16]
Aired on 12 February 2012, the British television series Time Teamexcavated on the site of Charles II's palace at Newmarket and found foundations of racehorse stables.
The area of Suffolk containing Newmarket is nearly an exclave, with only a narrow strip of territory linking it to the rest of the county. There are three tiers of local government covering Newmarket, at parish (town), district, and county level: Newmarket Town Council, West Suffolk District Council, and Suffolk County Council.
The town lies in the Parliamentary constituency of West Suffolk, which since 2024 has been represented by MP Nick Timothy.
Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (until 1889) West Suffolk (after 1889)
Historically the town was split between parishes and counties, with one parish – St Mary – in Suffolk, and the other – All Saints – in Cambridgeshire. The boundary between the two parishes followed the High Street through the middle of the town, with St Mary's parish and Suffolk to the north, and All Saints' parish and Cambridgeshire to the south. In 1851 a local board of health was established to govern the town, with its territory covering the two Newmarket parishes and parts of the neighbouring parishes of Exning (Suffolk) and Woodditton (Cambridgeshire).[19][20]
The Local Government Act 1888 established county councils, and directed that urban sanitary districts such as Newmarket Local Board should not straddle county boundaries. As such, the whole local board district was brought within West Suffolk on 1 April 1889. The Local Government Act 1894 established elected parish and district councils, with Newmarket Local Board becoming Newmarket Urban District Council on 31 December 1894. Newmarket Urban District Council held its first meeting on 31 December 1894 at Newmarket Town Hall at 29 High Street, a converted theatre which had previously been used by the old local board for meetings.[21][22] The first chairman of the urban district council was Joseph Rogers, who had been the last chairman of the local board.[23][24] On 1 October 1895 the urban district was enlarged by absorbing the rest of Exning parish and additional areas from Woodditton parish (the latter being added to the civil parish of Newmarket All Saints). Thereafter Newmarket Urban District covered three civil parishes: Newmarket St Mary, Newmarket All Saints, and Exning. These were urban parishes and so did not have parish councils of their own, but were directly administered by Newmarket Urban District Council.[25]
The urban district council was based at the Town Hall at 29 High Street until 1922, when it moved to Godolphin House at 2 The Avenue, and sold the Town Hall to be converted into commercial premises.[26] By 1937 the council had moved its main offices to Stratford House at 29 Old Station Road, but continued to use Godolphin House for some departments.[27][28] Around 1948 the council acquired Severals House at 3 Bury Road, which then served as its offices and meeting place until the council's abolition in 1974.[29] Newmarket Urban District Council was granted a coat of arms on 15 November 1951.[30]
The Local Government Commission for England suggested in the 1960s that the border around Newmarket could be altered in West Suffolk's favour. Conversely, the 1972 Local Government Bill, as originally proposed, would have transferred the town (and Haverhill) to Cambridgeshire. Newmarket Urban District Council supported the move to Cambridgeshire, but ultimately the government decided to withdraw this proposal and keep the existing boundary, despite lobbying from the Urban District Council.[31]
Newmarket Urban District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, merging with neighbouring Mildenhall Rural District to become Forest Heath District on 1 April 1974.[32] No successor parish was created for the former urban district, and so it became an unparished area, remaining unparished until 1999 when the area was split between two parishes called Newmarket and Exning, with the parish council for Newmarket adopting the name Newmarket Town Council.[33][34] Forest Heath District Council had its main offices at Mildenhall. Forest Heath merged with neighbouring St Edmundsbury in 2019 to become West Suffolk, administered from Bury St Edmunds.
Racing at Newmarket has been dated as far back as 1174, making it the earliest known racing venue of post-classical times.[citation needed]King James I (reigned 1603–1625) greatly increased the popularity of horse racing there, and King Charles I followed this by inaugurating the first cup race in 1634. The Jockey Club's clubhouse is in Newmarket, though its administration is based in London.
Stables and training industry
Horses galloping on the Long Hill training grounds
Around 3,000 race horses are stabled in and around Newmarket. By comparison, the human population is of the order of 15,000 and it is estimated that one in three jobs are connected to horseracing in one way or another.[35] Newmarket has 3 main sections of Heath, all of which are used to train the racehorses on. The grassland of Newmarket's training grounds has been developed over hundreds of years of careful maintenance, and is generally regarded as some of the finest in the world. "Racecourse side" is located next to the Rowley Mile Racecourse and is a predominately flat area. "Warren Hill" overlooks the town and consists of three all-weather canters and a multitude of grass canters. "Bury Side" is the name given to the area located near the Bury Road and the railway line. These areas and the surrounding heath is chalk downland and has special birds and animals only suited to this terrain. It is also a very historical area with the remains of 6th century living.[36] This hill is part of the chalk formation the Newmarket Ridge. The town has 50 miles (80km) of turf gallops and over 14 miles (23km) of artificial track.
