A History of Manchester Racecourse (And Why it Closed) Manchester isn’t really known as being a home of horse racing. With Liverpool not all that far away and boasting the world famous Aintree Racecourse, as well as both Haydock Park and Chester Racecourses not being too far away, the people of Greater Manchester have plenty of choices if they want to watch some live racing. There was a time, however, when Manchester had a racecourse of its own. Part of the problem in terms of the longevity of the course was that it didn’t really have anywhere to settle, to say nothing of the fact that there was no point at which it was actually located in the township or city of Manchester. The Origins of Racing in Manchester New Barns 1901 (Wikipedia.org) The first time that horses were raced competitively in Manchester was in 1647 when racing took place at Barlow Moor. There was then a gap of about 50 years before the area saw more racing occur, this time over a more sustained period. Barlow Moor was again the site, with races being held there between 1697 and 1701. Meanwhile, another venue for horse racing had been found in the form of Kersal Moor, where we know racing took place thanks to a notice that was placed in the London Gazette making reference to races between the second and the fifth of May 1687. It was clear that there was some desire to see racing take place in Manchester at around that time. Other short-lived race courses popped up in the likes Eccles, Harpurhey and Stretford, with the latter being on the area that would later become Old Trafford Cricket Ground. Racing also took place at Heaton Park between 1827 and 1838, but none of the various venues that were used took hold in any meaningful way. The only place that could lay claim to such a status was Kersal Moor, which was Manchester’s main racing location from 1687 until 1847. Kersal Moor Racecourse Kersal Moor Racecourse (Wikipedia) Readers of the London Gazette who picked up the edition between the second and fifth of May 1687 will have been greeted with the following notice: On Carsall Moore near Manchester in Lancashire on the 18th instant, a 20£. plate will be run for to carry ten stone, and ride three heats, four miles each heat. And the next day another plate of 40£. will be run for at the same moore, riding the same heats and carrying the same weight. The horses marks are to be given in four days before to Mr. William Swarbrick at the Kings Arms in Manchester. The course was an undulating one that had a circumference of about a mile, going around three low hills. The problem was that the owner of Kersal Cell, John Byrom, was greatly opposed to the racing and did what he could to put a stop to it. That included writing a pamphlet in opposition to the racing, albeit to little effect. In spite of his opposition, racing continued until 1746. That was the year of the Jacobite uprising when, likely due to Byrom’s opposition to the races, they were finally put to a stop. Sporadic racing continued in the area, including in 1750, then in 1759 regular races started back up again. Not only did the racing resume, presumably much to the disgust of Dr. Byrom, but they were held every year and were so popular so as to result in the decision to take subscriptions in order to build a grandstand in 1777. Three years later and a Ladies’ Stand was built, being equipped to offer refreshments to the attendees. In the decades that followed, more areas were built and more races added, so that by 1840 it was described as boasted both a grandstand and other buildings that gave a view of the ‘fine run-in’. Two meetings were held every year, with more than 100,000 people attending the Whit races. The Course at Castle Irwin Entrance to Castle Irwell (Wikipedia) In 1847, the Manchester Racecourse Committee’s lease on the Kersal Moor course ran out, with a decision taken not to renew it. Instead, racing moved across the River Irwell in order to take place at what was known as Castle Irwin. It wasn’t actually a castle, but rather a a large castellated house that existed on the site. John Fitzgerald, a Member of Parliament who owned Pendleton Colliery, owned the land and leased it for 20-years at a cost of £500 per annum. Although the course was built on flat land, its location in a meander of the River Irwell meant that the land was often boggy, making the Going Heavy most of the time. Whilst the course’s location close to the river caused issues for the jockeys a lot of the time, the fact that the River Irwell was on three sides meant that it was actually much easier to manage than Kersal Moor had been, so a grandstand for 1,000 people was built. The course itself could be seen in its entirety from both the grandstand and from Castle Hill, which was across the river. Reports from the time suggest that