Redcar Racecourse

Racing began at Redcar on the sands at Redcar beach in the early 18th century. The final meeting here was in 1870. In 1872, Redcar Racecourse as it stands today was opened with a Grandstand erected in 1876. Between 1913 and 1923, Redcar F.C. was based at the racecourse. During the First World War and the Second World War the racecourse was used as both an airfield and an army camp. In 1945 after the Second World War, Major Leslie Petch OBE managed the racecourse and revamped the neglected course. Redcar was the first racecourse in the UK to have both a timing clock and furlong posts. Under Petch's stewardship, a new grandstand was erected in 1964. This stand is still at the racecourse…

The Race Committee benefitted from the three significant local families with a great interest in the sport: the Newcomen family of Kirkleatham Hall, the Zetland family of Upleatham Hall and the Lowther family of Wilton Castle. Land had also been acquired to construct a straight mile from the Marquess of Zetland. Developments continued throughout the late 1870s, with a stand built for attendees in the second enclosure in 1877, the aim of the Company being to provide comfort to all those attending the meetings. It was that year that James Lowther, MP for York and a director of the racecourse, stated that he had 'no hesitation in saying we have the second best course in the world', although he…