Most of the Newmarket-based racing stables are situated in the centre of the town, where they can easily access the gallops. The town has special horse routes so the horses can reach the gallops safely from the many training establishments occupied by top trainers. Many of the world's most successful trainers are based in Newmarket, Sir Michael Stoute who is based at Freemason Lodge, John Gosden, based at Clarehaven Stables, Saeed bin Suroor, based at Stanley House Stables and Charlie Appleby based at Moulton Paddocks. Millions of pounds of prize money are won by these trainers alone around the world each year. Many of the horses they train are worth over £1 million, with some of the finest being worth between £5 million and £50 million or higher. Outside the town the land-use is dominated by thoroughbredbreeding, studs occupying large areas in every direction. Around seventy licensed trainers and more than sixty stud farms operate in and around Newmarket.[37]
Newmarket has three major public horse exercise grounds: Warren Hill (including the Long Hill exercise grounds), Racecourse Side (situated between and alongside Newmarket Racecourses's Rowley Mile and July Courses), and the Limekilns (include the Al Bahatri all-weather grounds). Godolphin also operate two large private horse exercise grounds near their Godolphin Stables and Moulton Paddocks stables.
Horse racing
The Rowley Mile Racecourse
The town has two race courses situated on Newmarket Heath, The Rowley Mile and The July Course. The Rowley Mile is the home of Newmarket's two Classic races, the 2,000 Guineas and the 1,000 Guineas, two of the world's most prestigious races, run in the first weekend of May every year. The value of the winners of these races are often immediately increases by millions of pounds. It is also the home of Future Champions Day, run the weekend before Champions Day at Ascot, which includes the very important Dewhurst Stakes. The July Course is the home of the July Cup, the Falmouth Stakes and a number of other very important races. The two courses are separated by the Devil's Dyke. This large earthwork starts in neighbouring Woodditton (sometimes spelt as Wood Ditton) and ends in Reach, a distance of over seven miles (eleven kilometres).
Newmarket is the UK centre for the multibillion-pound racehorse breeding industry, and a key global centre of the business. Thoroughbred breeding lines are a core part of success in global horse racing, and key stallions are controlled by major global breeding operations, which operate studs around the town. Darley Stud, owners of New Approach, Cape Cross, Dubawi, Sepoy and Raven's Pass own large areas of land to the south of the town. Shadwell Stud, another major global operation, have a number of studs nearby and own Nayef, Sakhee, Haafhd and Eswarah. Juddmonte Farms, owner of Frankel, Observatory, Dansili, Champs Elysees and Three Valleys, also have a large stud nearby. Cheveley Park Stud, owners of Pivotal, Mayson and Medicean are based next to the town, as are Lanwades Stud, owners of Aussie Rules, Hernando and Sir Percy. Newsells Park Stud, owners of Equiano and The Royal Studs, owners of Motivator also operate there. In 1967 Queen Elizabeth II opened The National Stud, a breeding centre for thoroughbred horses. Other parts of the town are also surrounded by some of the world's largest and most successful horse breeding studs.
Horse health and welfare
A view of the Jockey Club Rooms
The town is home to two of the most advanced equine hospitals in the world, the Newmarket Equine Hospital[38] and Rossdales.[39]
The town is home to the PGI ProtectedNewmarket sausage. Produced since the 1880s, three local butchers in the town are entitled to produce these unique flavoured sausages.
Newmarket Clock Tower in July 2019A statue of the Queen in Newmarket, Suffolk
Newmarket's key role in sport for many centuries has made it a centre for many of Britain's finest sporting painters. The development of painting on sporting themes in the early eighteenth century was centred on the Newmarket Racecourse and the three founders of the sporting school, John Wootton, James Seymour and Peter Tillemans, painted many scenes of the racecourse and its environs.[41] Newmarket is also the setting for some of Sir Alfred Munnings's most famous paintings.
The Save Historic Newmarket group, an organisation dedicated to maintaining the town's unique heritage as the world headquarters of racing, has become increasingly vocal in recent years.[42] The group, composed of local residents, supports sustainable development in the town and aims to make Newmarket a more attractive destination for visitors.