the road to the course was guarded by toll-men, but that some would swim from one side of the river to the other in order to avoid paying. The course lasted as a going concern for 20 years before racing in Manchester was on the move again. Racing at New Barns New Barns 1901 (Wikipedia.org) When John Fitzgerald died, his property was passed to his son, who was also called John. John Fitzgerald Jr. was not a fan of the racing, so when the lease expired on Castle Irwin in 1867 he chose not to renew it, citing ‘just and Christian reasons’. Rather than give up on racing in the Manchester area altogether, it was decided that it should be moved to a course at New Barns, in the area of West. The Lancashire Plate was hosted there, taking place over seven furlongs and being one of the country’s most valuable races at the time. It was hosted between 1888 and 1893, then in 1894 it was renamed to become the Prince Edward Handicap. New Barns continued the tradition that had been put in place by Castle Irwin of hosting the final fixture in British racing’s flat racing season. The highlight of this was the November Handicap. Racing at New Barns continued for 30 years, but in 1889 it was revealed that the Manchester Ship Canal Company wanted the area in order to build a new dock and some warehouses. A compulsory purchase order was granted and they took possession of the land in 1902, with the New Barns racecourse being closed as a result. Manchester was once again looking for a new location for its horse racing to take place. The Return to Castle Irwell John Fitzgerald Jr. had died by 1898, with the Race Committee deciding to buy the Castle Irwell site from the executors of his will. Having done so, they formed a company and looked to build a horse racing venue that was suitable for the new century. The sides that weren’t bounded by the river saw a high wall built to offer more privacy, with trams taking people to the main entrance and gardens as well as glazed galleries being elected inside. The entrance itself was adorned with Dutch gables, whilst a new and luxurious club stand was built, with the new course given its inaugural meeting during the Easter of in 1902. The first races run at the new Castle Irwell site were run over jumps, the key race being the Lancashire Steeplechase that boasted £1,750 in prize money. That race continued until 1952, but the course wasn’t just used for jump racing; at Whitsuntide 1902 the first flat meeting took place, including £500 to the winner of the Castle Irwell Inauguration Handicap. The flat course was one mile and six furlongs round, with the presence of the river giving it an odd shape. It was popular thanks to its location close to Manchester city centre, allowing it to be served by trams. It was helped by the fact that it also had three separate tracks. In addition to the flat track were both a steeplechase track and a hurdles track, all of which were right-handed. The Lancashire Oaks became one of the course’s standout fixtures, taking place for the first time in 1939 and lasting until 1963. Castle Irwell also hosted the wartime substitute for the St. Leger Stakes in 1941. During the 1930s, the Racecourse Hotel was built on Littleton Road, next to the course, serving racegoers, as well as being an accommodation for the jockeys. On Friday the 13th of July, 1951, the course hosted the country’s first ever evening meeting, with a large crowd turning up in spite of it being cold and wet. The Closure of Castle Irwell Castle Irwell student housing, 1980s (Photo from blogs.salford.ac.uk) When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her first winner as an owner at Castle Irwell in June 1952 after she had acceded to the throne, it seemed as though the site was destined to be a popular racecourse forever. Within a decade, however, the issues with the site had begun to come to the fore; a fact that was cemented when it was discovered that the Club Stand had major issues with rot. One of the country’s first fully cantilevered reinforced concrete stands was built in its stead, but the cost of doing so put the course under immense financial constraint and within two years the shareholders were forced to sell the site. The Goodbye Consolation Plate was the final race run at the Castle Irwell site, with more than 20,000 people there to see Lester Piggott win it on the ninth of November 1963. Some of the races lived on, seeing the November Handicap moved to Doncaster and the Lancashire Oaks taking place at Haydock Park, but horse racing in Manchester had seen its final run. The majority of the site was bought by the University of Salford in 1973 and a student village was built there. That closed in 2015, then in March of that year work began to create a flood basin, which was completed three years later. Horses