Ripon's Racecourses
There are records of various Ripon racecouses from 1664 to the present day although they may not be a continuous history. In 1664 there was a racecourse on Borrage Green and, in 1675, one on (Bishop) Monckton Moor. By 1717 horse racing appears to have moved onto Ripon High Common, now the site of Ripon golf club off Palace road. Ripon common ran down to North road and the race course may well have been straight. It was here that the first race with a women jockey was held. Mrs Aislabie of Studley Royal sponsored the race for women involving nine women jockeys wearing drawers, waistcoats and jockey caps. The race was won by Mrs. Aislabie.
The Enclosure Act of 1826 forced the racecourse to move and a site on the opposite side of the river Ure, on Ure Bank, was offered, between the river and the railway.
Beckwith's map of Ripon 1744
North bridge is in the bottom right corner and north road runs across the bottom of the common. The grey square could be common dubb.
The new racecourse opened in 1837 on the Ure Bank site.
The 1856 map shows the racecourse (in green) with access via Racecourse road, running from the main road just north of north bridge, past the station. The grandstand is beside the river (at about 7 o'clock).
Racecourse road crosses the old course of the river Ure in two places, one of which still has a wooden bridge in place.
Racegoers, with a knowledge of the river, must have known that a racecourse built in the flood plain was a risky venture. And so it proved. In 1865 the site was abandoned.
map courtesy of national library of Scotland
The sketch shows a race at the Ure Bank racecourse past the stadium and round the southern ben of the course. The north side of the cathedral can be seen in the backgound. The river Ure runs behind the grandstand and north bridge can be seen (just above the second horse). The St Wilfrid festival still exists as an annual prestigeous race on the present racecourse called the Great St Wilfrid Handicap.
In 1865 the racecourse moved to Harrogate road onto land called Hell Wath between the road road to Boroughbridge, Whitcliffe Lane and the river Skell. The grandstand was built on Red Bank lane, off Whitcliffe road.
map courtesy of national library of Scotland
1892 map of Ripon showing South Lodge, on Harrogate road, overlooking the eastern turn on the racecourse on Hell Wath
Hell Wath also proved unsuitable for the race couse, possibly because subsidence made the course dangerous for horses and riders. By 1900 the couse moved again to its present site on Boroughbridge road. However, while the racecouse moved, the grandstand remained and in the early 1960s was bought by the Church for use as a Choir School. The grandstand was extended along its length to create a new "front" on the "back" of the grandstand.
The old grandstand in its new clothes as a block of modern flats. The seven arches over the windows can still be seen together with the balcony far right.
The "new" front to the old grandstand which was added to the back of the building when it was converted to the choir school (1963). The front was retained in the recent convertion into flats.
The end wall of the new flats is retained from the old grandstand; the balcony with access from the building, the lower window and the dormer. The old grandstand is the lefr hand side of the building. The right hand side is the 1960s addition right along the back of the grandstand to form the choir school.
In 1900 the racecouse moved to a site on Boroughbridge road, between the river Ure and Ripon canal.
1019 map showing the racecourse. Boroughbridge road runs from the top left corner and crosses the Ure on Hewick Bridge. The river Ure runs down the right side of the map and the canal on the left.
The grandstand and associated buildings are top left, just off the road. The buildings on the opposite side of the course are Low Farm.