Three years later the first nine miles (fourteen kilometres) or so of this line, the stretch from Great Chesterford to Six Mile Bottom, was superseded by a more viable section linking Six Mile Bottom directly with Cambridge, and so the Great Chesterford – Six Mile Bottom section closed in 1851, one of the earliest closures in British railway history (the former Bourne Bridge station is believed to have been partly incorporated into a public house just across the road from a station opened later on another line – Pampisford, on the now-closed Cambridge – Haverhill – Sudbury route). With the development of other rail lines the Newmarket terminus was replaced by the present through station in 1902; it was used as a goods station until 1967 and demolished in 1980.[43]
A short distance to the north east is the 1,100-yard Warren Hill tunnel. North of the tunnel, a separate station, Warren Hill, was built for raceday use.
Regular bus services run to the neighbouring towns of Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ely and Mildenhall.[44] Various National Express coach services serve the town: London (Victoria Coach Station) to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft; Norwich to Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick Airports; and the cross country Clacton-on-Sea to Liverpool service which travels via Cambridge, Peterborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester. In late 2006, Newmarket introduced a Park and Ride service running from Studlands industrial estate to the town centre, which was replaced by an hourly bus route, the number 11 (formerly number 10), whilst at the same time parking charges were introduced to the town. [citation needed]
Education
Newmarket has a number of primary schools which feed into the 11–18 Newmarket Academy, the town's only secondary school. The town is also home to an Air Training Corps Squadron (2417 Newmarket Squadron) and an Army Cadet Detachment.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia.Television signals are received from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter. [45]
The local newspaper is the Newmarket Journal. [46]
Sport and leisure
Newmarket has two racecourses, The Rowley Mile and The July Course, and is home to 3,000 thoroughbred racehorses and over 70 racehorse trainers. The local football team is Newmarket Town. In 2005–06 the club reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase. Newmarket Hockey Club play field hockey,[47] and Newmarket Cycling and Triathlon club is an amateur cycling club in the town.
A greyhound racing track was opened around the Cricket Field Road ground, the venue used by Newmarket Town FC. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club) known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.[48] The track was active shortly after World War II and is known to have also been active during 1967. The date of closure is not known.[49] An earlier instance of racing took place in 1933 at a venue described as the Duchess Drive Stadium.[50]
In 1866 a campaign started to build a cottage hospital in Newmarket.[51] In 1878 the Jockey Club raised £5000 in memory of Admiral Rous.[51] In the twentieth century it became a GP led unit, and was converted into almshouses in 1977. [51]
Granted 15 November 1951, to the Newmarket Urban District Council.[30]
Escutcheon
Vert a Horse courant Argent on a Chief Gules a Lion rampant guardant between two Saxon Crowns Or therein as many Arrows in saltire points downwards of the second.
Motto
'RESPICE FINEM' – Look to the end.
Lambourn and Malton – two other major racehorse training centres in England.
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total direct and indirect expenditure in the British economy, of which £1.05 billion is from core racing industry expenditure, and the major horse racing events such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival are important dates in the British and international sporting and society calendar.
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amongst other horse racing assets such as the National Stud, and the property and land management company, Jockey Club Estates. The registered charity Racing Welfare is also a company limited by guarantee with the Jockey Club being the sole member. As it is governed by Royal Charter, all profits it makes are reinvested back into the sport.
Forest Heath was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Mildenhall. Other towns in the district included Newmarket. The population of the district at the 2011 Census was 59,748.
Slip Anchor (1982–2011) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1985 Epsom Derby by seven lengths. After showing some promise as a two-year-old, he showed substantial improvement in the spring of 1985, winning the Derby Trial at Lingfield Park Racecourse by ten lengths before recording a rare start-to-finish win in the Derby. He was rated the best racehorse in Europe in 1985. His subsequent career was disrupted by injury, and he finished second in his other three races before being retired to stud. He had some success as a breeding stallion and died in 2011.
Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horseracing and is home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations, including Tattersalls, the National Horseracing Museum and the National Stud. Newmarket hosts two of the country's five Classic Races – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, and numerous other Group races. In total, it hosts 9 of British racing's 36 annual Group 1 races.
Sir Charles Francis Noel Murless was an English racehorse trainer who one of the most successful of the twentieth century. Murless began his career as a trainer in 1935 at Hambleton Lodge in Yorkshire before moving to Hambleton House after the war, at one time sharing premises with Ryan Price. In 1947, he moved south, first to Beckhampton, Wiltshire and then to Warren Place, Newmarket.
Exning is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England.
Galopin (1872–1899) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1874 until October 1875 he ran nine times and won eight races. He was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1874, winning his first three races before sustaining the only defeat of his career in the Middle Park Plate. In 1875, he won all five of his races including the Derby. At the end of the season he was retired to stud where he became an extremely successful and influential breeding stallion.
The National Horseracing Museum (NHRM) is a museum in Newmarket, Suffolk dedicated to the history of horseracing. It covers a 5-acre site on Palace Street in the centre of the town, having previously been housed in the Jockey Club Rooms on Newmarket High Street. Together with the British Sporting Art Trust and Retraining of Racehorses it is part of the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art which was opened by Elizabeth II in 2016.
Stetchworth is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England, 3 miles (5 km) to the south of the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around 12 miles (19 km) east of Cambridge.
The British Horseracing Authority, also known as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.
Pommern (1912–1935) was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 1914 to June 1916 he ran ten times and won seven races. As a three-year-old in 1915 he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the wartime substitutes for The Derby and the St. Leger Stakes to win a version of the English Triple Crown. After winning his only race as a four-year-old in 1916, he was retired to stud where he had limited success.
Swynford was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred at the 16th Lord Derby's stud in Lincolnshire, England he was sired by John O'Gaunt, a son of Isinglass, winner of the British Triple Crown in 1893. His dam was Lord Derby's foundation mare and 1896 Epsom Oaks winner Canterbury Pilgrim who also produced Chaucer, the 1927 and 1933 Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland.
Save Historic Newmarket is grassroots organisation based in Newmarket, Suffolk, with the stated aim of preserving the town as the global centre of the horseracing industry and the many thousands of jobs it provides, and as a potential World Heritage Site. It came to national attention as one of many groups opposed to the Hatchfield stud farm development.
Tracery (1909–1924) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the St. Leger Stakes in 1912. In a career which lasted from June 1912 until October 1913 he ran nine times and won six races. After finishing third on his debut in the 1912 Epsom Derby Tracery never lost another completed race at level weights. He won the St. James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and St. Leger Stakes in 1912 and the Eclipse Stakes and Champion Stakes as a four-year-old in 1913. He was brought down by a protester in the 1913 Ascot Gold Cup. After his retirement from racing he became a highly successful breeding stallion in Britain and Argentina.
Bolkonski was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Originally trained in Italy, the colt moved to England for the 1975 season where he recorded an upset victory over Grundy in the classic 2000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse. He went on to win two other major British races over one mile, the St James's Palace Stakes at Ascot and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. At the end of the season he was retired to stud where he had limited success as a sire of winners.
Pall Mall (1955–1978) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1958. Owned and bred by Queen Elizabeth II, Pall Mall was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1957, when he won the New Stakes at Royal Ascot and was placed in three other important races. In the following spring, he performed moderately in two trial races before creating a 20/1 upset by winning the 2000 Guineas. He later won the first two runnings of the Lockinge Stakes before being retired to stud, where he had some success as a sire of winners.
Petition (1944–1964) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was officially rated the second-best two-year-old in Britain in 1946 when he won the New Stakes, Richmond Stakes, Gimcrack Stakes and Champagne Stakes. He won on his debut in 1947 but sustained an injury when finishing unplaced in the 2000 Guineas and failed to win in two subsequent races that year. In 1948 he returned to his best form to beat a strong field in the Eclipse Stakes. He was retired to stud where he became a successful and influential breeding stallion.
Persian Gulf (1940–1964) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who raced during World War II. He was a slow-maturing horse who did not race until he was three years old and failed to win in his first season although he finished fourth in both the Derby and the St Leger. As a four-year-old in 1944 he established himself as arguably the best horse in Britain by winning four of his five races, culminating with an emphatic win in a substitute Coronation Cup. His racing career was ended by injury less than a month later. He later became a very successful breeding stallion, siring several major winners.
Disraeli (1895–1911) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a juvenile in 1897 he showed considerable promise by winning the Champion Breeders' Foal Plate at Derby Racecourse and then finishing second in the Middle Park Plate. In the following spring he recorded his biggest win in the 2000 Guineas but disappointed when favourite for the Epsom Derby and later ran unplaced in the St Leger. He made no impact as a breeding stallion in France.
References
↑ "Newmarket". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
↑ Youngs, Frederic A. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 1: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p.684. ISBN0-901050-67-9.
↑ Post Office Telephone Directory, 1937: Newmarket Urban District Council: Clerk, accountant and rating office listed at Stratford House, surveyor's office at Godolphin House.
↑ Post Office Telephone Directory, 1948: Newmarket Urban District Council, Severals House
1 2 3 4 5 Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)
↑ Matron’s Annual Letter to Nurses, No.14, Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, 1894–1916; RLHLH/N/7/2, No.14, March 1907, 31; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
↑ Matron’s Annual Letter to Nurses, No.17, Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, 1894–1916; RLHLH/N/7/2, No.17, March 1910, 33; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
↑ Langridge, Annie, RG101/6661j; 1939 England and Wales Register for Newmarket, Suffolk; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 6 July 2018]
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